Thread: Playing with leather

Spent the last few nights making a wee double decker pouch/sheath for my new folding scalpel (scalpel for hunting thread) to keep the knife and some spare blades together I can just throw in my bumbag/belt pouch and not rattle around .
Made it using some thin 1.5 ish mm leather scraps kindly donated by @ebf .
Water molded to the knife with a separate slot in back for blade storage . Also molded the lid flap in closed shape to make that the natural shape of the leather which keeps the flap almost locked closed when slid under the retaining cross strap .
Gotta say was a right pain trying to make something so small with such flexible leather but quite pleased with end result . And with the finished article being 4 layers thick is actually quite stiff once completed .

No teaspoons were harmed in the making of this sheath .....

Thanks @Ftx325 have been looking for an excuse to try some for a while.Tryed 2 different color antique's and a sealer as well. Quite pleased with the result

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Hey mate, not sure if this has been mentioned but sheath for a mercator would be awesome!? Already have one from Hamish. Could do with another

The Mercator pouch was still a bit wet from moulding

Managed to score a a box of tools, and a both of leather for proper cheap, so been doing some lockdown projects in between chasing a toddler. Keep in mind these are my first two projects. Be gentle...

@Rocco looks bloody good,nice even straight stitching.good tight fit around the handle bit of burnishing will tidy up the edges nicely.Job well done.Bit hard to tell from the photos,did you put a third layer of leather along the edge to stop the blade cutting the stitching?

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Thanks mate. Spent a lot more time on the hole for the stitching on the Mercator pouch, and it showed. Rushed the knife and made a few errors, like snapping the thread a ton of times, and not sorting an extra strip to protect the thread. Expecting to have another crack at it soon and V2 should go a lot better.

What do y'all use for burnishing? I've tried a few things but haven't been happy.

Originally Posted by Rocco

Thanks mate. Spent a lot more time on the hole for the stitching on the Mercator pouch, and it showed. Rushed the knife and made a few errors, like snapping the thread a ton of times, and not sorting an extra strip to protect the thread. Expecting to have another crack at it soon and V2 should go a lot better.

What do y'all use for burnishing? I've tried a few things but haven't been happy.

Check this out....was a clip i put together a few haircuts ago...used cotton cloth for burnishing.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=B4HPIFl6ivU&feature=share

Hamish

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Originally Posted by HNTMAD

Check this out....was a clip i put together a few haircuts ago...used cotton cloth for burnishing.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=B4HPIFl6ivU&feature=share

Hamish

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Awesome video! Good few things to take on board in there, thanks Hamish.

What do y'all use for burnishing? I've tried a few things but haven't been happy.
We all learn as we go mate.Did you get an edge Beveller in you tools?.I use it to take the sharp edges off then wet the edge slightly. There are various products you can apply at this stage,or water alone works.I just use saddle soap.Then just rubber vigorously with something hard like the wooden handle of a awl.I find a piece of scrap leather works well too.Products like 'edge cote'can be used if you want to get carried away.

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Originally Posted by hunter Al.7mm08

What do y'all use for burnishing? I've tried a few things but haven't been happy.
We all learn as we go mate.Did you get an edge Beveller in you tools?.I use it to take the sharp edges off then wet the edge slightly. There are various products you can apply at this stage,or water alone works.I just use saddle soap.Then just rubber vigorously with something hard like the wooden handle of a awl.I find a piece of scrap leather works well too.Products like 'edge cote'can be used if you want to get carried away.

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Yeah unfortunately not, that is in the very much need category. So have free handed with an old razor blade and used water and an old Bic lighter. Hasn't gone great, but it's not the worst either.

On the subject of first attempts @Rocco this was mine.Used the heaviest leather I could find,no idea how to wet mold.Hand poked all the holes with an awl,measured the spacing by eye.Didn't know about putting a groove for the stitching to lay in,hence why it's so StRAigHt!and sitting on top of the leather. No idea how to burnish it.But,10yrs on it still hasn't fallen apart and I'm still rather proud of it

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Not too shabby

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Hi @Rocco
That's not a bad first effort mate . When I made my first sheath I spent a week self training by watching youtube videos to get a better understanding of how they are done and then came up with a few workarounds to allow for tools I didn't have . But an edger as mentioned by hunter al is well worth having . Makes all the difference when it comes to having a nice finish on the leather edges .
If it's any help I did a thread a while back where I made a sheath for a forum member and showed how I made it along with the 'tools' I used to make up for the proper tools I didn't have - kitchen cutlery mainly ...lol . I am a certified teaspoon ninja ....

So here is the thread link , and also lots of input by guys like hunter and huntmad to give other or proper ways of doing things . That said I still make all my sheaths the same way as in this thread including the double sheaths on the earlier page so it seems to work ok...

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....ke-mine-64486/

hope it helps ....

oh and as for the burnishing , I personally find it works better if you start on the edge and work towards the middle or the leather bulges and deforms outwards . BY working from the outside in gives a better result . I just dampen - dampen not drench - the edge with water on my finger then once I wax the finished product quickly go over it again with wax and whatever you use for burnishing . I found a biro can work really well , especially in the tight inside curve .