Firesteel loops on sheaths

[Chainsaw]

Hi all,

Quick straw poll on how you attach firesteel loops to a knife sheath. In doing my first one, I trimmed a half thickness from each end of the loop before fixing it on. I cut out a wee section of the welt and fitted it in the gap to keep thickness down. The only other option I could think of was to make it a double thickness welt but I thought that would be too thick.

What does everyone else do?

Cheers,

Alan

Added piccie for clarity shows split welt and firesteel loop lying flat

 

[g4ghb]

Pretty much what you are planning Alan - skive the ends of the loop to the same thickness as the welt.

I always try to use an odd number of thickness's for my welt - an even number makes the 'join' where the edge is and thus (in my opinion) more likely to enable the stitching to be cut.

 

[jojo]

I tend to use thinner leather for the loop.Still plenty strong enough, less bulky and quicker than thinning. I also make it quite tight, it holds the steel well and is less likely to lose it.

 

[Black Sheep]

Same here

I also grooved mine about 2mm apart top to bottom on the inside of the loop so that it was easier to bend round the fire steel

Richard

 

[riggers]

guys wear do you buy your leather and tools from cheers paul

 

[Chainsaw]

Just spent a small fortune at leprevo.co.uk!! Cows are big!!!!

Cheers,

Alan

 

[John Fenna]

I have been known to make the loop as a separate piece as shown but these days I tend to cut it in one with the sheath.
I make it as part of the back of the sheath and have it come flush with the top edge of the sheath's opening.
ThIs way the full thickness of the leather at the end of the loop forms part of the welt, the actual welt piece being simply cut shorter to accomodate the loop end.
The Fire Steel is worn upside down with a security loop made to just fit over the projecting end of the steel, to avoid losses as the steel wears, becomes thin and loses its friction fit in the loop.
This may sound like the leather may form strange and wasteful shapes to cut out, but I hae found it just as ecconomical as the separate loop if you are carefull.
OLD STYLE

NEW STYLE

Before anyone asks - the steel I lost at Cowbridge was beeing worn rightside up AND had a security loop - it is just I got careless I guess.....

 

[Chainsaw]

That's a cracking idea, so the loop is part of the back of the sheath and is only a single thickness and fits in with the welt perfectly. Does it form more of a D rather than an O cross section, on second thoughts, probably doesn't make a difference and after a while it'd deform to an O??? I'm not too keen on the loop being right at the top but I suppose you could adjust this on the paper template, I'm don't like anything peeking over the top of the sheath but that's probably purely aesthetic.

nice one, thanks john,

Cheers,

Alan

 

[T1tch]

No, it still forms a 'O' beacause you are still folding ther leather directly back onto intself as you would with a seperate insert:

 

[ZDP-189]

Last time, I embedded it into the mid layer, but I prefer T1tch's method.