My first leather project

[Trent]

I lost the nylon sheath that came with my Ozark Trail knife. Which was unfortunate, and led to a really bad hunting experience (documented elsewhere on THR).

True to my pledge to "forever carry a blade on my person", and to ditch the uncomfortable pocket folder, I took the time tonight to carve up a cow hide I ordered 4 years ago. I bought "Betsy" (as I call her) on a whim, wanting to experiment with leather working, but then found out how much dang work it is, and quite frankly, gave up before I really got rolling.

Well, I couldn't find a suitable knife sheath anywhere (In fact, I couldn't find any local stores that sell sheaths, period, without buying a blade with it..).

So.. need + materials + time = solution.

Not exactly the best design, I kind of "winged it". And I don't know if it'll be durable at all.

BUT, I did it. Took two hours, but I did it.

And that is something.

 

[Trent]

(I just realized I'll need to wear my knife cross-draw when I finally get my CCW license... or... carry my gun cross draw. Decisions...)

 

[Valkman]

Nothing wrong with that, as long as the knife is fairly secure. It looks good!

 

[Trent]

Thanks!

Turned out better than I hoped for my first project. Well, my second project. My first project was moccasins, and we won't talk about how that went. Ever.

It's a snug fit, for sure. If I hold it upside down I have to shake it fairly vigorously for it to come out. If it becomes an issue I'll rework the design and add a retention strap.. but I don't think it'll need it. Maybe if the leather stretches, it might become an issue. But I could always add a stitch or two to tighten it back up if I needed.

My big concern is the blade slicing through the stitches. I didn't have any heavy duty thread material; just borrowed (liberated?) some thread from a spool from my daughters sewing machine while she was asleep.

 

[ivankerley]

trent

not bad at all! the design aesthetically works well with the knife
in regards to the stitches holding up usually youd have a welt to provide a barrier between the cutting edge and the stiches, also lessens the strain on the stiches, sounds complex and i struggled a bit when i did my first sheath but fast forward 5 years and its still around. the work around on this is to use well placed rivets and enough space between blade and stitching, i.e Kabar type sheath.
if the stiches start to come out, you could always resew it with some waxed thread from hobby lobby, michaels etc, will hold up much better.
Leather will give over time, it just happens with use, gonna need some safety feature here, ie strap, snap closure whatever.
Given what ya got ya might try the rivets, as you might end up with issues of cut through with use, dunno without seeing it up close
not bad at all! good job
Gene

ps made my first 2 sheaths out of a pair of old engineer boots that my black lab had decided to chew up! they wouldnt win any beauty contests but they work

 

[kBob]

Trent,

Looks nice. Next time instead of raiding daughters sewing basket, raid the bathroom for dental floss.

When I was a kid I bought one of the moccasin pre cut pre holed kits and still managed to make the only known pair of moccasins to cause blisters before wearing out in a week........

So far my sheath projects have envolved one form or cardboard or another and some form of what most folks would call Duck /Duct tape. In fact there is a butcher knife on the back of the barn door in such a sheath now for general chores. I cut up a pair of old combat boots to try my hand at sheath making but haven't....no wait, our long time room mate finally moved out and left me a "Round Tuit" she found cleaning out her junk.... guess I had best get started.

-kBob

 

[hso]

My big concern is the blade slicing through the stitches.

Trent,

That may be pleasing to the eye, but its a dangerous job that can get you badly hurt. As you already know, the blade will slice through the stitching almost regardless of the thread. The tip will poke through the bottom as well. You should pick the stitching out and put a midwelt in there to help protect the stitching (or pop some rivets in). Nice first effort on the fit and stitching, but don't use it until you get it revised to make it safe as well as attractive.

 

[alsask]

As an alternative to rivets I have started using Chicago screws on knife sheaths and other leather work. Most saddle shops and some hardware stores sell them.

The nice thing about them is they are easy to install and remove and you don't require a rivet set. They come in stainless steel and aluminium.

 

[hso]

They also come in brass.

 

[DT Guy]

+1 to hso's comments.

A bit of leverage on that handle could pop the blade right out. A welt, or better, a welt AND some way of holding the grip vertical in the sheath, would be safer.


Larry

 

[Trent]

Great advice guys!

I'll take a trip over to Hobby Lobby and see if I can pick up some stuff. I have enough cow carcass to redo this a hundred times (time is the big issue).

I might need to "quick fix" this until I can get something more durable put together.

 

[rcmodel]

A few rivets along the edge will keep the stitching from getting cut.

Two-Piece Jiffy Rivets can be smashed together with a hammer if you don't have a rivet setting tool.
It will smash the domed head, but that's better then cutting all the thread and then cutting yourself.

But in the future, be sure and put a thick leather welt along the edge to cover the stitching on the inside.
If you do that, you don't need the rivets.





PS: I also recommend thicker & harder vegetable tanned cowhide rather then your leftover soft moccasin leather for knife sheaths.

Way less chance (about 0% chance) of a sharp knife point going through the side or end and stabbing you in the leg if you slip & fall on it.

rc

 

[Trent]

Ooh now I understand what a "welt" is, from that last close up.

Thanks, RC!

Is it OK if I white-glue the pieces together before I punch and sew them so it's not so dang difficult to work with them???

Also I have a pretty thick cowhide. The soft stuff I tried with moccassins was a kit. But I have a full vegetable tanned cow hide rolled up in the closet. Big hunk of stiff leather!

