sheath opinions/advice please

[Petey]

I'm considering making a sheath for my clipper.

I've seen some beautiful examples offered here for around the £25 mark but quite fancy having a go myself.

I'd love to make a leather one and have looked into it a bit:

process

but all that kit that's required... I could probably get by without much of the kit but the various lotions and potions give me a cause to pause.

Alternatively there's kydex:

process

which appears to be SIGNIFICANTLY easier, but my clipper is already in a plastic sheath - albeit one i don't like.

I'm only planning on making the one item btw...

Just interested in views from each side of the fence!

Pete

 

[dazcon]

Make a nice leather dangler with a firesteel loop, thats what i'd do. In my view, kydex looks too tactical.

Dazcon.

 

[Petey]

It'll be a dangler with a FS loop - for sure!

Just not sure of the material. Leather is much nicer but seems harder to do and more expensive to get into...

 

[Biker]

It'll be a dangler with a FS loop - for sure!

Just not sure of the material. Leather is much nicer but seems harder to do and more expensive to get into...

Yeah, proper leather working tools can be pricey but if you have basic woodworking tools or craft tools and know how to use them you can get some pretty good results by using alternatives.

I made my first sheath using a scapel and glass paper and borrowed a drill for the holes for the stitching. Later I bought more and more tools.

British blades forums has some really good tutorials on working with leather and such (the website's down at the moment for some reason) but I would encourage you to have a look there and decide for yourself what you're able to do.

The first cut is the hardest but after that it's plain sailing... except when you do that bit wrong Good luck with the work. You'll appreciate it more if you make it yourself, it comes with satisfaction of a job well done.

 

[MrEd]

you can make most tools. i would get an awl though, try going to bowstocks leather supplies and getting there starter kit to have a go first.

you can make a stitch pricker out of a fork

 

[Chris the Cat]

Make a nice leather dangler with a firesteel loop, thats what i'd do. In my view, kydex looks too tactical.

Dazcon.

Felt the same untill I got hold of one of Rapidboys combos!!
( Leather for wood or antler handles tho! IMHO. )
C da C.

 

[Petey]

I'm gladdened to hear you saying that the tools can be improvised - that's very much in keeping with my approach to all things.

You're not wrong Biker - it's the satisfaction in doing it that I seek

I've had a look at bowstocks starter kit, but for two purple beer-tokens I'll dismiss that for now

Felt the same untill I got hold of one of Rapidboys combos!!

One of these?

See that is some pretty weighty argument towards kydex...

I know!- I'll get some kydex as I fancy having a play with it, and then also get some leather, do the job properly and get another knife to put in it

 

[Petey]

...and then I read one or two threads about getting sufficient pressure on the kydex and working quickly etc.

Seemed to me that I'd rather try leather so have just bought a bit of 2.5mm veg tan leather, some double cap rivets and some waxed thread.

So even if wifey decides not to let me out canoeing this weekend, I'll still have something to look forward to!

 

[a6cjn]

...and then I read one or two threads about getting sufficient pressure on the kydex and working quickly etc.

Seemed to me that I'd rather try leather so have just bought a bit of 2.5mm veg tan leather, some double cap rivets and some waxed thread.

So even if wifey decides not to let me out canoeing this weekend, I'll still have something to look forward to!

Veg tanned leather is a good start and I think you should then get:
A stanley knife with a new blade
A pair of engineer's dividers - for marking the position of the stitch holes and can be used for creating a groove for your stitching.
Some impact adhesive
Waxed thread and two needles.
If it is your first attempt, I would suggest drilling your stitch holes with a 1mm drill
After that, just take your time
Good luck

Chris

 

[mattburgess]

I'm in a similar position with the sheath making. For me there's that issue of natural vs man-made - and yes, the kydex does look a bit military. Having said that I just think it's a really nice looking material, I like the ridgedness of it and it's supposed to be easy to works (?!? - nevver used it). I'll be doing a leather one first but I think Kydex will be on the cards too.

