First attempt at a wet molded sheath for gerber.

[Mark88]

First post from a new member!  This was my first attempt at a wet molded sheath for my Gerber folder.  It is not perfect by any means but I am looking to learn and develop my craft so please lend some feedback on points to improve.  5-6 oz veg tan, eco flo bison brown dye, ritza tiger dark brown 0.8mm.  Thank you for checking it out and leaving some feedback.  

[MtlBiker]

Way better than my first (or second or third) attempt!  Good for you!

Is the stitching around the top flap only for looks?  (There's no lining, is there?)  And I can't tell from the photo of the belt loop, is the loop just a flat piece that you've stitched down?  What I did with my pouch belt loop is that I first placed the loop right sides together near the top and used rivets to secure it.  Then folded it down to the bottom and again used rivets.  The bottom ones are the only ones that show.  And as you can see I didn't stitch around the top flap.  (I'm really just a beginner myself with hand stitching leather.)

Did you put any finish on the leather after dyeing it?  And what was the order of operations?  Wet mould, trim to size, dye, stitch?  (I'm learning and am curious.)

Where in Canada are you?  We have a lot of Canadians here.  I'm in Montreal.

Cheers!
 

[Mark88]

Hey Mtlbiker,

Thank you for the response.  The stitching around the flap is strictly just for looks.  I also read somewhere that adding the stitching (even without lining) can help with minimizing stretching overtime.  This could be completely wrong, although I do like the look of it.  The belt loop I am not pleased with.  It is indeed just a flat piece stitched on.  I really like the look of yours, but I personally have not mastered rivets yet so I’d probably stitch it.  After dyeing the leather I added a light coat of eco flo carnauba crème.  I am from the Belleville, Ontario area.  Again thanks for the response and look forward to learning from everyone on the forum.

cheers

[alpha2]

Was that machine stitched? Because the outside of the flap has the leather pushed out around the holes, indicative of machine stitching. The underside of my machine stitching usually looks like that. It's only partly alleviated by hammering down the stitch line. For something that small, I would always hand stitch, as the front side on the sheath body, becomes the backside of the stitch on the flap. If it's hand-stitched, as appears on the sheath body, I suspect you are using stitching chisels, which also push a lot of leather on the far side. Stitching awls are better than chisels in that regard. But, as I'm sure you're aware, that is a whole other endeavor! Everything is a trade off. Other than that, it looks better than my first attempt at the same!

Not my quote, but..."I can teach you all the basics of leatherwork in a day or two, after that, it's all practice!" (Don't you get sick of hearing  that about EVERYTHING???)

[Mark88]

Thanks Alpha2,  the whole piece was hand stitched however I think I jumped the gun on the drying process and didn’t give it enough time.  I am using stitching chisels.  I was contemplating getting “pricking irons” although I have read mixed reviews on if they are good for punching all the way through the leather or just marking the leather?  Could you elaborate?  I have also been trying my luck at a few wallets and find that the chisels are a bit bulky and I was going to try pricking irons for a more refined look?

[Bert03241]

Looks pretty good but the belt loop could  be better. I do mine like MTlBiker but I sew it . I don't like rivets were the knife might come in contact and get scratched by the rivet.

[MtlBiker]

7 hours ago, Bert03241 said:

Looks pretty good but the belt loop could  be better. I do mine like MTlBiker but I sew it . I don't like rivets were the knife might come in contact and get scratched by the rivet.

Just FYI, after I punch the holes for the belt loop rivets, I skive around the inside of the hole.  Then after putting the rivet in, I use an anvil and ball peen hammer to flatten out the inside and outside of the rivets.  There's no way my blade will touch the rivets.  The combination of skiving and hammering prevents any problem.

 

[Mark88]

7 hours ago, Bert03241 said:

Looks pretty good but the belt loop could  be better. I do mine like MTlBiker but I sew it . I don't like rivets were the knife might come in contact and get scratched by the rivet.

Thanks Bert,  my next sheath I will definitely be changing up the belt loop and try what you guys are talking about.  Cheers 

[Bert03241]

[Northmount]

On 4/27/2022 at 1:54 PM, Mark88 said:

I am from the Belleville, Ontario area.

You can add that to your profile.  Always nice to know the area a person is from.