leather advice please

[shaggystu]

i'm wanting to try my hand at making a sheath and as it's something i've never tried before i could do with a little help! i've read a few tutorials on the subject and i'm fairly confident that the actual construction of the thing is something that i'll be able to manage fairly well, but i haven't got a clue what kind of leather/thread i should be using. any suggestions for cheap (i'm without regular work at the moment, so when i say cheap, i mean cheap!) sources for materials would be great too. this is completely new skill for me so idiot proof advice would be appreciated!

thanks in advance

stuart

 

[beachlover]

Have a look at british blades forum via the link on edged tools.
Bags of information there as well as very helpful folk.
Try this for starters.
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5

 

[Eric_Methven]

Stu, PM sent.

Eric

 

[andyn]

Theres a pretty good tutorial for a sheath here. http://knives.com/sheath.html

good luck

 

[Carcajou Garou]

Really inexpensive, use a nylon seat belt from a vehicle one piece tri-folded over; one fold to act as a belt loop another fold to the depth you want the knife to sit. Now glue edges and sew and rivet as needed. Done faster than explained. good enough for now till you make your leather one later. CG :yo:

 

[Goose]

I can reccomend Erics instructions and help as I and my daughter produced our first sheaths at the northern meet!
BTW thanks Eric :You_Rock_

 

[Grooveski]

I've been using an old electrical screwdriver with a 3mm blade length as an awl and a stanley knife, sharpening them every now and then on a dry oilstone.
Handbags from charity shops are a great source of leather(in the absence of an Eric).
Got to watch yourself though. I had my eye on a pair of dodgy thigh-length boots the other day thinking quivers. The cashier was probably starting to wonder.

Old fastflight strings seem to work ok as thread(knew I'd find a use for them someday ).

It's just not the same without a tarp flapping about though Goose . Seeing all you guys at Eskdale put me in the mood so when I got home I tore the one I'd made at Achray apart and used most of the leather again for a new one.

I could do with a bit of advice too....
I'm going to dip both sheath and knife(it's a squished leather disk handle) in some danish oil then just keep rubbing in oil and finish with beeswax on the outside as though it were wood. Does that sound ok or is dipping in oil over the top?

 

[Goose]

Got to watch yourself though. I had my eye on a pair of dodgy thigh-length boots the other day thinking quivers. The cashier was probably starting to wonder

Would probably wonder even more if you mentioned quivers too!

I have just polished my sheath using kiwi parade gloss, don't know if it is the way you are supposed to do it but it looks ok for now, got a lovely black bulled sheath but it may crack when I use it!
I knew those evenings spent on my boots would come in handy!

 

[running bare]

goose you should of used morello on your boots in the barracks like we used to

 

[Grooveski]

It's a fair sized blade. I don't often wear it so it tends to end up strapped to the rucksack and I'll use the knife for a while then take it back to the sheath. The rucksack lies about in the pouring rain a lot and I'm just worried about the sheath sitting empty catching water.

Trouble is I got too fancy and now the sheath relies on the dry shape to hold the knife in. That must be fine because I've seen plenty of that style at the meets but the inside has got to be waterproof surely.

 

[shaggystu]

thanks for all the advice people, eric's very kindly offered to supply me with some tools and materials, so i should be ok, i think! i'll try and post some pictures to show you all how i get on.

wish me luck!

stuart