MorningStarL

I've never made a holster yet, and here in north Texas, I get asked to. There's a little Ruger I'd like to practise on, so I'll watch them all over the next few days. Thanks again.

Boy, that's beautiful work, Snubby. I'm here in a short window between getting home and going out again and I'll watch the video later. Thank you for your help.

I've been using contact cement, and I'm not having squeeze-out problems with it. Until a few weeks ago when I joined the group I was drilling holes because I didn't know any better, and hand-sewing. I've had the awl chucked into the drill press since I started using it, because my hands aren't strong and my fingers are sore with arthritis. The drill bit (and I hated how huge and visible the holes were and am glad to have the awl instead) and the awl are both held vertical in the press. The problem with misaligned stitching happens most as I'm approaching the top of the sheath, where the welt is thicker, and there's more space for the knife handle and therefore more give. I can see that using a stitching pony would help with that. I need practice with the awl and I've got lots of leather scraps I can sew together to do that, before I work on the next sheath. I had a wonderful stitching pony, made for me by my knifemaker, but while I was away he used it a lot while gluing up knives and it's not as clean any more as I need it to be for leather. Maybe that can be my weekend project, is reclaiming it, and practising. I'll try the different methods. Mike, I'm about to use Hidepounder's instructions for the edge of this sheath. I would wonder too, if the welt's not glued, about the edges holding together or wearing, and also about whether the knife blade might slip between the sheath and the welt and slitting the stitches. I'll keep trying things out and seeing how they work for me. Thanks everyone; happy weekend.

Thanks again, Dwight. I'm stitching everything by hand because I don't have any alternative. Getting my stitching lines looking good is very important to me. I haven't been using the stitch groover on the back because i KNOW I'm going to miss at least some of the time, and I'm trying not to underline that.

Thank you. To make sure I'm clear, that gives me stitch holes already made on both sides of the sheath before I glue up, and once it is glued together with the welt I go back through the holes from the top, with the scratch awl, to make the holes through the welt? I haven't been using a sewing awl, but a straight awl, from front to back, after everything's glued together with the welt.

Merged threads

This isn't finished, but I thought what I'm asking about would show better if I took pictures now. This is a knife sheath with no belt loop, for someone I know to carry a knife in pocket or purse. That means there's no front and back; they're both going to be fronts sometimes. The tooling's more than I usually do, but I miscalculated the distance between leaves and needed to fill at the last moment, then did the other side to match. I've just started using an awl for sewing holes and I'm having the same old problem. A knife sheath isn't flat or regular in contour. I'm not always able to flatten them enough for the hole to go straight up and down. I'm pleased with the "front" of this, meaning, the side the awl went through from. Very pleased, actually. In the back, the stitch line wanders, and I did do three of the holes twice, because they wandered SO badly. I'll be grateful for any input.

Thanks!

Oh, good, it's not just me. Thanks to everyone for the pattern and advice and starting the challenge.

God bless you in return, Dwight! Thank you. I've just put the sheath aside for the contact cement to bond overnight, and I'll run out and get the dowel (if we don't have any already) tomorrow.

I've never done anything like this. Hoping the only dumb question is the one I don't ask: what weight of leather would I use for this?

Jason, I just bought Bob Douglas' awls and no handle from Sheridan in Wyoming. I want to do what you're doing, and chuck them in the drill press. (Arthritic fingers.) I've always drilled the holes before (didn't know better) and had a wood block under the knife sheath, and I'd do that again. Good to hear about the cardboard. But I've been wondering how to chuck a square-shanked awl into the drill press. Did you grind yours round first? Thanks in advance.

That's an idea. I was away for a few months, did no leatherwork at all, and there were a couple of sheaths I smacked my forehead because I remembered I should have done that first.

I'm MUCH too lazy to shave a bar of saddle soap! I was noticing the other day how long it's been since I shaved my legs ... Thank you!

Thank you! I did use a groover, but I did it before I got the edge trimmed, and then came in too close. I wish I hadn't -- it meant leaving the edge rougher than I'd have liked.

The Tractor Supply near me has Fiebings' paste sadde soap in a tin like shoe polish, or a liquid glycerine saddle soap in a bottle. Which would I use for burnishing edges of knife sheaths? My first thought would be the paste, but I'm happy to be wrong.

I made this last week, for a knife I made for my childhood sweetheart. It's the first I made since I joined here and learned about using an awl, instead of a drill press, for sewing holes. I hated how big the holes were when I was drilling them and this looks so much better to me. I chucked the awl into the drill press, not running, to make holes because I'm getting arthritis in my fingers. Got new awls since then from Sheridan in Wyoming, and I need to figure out how to round the ends so I can use them in the press too. I'm pleased with the clarity and depth of the tooling on this. I added the photo of the knife hanging by its lanyard in a rotten tree out here -- the sheath didn't fall off. I fuss a lot about fit.

Thanks, guys. The edge on the knife sheath I just finished are wide -- 3 - 4 layers of 9 - 10 ounce vegtan and a liner of 2 ounce in the top of the sheath too. When I finished sewing at midnght I put it on the belt sander to even the edges like ou told Laurenco, coarse grit, then used a 400-grit drum on the Dremel; burnished with water and my trusty piece of caribou antler til things got shiny; two coats of dye. That's drying now and I'll finish in the morning. Looks better than I expected.

I'm sewing a knife sheath as I'm reading here, and I've read the finishing instructions for edges. Trouble is, the knifemaker's promised this is going out in the mail tomorrow and I don't have any saddle soap to hand. (Moving house, the whole house -- it's a single-wide.) Any ideas for substitutions?

Thanks. I'll let all y'all know how it turn out.

I'm going to have to do some research on all that. I use the 9-10 ounce vegtan almost exclusively, and a stitch wheel set at 6spi for marking holes, so it shouldn't be too hard for me to find out info I want. I've just been buying from Tandy, you know? And not liking how my stitching and holes look. Real glad I found leatherworker.net.

Thanks. I used to be on britishblades; maybe still am. I've no scraps left. First, I'll finish the sheath and then I'll see if wetforning looks like a good idea. And thanks, Electrathon. Of course the stitching won't stretch, but I hadn't stopped to think about that part.

Thank you. I've broken more than my share of needles, that's for sure. Is there a place to look that will tell you what size needles for different weights of leather? Oh, Zuludog, I missed the first two lines of your reply. I'll watch the video tonight and maybe I'll find out what I want about needle sizes.

Thanks.

The knife sheath I’m making now has a panel of iguana skin sandwiched between 9-10 ounce vegtan upper and a much thinner liner. Not sure what it is; I inherited the leather. The knife has a solid copper bolster about half-an-inch thick. I’d normally wetform around the handle of the knife. Will it work with this? I’ve used contact cement between the upper and the edges of the skin inside, between the inlay and a vegtan padding piece, and all over the back of the upper and the liner. Gonna be stitching around the inlay and the top tomorrow. I’d wetform after that, if you say I can. This one’s important.