Sheathmaking my way

[Mr_Yarrow]

Ta dude

[Edgehog]

Perfect I'd say.

As an asside to the earlier discussion about edgecoat etc, I tend to sand the edges before wet forming then apply a little beeswax & burnish down with a bone folder after drying - makes a nice shiny natural seal.

[Tiffers]

Another aside to the earlier discussion, this time about gum trag........

You can get the powder in most kitchen specialist shops. If you ask for gum trag they will probably give you a gum trag substitute which will be in powdered form. It will almost certainly be a tiny pot, smaller than a camera film pot but believe me, it goes a very long way.

A teaspoon of the stuff, dissolved in a glass of warm water will polish probably tens if not 100's of sheath edges!

Just keep it in a bottle with a lid.

Tiffers

[Bazza]

I sand the edges with fine wet and dry, then apply edge stain and burnish with beeswax on a hard wooden wheel.
Barry

[Tiffers]

At work, I use a bit of broken glass to sand the edges of anything that needs it before using an edge stain I make up from powder. Thats it, no beeswax or gum trag or anything similar

Tiffers

[MotorbikeMan]

If anyone is having trouble getting gum Trag, gimme a pm

[Tvividr]

Gerd,

Great tutorial. A quick question for you. Would this style of sheath be ok for this knife;



Or, would I be better with the woodlore style bucket sheath. If so, has anyone done a tutorial on how to make them.

Rapidboy, i'm looking at you

Rgds

.

Short answer is yep, although everybody else've said that already
Oh well..... better late than never

[Gemini]

Really fascinating thread and has given me the incentive to make a new sheath for my knife. One point I would like to bring up and that is the question of the belt loop.
Would it be possible to turn the loop inwards and stitch it inside the sheath so that the better face of the leather was showing I appreciate it would be a little bulkier, but it would make the appearance a little more pleasant.
And whilst on the subject of making the sheath…..where would I buy a suitable piece of leather to enable me to make a couple of them without breaking the bank.
G.M.

[Ren]

I was just thinking about the belt loop too.
Wondering if there was any reason it couldn't be the same piece of leather as the welt.

[Edgehog]

I dont see why you couldn't fold the beltloop inside if you allowed enough room for it - it's a rather nice idea infact, I might give it a try too.

I guess the welt could also be part of the same piece of leather too but that may make repairs rather more tricky should it ever be needed & due to its shape may not be the most economical use of your bit of leather.

As for sourcing a smallish bit of leather perhaps it's an idea for a group buy - collectively by veg-tan shoulders & devide into equal parts. I'd set it up myself if I wasn't so busy ATM.

Always worth checking the bargains section here they often have some good veg-tan going cheap www.leprevo.co.uk

[Dave Barker]

Of course you could make the loop out of a seperate piece of leather, fold it so the good side is out and then glue and sew it in place...


much like a scandi sheath but sewn and not threaded?

[Habaki]

Hi everyone!!!
Gemini, a good source of leather for reasonable prices is your local Tandy stockist. The one I have used for years is in Northampton and is now called "The Identity Store". They have lots of different sizes etc. and in the past I have bought a couple of off-cut bags that have many pieces that are big enough for a sheath with just trimming to shape required. The last one I bought was for a little over a fiver!. The staff are excellent there and if you asked them I am sure that they would find you a bag with maybe one or two larger pieces inside. I am still using my bags now for various bits and pieces such as welts and the like. If you get the chance to drop in to one of their branches it is like a treasure trove for people like us who enjoy leatherwork etc.
Hope this helps, regards,
Simon.

[joekid]

thats great i want to go out and make one,does anybody do a kit for leather with the tools needed, as a total novice its hard to pick the right kit, if someone,was say for instance put some leather thread needles some cutting tools, + one of them spur things to get the holes perfectly spaced, that would be the dogs,a one stop shop / how much would the get started but quality tools cost,

[Pierre Couture]

One question regarding your use of dye on the sheath, in relation to the belt loop. Mine are glued on as well as stitched, and I get better results if I dye the sheath BEFORE gluing and stitching the belt loop. Does anyone have similar experiences?
By the way, very good tutorial

[murphy]

I noticed a website selling starter kits with a booklet, awl, needles, thread and some scraps to practice on for around £15. I don't know if they are any use or the exact page but it was called bowstock. I've never bought anything from them so I don't know if they are any good.