Colin KC
20-11-03, 04:25 PM
Making a pouch sheath
OK, Trond suggested it, so I’m gonna give it a go;)
First of all, put your knife on the rough side of the leather & mark around the edge/handle section
Then, roll it onto the spine, mark both sides of the blade & handle
Roll it onto the other side & mark the edge/handle again.
Mark a GENEROUS inch outside of these marks & cut out (don’t forget to include a huuuge piece on one side for the belt loop.)
http://www.britishblades.com/photopost/data/508/3sheath1-med.JPG
Gouge (or dremel) along the two marks indicating the spine & the same for the “back” of the handle marks (though not all the way up to what will be the top of the sheath) These are for ease of folding & forming. (remember not to go more than @ half the thickness of the leather)
Dampen in cold water (until the whole face goes dark, no more)
Put in a plastic bag & pop in the fridge
Meanwhile, mask the edge & point of the blade & slip the knife into a plastic bag.
After an hour, remove the leather from the fridge & form around the knife, clamp & leave to dry. (don’t use sharp edged materials to clamp it with, mousemat type material is cool)
After it’s dried it should be firmly formed around the blade.
Take the knife from the pouch & remove the bag, place back in &draw once again around the edge on the side that will be the front of the sheath (hopefully it should be in the same place as the first line, though it prolly won’t be)
Cut out a 1” strip of leather the same shape as the edge (all the way up to the top of the handle is best) & another the same length as the handle, or even two if the pouch is a small one (an important point to make here is, if there is a shape handle or “guard” the highest point should be the shape to aim for (don’t follow the contours)
Lay the knife back in the pouch & position the strips in place (the short one first (on the front flap) then the long one, then a short one if present.
The short strips should be “feathered” to match the shape of the sheath (transition of handle to blade)
Make sure the whole thing is secure(the blade moves “fractionally” but won’t fall out)
Then glue the strips in place (to the front flap only)
When the glue has dried, dampen the long flap (belt loop bit) fold in place & clamp
Wait until the belt loop has dried, trim the whole sheath to shape (belt loop included) (you may want to “feather” the end of the belt loop to avoid a “step” from it to the pouch)
Stitch the belt loop (if the belt loop will occupy the same stitching line as the pouch, leave that bit unstitched, just a dab of glue to hold it in place)
http://www.britishblades.com/photopost/data/508/3Pouch-med.JPG
For stitching, I use a Dremel drill stand & a 1mm drill bit, then stitch from both sides.
There are many ways to ensure correct stitching spacing, but the important thing is (DO NOT DO IT BY EYE!!!) ‘cos it’ll look wobbly
Place the knife (without plastic bag) back into postion & glue & clamp the whole thing together (at this stage the knife should be tight in the sheath)
When the glue has dried, carefully remove the knife, drill & stitch the remaining bits.
Dampen the sheath again, pop it in the fridge, cover the knife again & push it into the sheath (should slip in quite easily) using a rounded instrument (spoon handle, antler tine, fingers, hairbrush handle) form the pouch to shape around the blade (at this stage I also like to place a piece of hard material the same size as my belt into the loop as well)
Once it has dried, ensure fit of knife (without bag & masking) pop in the oven (lowest heat) until golden brown (not actually, just for a while to heat it through) & add oil/preparation of choice (I use neatsfoot oil & beeswax, 75/25, warmed) plop back in the oven, upside down to drain, remove, buff/polish, “spoon” the edges smooth (a bit of canvas over you spoon works quite well) wax & serve:D
Note: there are prolly better ways to do things, but this is the way I do it, Sandy, Chuck et al, please add notes, corrections, whatever to ensure I don’t send anybody astray
Note to others about to try this: Give it a few days until (hopefully) some kind soul corrects my glaring errors/ adds some helpful hints.
Thanks
Colin
OK, Trond suggested it, so I’m gonna give it a go;)
First of all, put your knife on the rough side of the leather & mark around the edge/handle section
Then, roll it onto the spine, mark both sides of the blade & handle
Roll it onto the other side & mark the edge/handle again.
Mark a GENEROUS inch outside of these marks & cut out (don’t forget to include a huuuge piece on one side for the belt loop.)
http://www.britishblades.com/photopost/data/508/3sheath1-med.JPG
Gouge (or dremel) along the two marks indicating the spine & the same for the “back” of the handle marks (though not all the way up to what will be the top of the sheath) These are for ease of folding & forming. (remember not to go more than @ half the thickness of the leather)
Dampen in cold water (until the whole face goes dark, no more)
Put in a plastic bag & pop in the fridge
Meanwhile, mask the edge & point of the blade & slip the knife into a plastic bag.
After an hour, remove the leather from the fridge & form around the knife, clamp & leave to dry. (don’t use sharp edged materials to clamp it with, mousemat type material is cool)
After it’s dried it should be firmly formed around the blade.
Take the knife from the pouch & remove the bag, place back in &draw once again around the edge on the side that will be the front of the sheath (hopefully it should be in the same place as the first line, though it prolly won’t be)
Cut out a 1” strip of leather the same shape as the edge (all the way up to the top of the handle is best) & another the same length as the handle, or even two if the pouch is a small one (an important point to make here is, if there is a shape handle or “guard” the highest point should be the shape to aim for (don’t follow the contours)
Lay the knife back in the pouch & position the strips in place (the short one first (on the front flap) then the long one, then a short one if present.
The short strips should be “feathered” to match the shape of the sheath (transition of handle to blade)
Make sure the whole thing is secure(the blade moves “fractionally” but won’t fall out)
Then glue the strips in place (to the front flap only)
When the glue has dried, dampen the long flap (belt loop bit) fold in place & clamp
Wait until the belt loop has dried, trim the whole sheath to shape (belt loop included) (you may want to “feather” the end of the belt loop to avoid a “step” from it to the pouch)
Stitch the belt loop (if the belt loop will occupy the same stitching line as the pouch, leave that bit unstitched, just a dab of glue to hold it in place)
http://www.britishblades.com/photopost/data/508/3Pouch-med.JPG
For stitching, I use a Dremel drill stand & a 1mm drill bit, then stitch from both sides.
There are many ways to ensure correct stitching spacing, but the important thing is (DO NOT DO IT BY EYE!!!) ‘cos it’ll look wobbly
Place the knife (without plastic bag) back into postion & glue & clamp the whole thing together (at this stage the knife should be tight in the sheath)
When the glue has dried, carefully remove the knife, drill & stitch the remaining bits.
Dampen the sheath again, pop it in the fridge, cover the knife again & push it into the sheath (should slip in quite easily) using a rounded instrument (spoon handle, antler tine, fingers, hairbrush handle) form the pouch to shape around the blade (at this stage I also like to place a piece of hard material the same size as my belt into the loop as well)
Once it has dried, ensure fit of knife (without bag & masking) pop in the oven (lowest heat) until golden brown (not actually, just for a while to heat it through) & add oil/preparation of choice (I use neatsfoot oil & beeswax, 75/25, warmed) plop back in the oven, upside down to drain, remove, buff/polish, “spoon” the edges smooth (a bit of canvas over you spoon works quite well) wax & serve:D
Note: there are prolly better ways to do things, but this is the way I do it, Sandy, Chuck et al, please add notes, corrections, whatever to ensure I don’t send anybody astray
Note to others about to try this: Give it a few days until (hopefully) some kind soul corrects my glaring errors/ adds some helpful hints.
Thanks
Colin