 

[leon-1]

You can get linen thread from most local haberdasheries in 10 meter lengths. You should also be able to get hold of suitable needles from them. If you have a stanley knife that will be fine for cutting leather. As someone else mentioned you can use a fork for stitch marking. Instead of using beeswax to coat the thread with you can use boot / shoe polish (A good tip from Toddy).

As also mentioned an awl is a must, one with an inch and a half blade would be more than enough (the longer the blade the more difficult to control). If you don't have to don't drill the holes, I punch through upto an inch of leather just using an awl on a regular basis.

I pre-punch the holes along the outside of the sheath before lining the holes up and glueing the welt in place. That way you have defined marks to work with and only the welt to get through.

When you get an awl blade clean it up using some wet and dry so it looks nice and polished, it'll make it a lot easier to get it through the leather and leave a cleaner hole.

Before dying the leather make it wet, it helps the dye penetrate and gives a more even finish. Don't apply using a dauber, a paint brush will do the job as well if not better. Paint up and down, left and right and through the diagonal to get an even finish.

A bit of sandpaper and a sanding block is good enough for levelling the edges off and instead of using Gum tragacanth use a bit of sugared water. A bone folder is the best for burnishing an edge, but any hard smooth piece of plastic, wood or possibly even metal will do the job as well.

Bevelling an edge can be done with a dedicated tool or a craft knife blade if you have a steady hand. I have heard of people using a razor to do it, but have never tried myself.

I use mink oil on some things and resolene on others, but I have also made things and left untreated as the client uses vegetable oil on leather to waterproof it (not something I have been too keen on, but it does seem to work quite well).

I hope this helps,

Leon

 

[Petey]

That helped a lot Leon!

First attempt is certainly functional, if not very pretty!

I found myself carried away with it really, so made a few mistakes and recovered from them.

My next attempt i think will be all one piece of leather, apart from the belt loop. Alternatively I reckon that by doing a dove-tail type cut with the welt and FS loop, i could get the FS seam to mesh together and be no thinker than the rest of the edge of the sheath.

I now understand why it was suggested i use a sharp stanley knife. I used my shaving sharp clipper and now it's very very blunt...

The photos are a bit naff, sorry for that.

Also I missed the point about pricking out with a fork. definitely do that next time. and will definitely get an awl too. using a drill roughed up the holes too much. What is an auto-awl???

I had assumed I could use something from teh shoe polishing basket to dye the leather. Wrong! tested a few products on off cuts and now realise the need to do something else.

the leather is already shiny and finished in a cream colour - hadn't realised that form the ebay listing. can i still effectively dye it?

I've asked an apiarist I know for some beeswax. what am I going to do with it?

The handle of the FS is a bone toggle from robevs73 which I cut down to reduce the chance of snagging. very pleased with that.

Even though the sheath, knife and FS don't exactly gel visually, I'm reasonably satisfied by this little project. hopefully a colour change will mask the dodgy stitch holes and make it all work a little better!

 

[leon-1]

That helped a lot Leon!

First attempt is certainly functional, if not very pretty!

Don't knock it, it's not bad especially for a first attempt.

I found myself carried away with it really, so made a few mistakes and recovered from them.

This is a problem that a lot of us suffer with, take your time and establish a process (cut the sheath out, groove it, mark it for stitching and then actually punch the holes. Dye the sheath allow to dry, glue, clamp, line the holes up with an awl and stitch as part of process (the belt loop first before glueing in the welt and later the edge of the sheath). Once this is finished edge (flatten the edges), bevell the edges and then re-dye before burnishing and treating with Oil's, waxes or acryllics.

My next attempt i think will be all one piece of leather, apart from the belt loop. Alternatively I reckon that by doing a dove-tail type cut with the welt and FS loop, i could get the FS seam to mesh together and be no thinker than the rest of the edge of the sheath.

Been there, I did it with a Grohmann Boat Knife that I customised, the main welt was 5mm thick and the leather that formed the firesteel loop was 2.5mm. It worked quite well. Sometimes though you'll find yourself using heavier leathers and then you'll be stitching through upto 5 layers.

