Help please- Sheath Making

[georann]

After talking to dougster and finding out that for him to make a custom sheath for my knife is going to set me back £35 or so, he suggested that I perhaps try making one myself.

So I ask you good people here if you have any tips, instructions, suggestions of tools and equipment, where to get leather etc

Looking forward to hearing your replies
ATB
Dan

 

[chas brookes]

Hi
lots of sheathmaking tips etc on British Blades

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?5-Sheaths-amp-Leatherwork...

 

[georann]

thanks

ATB
Dan

 

[telwebb]

didn't I see a tutorial here?

 

[tommy the cat]

Yep I followed a thread over on B.B and made my sheath...really enjoyed the process.
I think it was by someone called Tividar or someat like that.
D

 

[telwebb]

Found it! HERE

 

[g4ghb]

hints and tips?

have a good read of the tutorials / threads on here (and BB) and have a go.

Go slowly and if you come up against something you don't understand / need clarifying shout and one of us will help for sure

 

[robevs73]

make a patern out of cardboard or paper before you cut any leather, just remember that sheath leather is atleast 3mm thick so if you are making a pancake style sheath you need to add onto your cardboard patern to allow for the bend. hope that made sense!!

 

[georann]

Found it! HERE

Do I need all the specialist tools for this or could I manage without?

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[CanRanger]

Sheath making is a skill just like any other it will take time to get to a good finished product and most likely after you arrive at a level you are happy with you will think I should have paid the 35 pounds isnce you will spend that much learning it...lol

Anyway after having said that first settle ona style of sheath you want and be sure of your measuring technique nothing is more expensive than wasting leather. If yo are looking for a quick easy source for leather I have heard of guys using weight lifting belts from second hand stores.

One style of sheath is a simple stacked sheath simply trace the knie and add a 1/2 inch around the board and cut out he front and back. Here is an example of a stcked sheath I made you can see how it follows the pattern.

Then ther are pouch sheath a lot of people recomend usinf file folder and laying one side of center adn traqcing the knife like above then adding a 1/2" to that find it works on some knives but not so much on knives with thick handles. If i am working on a new design I use tin foill wrap the knife in an envelope and then cut to shape.
Then transfer the template onto card stock for tracing this way i don't take a chance of wasting leather with a mismeasure. Here is a simple pouch style I made a good beginner style choice.

Don't worry abou tthe tooling that comes later.
If you want you can give you pouch style sheath some shape using the same tin foil method but then sewing and evening out the pattern will get dificult.

 

[g4ghb]

You can mark stitches with a ruler or use a suitable fork to get even marks (you can also use a fork to create a groove to stitch in).
You will need a couple of saddlers (blunt) needles and preferably a diamond profile awl though you can use a small 1.5 / 2mm drill.
A Stanley knife or similar is suitable for cutting the leather.
Add some thread and you are pretty much good to go.

More tools do make thinks easier / neater but you can get by with a little improvisation

 

[CanRanger]

Here is another in everycase the measuring is important even in the diffrent shaped sheath what you need to get down is the space for the handle so it is snug abd enough space to allow for the blade and a spacer.

So to start with I would say the biggest tip to save money and not waste leather to start is measure it out usinfg a trial pattern first.

Also after you have spaced out your holes a simple finishing nail and a hammer can be used to make the stitching holes thatts how I started.

Hope this helps

 

[georann]

Once again can't thank you guys enough. I have a pillar drill which i can use to make the stitching holes. I assume that 3mm leather is too thick to be sewn with a leather sewing machine needle, in which case I need to buy meself a proper needle.
This is the knife Im making a sheath for and was wondering how the handle is gripped in a sheath like the style below (i.e. the opening is extra wide as the sheath curves down wider)? knife

Thanks
Dan

P.S. How would I add a firesteel holder aswell?

 

[g4ghb]

3mm would be WAY too thick to sew with a domestic sewing machine - I would think industrial ones would struggle too (plus a hand stitched saddle stitch 'locks' each stitch whereas a machine stitch that gets cut will unravel easily) You will need 2 needles (but they are often sold in packs of 25 no no real problem )

First off you need to add a welt to protect the stitches. To add a firesteel loop you can create it integral to the sheath side or separate and skived (thinned) down replaces part of the welt.

The knife can be held in by either friction (you make the sheath a nice tight fit), by wet forming the sheath to match the contours of the knife / handle or better still (in my opinion) both.

Make a good template out of thick card and measure / test it till you are happy. The leather will stretch a little so don't go too loose!

 

[brancho]

Look HERE at this tutorial back on this site

 

[British Red]

Once again can't thank you guys enough. I have a pillar drill which i can use to make the stitching holes. I assume that 3mm leather is too thick to be sewn with a leather sewing machine needle, in which case I need to buy meself a proper needle.
This is the knife Im making a sheath for and was wondering how the handle is gripped in a sheath like the style below (i.e. the opening is extra wide as the sheath curves down wider)? knife

Thanks
Dan

P.S. How would I add a firesteel holder aswell?

Dan,

I illustrated the process of forming the sheath to the knife in this pictorial

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23049

Red

 

[CanRanger]

Adding a firesteel is easy like a previouse poster said you need to add a spacer what I do is take the exact same thickness of leather that I use for the space and use it to form my firesteel loop. I leave a gap in my spacer just a bit narrower than the width of the material for the loop. I glue the sheath together then I take the loop and shave it to half its thickness and then wet it with contact scement. At this point the wet cenement will help it slip into the place left in the spacer and the thickness will match the rest of the spacer.It is important to remember to shave the leather from the rough inner side as the strenght of the hide is in the outer layer.
Here are too example of how i install a firesteel loop the first is next to the same style of sheath but without a looop so you can see the difference. The second gives you a side angle.

 

[georann]

Yes that makes sense. So as I understand it, you create a loop on the edge of the spacer, which then gets sewn in between the stich up the side (and prevents the knife cutting the stiching).
Brilliant!

The only problem with all these leather supplies (except the leprevo belt strips but i would rather only sew up one side) is that you must be huge quantities. Could anyone sell me/trade me a beginners set with needles, thread, wax, leather, anything else please?

ATB
Dan

 

[CanRanger]

Tandy Leather usually sells beginner set. But as I mentioned in my first post an old leather weight lifting belt is a good source for leather if you can get into a store they have scrap boxes and they often have large pieces in those. If you take a look around sometimes the very supplies you need are sold in other industries for different uses.

 

[Black Sheep]

Try this place on Ebay, she sells smaller pieces as well as tools and other bits........

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Leather-an...20361011&_sid=106617161&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

Richard