 

[rcmodel]

Is it OK if I white-glue the pieces together

Yes.

But I prefer rubber contact cement for leather work, as you don't have to clamp it and wait for it to dry half a day before proceeding.

And it is more flexible then white glue if it's necessary to bend a seam or something.

I use DAP / Weldwood counter top cement, and you can buy a small bottle at most hardware's for pocket change.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_105458-68-00105_0__?productId=3006177&Ntt=glue

rc

 

[Trent]

Thanks RC!

It looks like I should be able to cut the stitches, add the welts (edge and back), add a cross-piece strip of leather to reinforce the opening, glue, re-punch to get through the welt, re-sew with dental floss, and call it done? That'd let me re-use the pieces I've already cut and keep the same profile.

I'm going to add a couple rivets to the belt loop piece to reinforce it too.

When I cut the pieces I traced the outline of the knife and added 3/8" border for my stitches so there's room to work with.

I'm worried with the welts I'll have a retention issue, though. Adding the gap will mean the blade isn't nearly as snug as it is now.

Well, I've got all day, and nothing better to do. Going to shovel the drive, get the 4x4 on the road, hit hobby lobby, then come home and work on it some more.

 

[rcmodel]

the gap will mean the blade isn't nearly as snug as it is now.

If you go with the contact cement?

Glue the welt tight against the blade on the bottom piece of leather.

Then add contact cement to the exposed side of the welt, and the top piece of leather edge.

As soon as the cement gets almost dry to the touch, stretch the top sheath piece tight across as you press it down on the welt.

You should end up with some excess leather all the way around, and the blade will fit much better.

rc

 

[308win]

rc - What do you use to stitch the leather? It will take a sturdy needle to go through two layers of leather and a 1/4" (or so) welt.

 

[rcmodel]

See this thread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=358100&highlight=sewing+leather

Post #7 is what I use for sewing.

two layers of leather and a 1/4" (or so) welt

I DO NOT recommend it.
I had a sewing awl needle snap in half trying to do that years ago.
And the end in the broken awl nailed my thumb nail down in the butcher block board I was sewing on!!

SO then, I had to take my bleeding thumb, and the board it was nailed to, down to the basement to find some pliers to pull the broken needle out of the board & my thumb.

EeeeYowww!

I Pre-drill all holes now!!

rc

 

[Nighteyes]

The welt is very important, and yes it is likely to loosen the fit enough to cause retention problems. As others said, Chicago screws will keep the sheath from coming apart. Staples will also serve -- they were in most of the WWII Ka-Bar sheaths and the leather M6 sheaths for the M-3 fighting knives.

Should you decide to do a re-design, consider making the sheath deep/long enough to cover about a third to one-half of the handle. This provides an amazing amount of security. The extra length provides additional friction and, if the opening is sized just-so, will prevent the knife from falling out. It changes the center-of-gravity thing for the knife itself, which make it much less likely to "want to fall out" (don't know how to word this accurately, so I hope this is clear enough).

Sort of like this one, a dual-role sheath I made for one of my cowboy action shooting knives. It is obviously deeper/longer than what I suggested for yours, but I think you'll get the general idea. This sheath can obviously be used as a belt sheath, but note the Sam Browne stud. The sheath slides easily down inside my left boot (I'm a Southpaw), and the stud pokes through a carefully-placed hole to hold it securely. That's how I almost always carry it.





Here's the rig I carry on my gunbelt. This one is about the same, length/depthwise, as what I suggested for yours:

 

[Nighteyes]

I also strongly recommend pre-drilling or pre-punching the holes. But if you pre-punch, do not use an awl. There are any number of pre-punching tools available, intended to be used against a padded board and driven with a hammer.

 

[ivankerley]

im far from a proficient expert, on my first 3 sheaths i drilled the holes, never took to that so i use an awl, keep em sharp and ive had good luck so far, you do have to be diligent and careful (RC Models story) but i did my rig for my 1860 with no power tools, takes longer but i feel more in control as i dont have a drill press and hand drilling holes never worked for me.
best of luck alot of good advice in this thread
gene

 

[Trent]

Working on trial #2.

 

[Trent]

I've fitted the welt to the knife snugly now and set it up to cure. Couldn't find rubber cement, using gorilla glue on dampened leather. Waiting 2 hours for this to cure (heavy book on it.)

Then I'll start the outside layer.

I drove (almost an hour each way) to harbor freight and bought the hand-held leather punch tool they had. Not the best thing but it'll do.

I also stopped at Walmart on the way back and bought a spool of leather and a spool of suede.

Hobby Lobby, unfortunately, is closed on Sunday. So is Tandy Leather, in Peoria. Not wanting to put this off I'll make due with what I got now.

 

[Trent]

OK I worked 3 hours straight on this dang thing. gorilla glue cured in about 25-30 mins so I was able to start pretty quick.

I hid the welt by leaving a long piece of leather string and looping the leather around it. Took me 20 minutes to find a decent way to knot the two ties at the bottom so it was tight and unobtrusive.

Edge side



Back side



Knife in sheath (retention is excellent)



On my belt, where it'll ALWAYS be.



HSO - does this pass our resident health and safety officer quality assurance test now???

 

[Trent]

PS thanks for all the tips guys! I feel MUCH better about the Version 2.0 sheath.

EDIT: If it does ever loosen up, I'll rivet a strap to the back, with a snap in the front, so that it secures the blade through the first finger groove. (That's how the original sheath worked, that I lost.)