I now understand why it was suggested i use a sharp stanley knife. I used my shaving sharp clipper and now it's very very blunt...

Get yourself a folding knife that locks that takes stanley blades, they cost little and are relatively easy to get hold of (Valley tools, Rolson and many others make them). If you have problems sourcing one let me know and the next time I am in Trago Mills I'll see if they have any more and pick one up for you.

The photos are a bit naff, sorry for that.

We ain't all born David Bailey.

Also I missed the point about pricking out with a fork. definitely do that next time. and will definitely get an awl too. using a drill roughed up the holes too much. What is an auto-awl???

The next time is the time to put into place what you learnt from this one. An auto awl is used to both punch the hole and stitch at the same time, my advice is don't even go there, you'll get a far better result with the seperate bits (Awl and Needles).

I had assumed I could use something from teh shoe polishing basket to dye the leather. Wrong! tested a few products on off cuts and now realise the need to do something else.

the leather is already shiny and finished in a cream colour - hadn't realised that form the ebay listing. can i still effectively dye it?

The leather has probably been bleached, dyed and then treated with an acryllic on the facing side. The chances are that you could sand it back to remove the acryllic that has both formed a layer on the surface and slightly penetrated the leather. Then if you wish to dye the leather use a proper leather dye to penetrate the leather, I can't vouch for the colour that it'll come out, but it'll be a bit of a mix of the current and the new unless you go for black.

I've asked an apiarist I know for some beeswax. what am I going to do with it?

Beeswax is normally used for coating the linen thread (place the length of thread over a piece of beeswax, clamp it to the besswax with a digit and with the other hand quickly draw the thread over / through the wax, do this a few times and it coats the thread). The coating reduces the abrasion on the thread and at the same time makes the passage of the thread through the leather easier.

You can use beeswax to polish the leather or to harden and waterproof the leather as well.

The handle of the FS is a bone toggle from robevs73 which I cut down to reduce the chance of snagging. very pleased with that.

Even though the sheath, knife and FS don't exactly gel visually, I'm reasonably satisfied by this little project. hopefully a colour change will mask the dodgy stitch holes and make it all work a little better!

As I said earlier for a first attempt it ain't half bad, it may take a little time until you settle on a specific style and get all the ideas to merge and make the whole, but you'll get there.

 

[Petey]

Leon - thanks again!
Your time taken to encourage and educate me is most gratefully received.

Hopefully you'll see the improvement on the next one - which I'll likely do before very long!

 

[leon-1]

Leon - thanks again!
Your time taken to encourage and educate me is most gratefully received.

Hopefully you'll see the improvement on the next one - which I'll likely do before very long!

No problems mate. I do leatherwork partially for a living and partially because I like doing leatherwork. If people can learn from my mistakes all the better. There were a few people who gave advice when I started, but not many and beyond the initial stuff I am self taught.

I have just finished a ranger belt and just started a watch strap (never done a watch strap before and I am currently unsure of how this one will come out).

I am also doing work on Jacks and traditional tankards at the moment. I have been researching traditional tankards and Jacks for coming up on 2 years now and think that I may have got all the components to roughly the correct spec (the correct gauge of linen, the correct type of leather, the correct thickness of leather and the correct lining materials). I just have a bit more checking to do with the Bottellers Guild and the regulations laid down by them as to what the actual requirements were.

 

[Tadpole]

I have just finished a ranger belt and just started a watch strap (never done a watch strap before and I am currently unsure of how this one will come out).

Daft as it sounds that's my next project (watch strap), any chance of a tutorial or at least a list of mistakes to avoid.

 

[leon-1]

Daft as it sounds that's my next project (watch strap), any chance of a tutorial or at least a list of mistakes to avoid.

Your best bet will be an animal type strap. Stitch pigskin to the Velcro for the facing areas and the area that will be next to the skin line with goatskin (has a really nice feel to it). Use a finer thread than normal and if possible run it through a sewing machine. I have access to a little hand cranked machine that I will use for the rest of the strap. Hand stitching looks quite scruffy on it (that's unusual for me as that's normally the one thing that I can be sure about).