Thread: Playing with leather

Originally Posted by 7x64

Great tips! I’ve actually got leather lace and rivets etc - my father did work at one point and have a few of his bits and pieces. I think I follow most of that except “sandwich” and then wrap around using a piece twice the size? You mean make the sheath from two pieces, but then wrap with an additional piece around that?

I do have some leather but it’s not very thick. I guess doing as described above might solve that issue? But I’ll keep an eye out for something else. Will be fun to give it a go.

Sorry mate..bit hard to describe. I have just quickly cut some pieces of card to try snd describe better what I mean..
First photo would be the three pieces you would need. 1st piece the outside layer . The second piece would be the thread/blade protection, especially if using rivets as you don't want your blade scraping against them every time you take knife in or out of sheath. Second photo is the protection piece in place... pretty self explanatory.. and you make that so the blade has a little wiggle room. Then the third photo is all the layers and the extra length on the backing is folded back on itself to create the belt loop. The loop placement will depend on how long your extra loop is. If you want it to hang lower then make it longer and judt sow/rivet/lace it all together. You could make it so when its folded back it runs the full length of the sheath and adds and extra layer and stiffness to the unit .
Is that a better explanation?

Oh and by the way you will need to glue these all into place first and let it dry , preferably in a vice with smooth wood or another piece of leather either side to prevent marking your sheath. This is where my big arse heavy pile of books came in handy as I made mine during winter evenings on the lounge floor and just chucked a pile of books on top and shoved it in front of the fire.
Not very professional I know but worked a treat.
To bloody cold in the shed... and at least the missus couldn't accuse me of spending to much time out there..ha ha

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do that, totally clear! Starting to get it organised in my head. Once I’ve tracked down some materials I’ll post up some pics if it’s not too disastrous! ��

Originally Posted by 7x64

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do that, totally clear! ��

This

I really appreciate you taking the time to go through this.

Which glues are suitable for this sort of work?

Do you have any worries about sharp blades slicing through the sheath in a fall?

Originally Posted by Ooops

This

I really appreciate you taking the time to go through this.

Which glues are suitable for this sort of work?

Do you have any worries about sharp blades slicing through the sheath in a fall?

Any hardware store should have glue suitable for the job... usually says on the tube if ok for leather. Any wood type glue should work ok.
As for slicing through the sheath I have not heard of that being an issue. In my style of folded leather sheath the blunt edge rides against the fold and the sharp edge runs against the middle insert but the tip doesn't extend down far enough to contact inside of sheath. The sheath is also wet molded around the base of the handle and if done correctly is what you could call skin tight. When the leather has dried it becomes a hard sloid shape that stays that way . As you can see in the first photo even with the knife out the sheath still retsins its shape... you can't even squeeze it flat. If you notice the sheath bulge is exactly the same shape as the knife handle and the second photo shows this from the front. That prevents the blade going any deeper into the sheath. The third photo is the inside of sheath opening showing the open moulding around the handle and the narrow slot the blade slides into. There's no way that's going any deeper into that sheath as the handle prevents that happening. You can also see in that shot how the handle molding wraps around the base of the handle. As the knife is slipped into the sheath the finger guard forces the handle wrap apart then drops into the sheath which then closes over it and locks the knife in place. For that reason some do not like that because it usually takes two hands to draw the knife as you need to hold the sheath when you pull the knife out. It can also be tricky getting the angles and shape right when you make it so it opens up when you push knife in.

thanks for taking the time to share your skills and pictures here in your own thread I've really enjoyed reading up on what you've been able to make

Three more photos showing how the sheath opens to accept the knife...
First pic the handle is starting to slide into molding.
In secong pic you can see how finger guard/bulge forces sheath apart....
Third photo and the handle molding closes over knife as it drops into place and locks it in there
It holds it strong enough that you can turn the sheath upside down and shake it until you get wankers cramp and the big ole heavy seven inched 4.5 mm thick bladed knife stays snuggled in there...

Of course you could just use a safety strap with a popper or a full fold over lid/flap like any other sane person would...lol

Wow some nice looking sheath's, will be having a go myself when my knife is finished. Dad has all my grandparents leather tools so will be using them.

Originally Posted by Ruawai

Wow some nice looking sheath's, will be having a go myself when my knife is finished. Dad has all my grandparents leather tools so will be using them.

Good on you mate .... It's really not too difficult as long as you take your time and think it through and decide on your design and how you want it to look before you start. Wet molding can sometimes be a bit of a challenge depending on the knife shape. I am more than happy to offer any help or hints / advice I can but again as a disclaimer I am no professional leather worker , these are things I have learned along the way , and I have had a few cockups as well . The Bk7 sheath was actually one of the cockups... I made the sheath and sowed it all together then realized I had forgotten a belt loop. Thats when I came up with the sleeve idea. Now I do all my sheaths that way. So again , plan it all out first before you start and enjoy the feeling of creating your own.
And make sure you post some pics! Looking forward to seeing the finished article!

No need to limit yourself to knife sheaths either. After making ammo holder on lever action I did a matching sling...

I've had this design in my head for a while now,after talking with @Ftx325 the other day I decided to give it go.Rather pleased with the result

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That's very cool hunter Al.7mm08 . I been looking out for some cheap basic tooling equipment since our conversation too... you might have some competition soon haha.

I would be very keen to take you up on the offer of a sheaf if this was still ppssible. They look absolutely aweasome.

Originally Posted by hunter Al.7mm08

I've had this design in my head for a while now,after talking with @Ftx325 the other day I decided to give it go.Rather pleased with the result

Wow Hunter that is very cool

Did you start by drawing it onto the leather or did you work entirely from a mental image?

Very, very cool