knife sheath Custom Knife sheath

[YinTx]

Been a while.  Had a request for a custom sheath, so I went for it.  Let me know what ya'll think.  And I'ld like to know if there is a better way to do the welt for the guard on the knife hilt:  it was 1" thick, and my awl barely made it all the way through.  Makes getting the holes to pop out right on the back super difficult.  I don't want to drill holes, either.  Will drop a couple more photos in a few, to comply with implied rules of sheath images.  

YinTx

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by YinTx
images didn't attach

[YinTx]

As promised.

 

[Hags]

I'm not a big fan of drilling either but, I have used a 4p nail in the drill press. I cut the head off then used a file to sharpen it. Then sandpaper smooth. It doesn't cut so much as part as an awl would. Very nice work !

[YinTx]

34 minutes ago, Hags said:

I'm not a big fan of drilling either but, I have used a 4p nail in the drill press. I cut the head off then used a file to sharpen it. Then sandpaper smooth. It doesn't cut so much as part as an awl would. Very nice work !

I thought about mounting an awl blade in a press, but I was pressed for time and couldn't chance it screwing up the work.  I may try to set something up for future work.  Thanks for the confirmation that it should work ok.  And for the compliment!

YinTx

[Leescustomleather]

If you have a drill press you can mount an awl blade in it with the motor off and use the leverage provided by the press to easily push the awl through, and as an added bonus it will go through perfectly straight. A little bees wax on the awl will make it easier to remove. I am a Bladesmith and have to pierce three layers of between 8 to 10 oz vegtan on a regular basis.

[YinTx]

4 minutes ago, Leescustomleather said:

If you have a drill press you can mount an awl blade in it with the motor off and use the leverage provided by the press to easily push the awl through, and as an added bonus it will go through perfectly straight. A little bees wax on the awl will make it easier to remove. I am a Bladesmith and have to pierce three layers of between 8 to 10 oz vegtan on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, I do not have a drill press, but I do have a small arbor press that I may press into service.  This was 8 layers of leather ranging from 5 oz to 10 oz, total 1" thick.

What do you put underneath for the awl to pierce without damaging the underside of the leather from all the pressure?

YinTx

[Bert03241]

Beautiful work, I'm in awe of you guys that can do this kinda work

[YinTx]

33 minutes ago, Bert03241 said:

Beautiful work, I'm in awe of you guys that can do this kinda work

Thank you.  I'm still trying to improve every day.  I hope the client likes it as much as you.

I've also captured about 12 hours of video making this sheath.  I expect that will take many many hours to edit down to palatable pieces, but I do hope to post the videos sometime in the future.  If it gives someone ideas, or leads to suggestions that I can use to improve my own work, it will be worth it.

YinTx

[Leescustomleather]

6 hours ago, YinTx said:

Unfortunately, I do not have a drill press, but I do have a small arbor press that I may press into service.  This was 8 layers of leather ranging from 5 oz to 10 oz, total 1" thick.

What do you put underneath for the awl to pierce without damaging the underside of the leather from all the pressure?

YinTx

I put down some smooth soft wood like fir or pine and move it with the leather

Edited August 20, 2022 by Leescustomleather

[chuck123wapati]

Darn  good tooling you did an amazing job its very nice work i cant do letters lol. On your question a welt in a knife sheath is to protect the stitching it doesn't have to be an inch thick to fit the guard that's not what its intended purpose is but like all things hand made you can make it as thick as you want and i wont tell you your wrong by doing so. I make my welts the blade thickness at the most.  Now on holsters i make a short tapered welt ,sometimes, because a revolver cylinder is much wider than the barrel but even those aren't an inch thick. 

[YinTx]

5 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

Darn  good tooling you did an amazing job its very nice work i cant do letters lol. On your question a welt in a knife sheath is to protect the stitching it doesn't have to be an inch thick to fit the guard that's not what its intended purpose is but like all things hand made you can make it as thick as you want and i wont tell you your wrong by doing so. I make my welts the blade thickness at the most.  Now on holsters i make a short tapered welt ,sometimes, because a revolver cylinder is much wider than the barrel but even those aren't an inch thick. 

I'll try one like you mention.  I did it that way to keep the guard from rubbing on the belt tunnel section, and to keep it from pushing into the belt loop/tunnel section towards the rear, which I thought might cause binding when sheathing/unsheathing the blade.  Maybe I am over thinking things.  The blade welt is only the thickness of the blade, (which was around 11 oz on this blade) but I added tapered welts to manage the guard width.  Thanks for the suggestions, and compliment!

6 hours ago, Leescustomleather said:

I put down some smooth soft wood like fir or pine and move it with the leather

Makes sense, I'll give it a go.

YinTx

[doubleh]

I drill my holes first to give me a straight stitch line on the back. Then I use the awl. Sick it in a piece of bee's wax to make the needle go, push it thru the drilled hole and stitch. You won't be able to tell there was any drilling done and it surely lessens the effort of pushing the awl. 

Edited August 20, 2022 by doubleh

[Leescustomleather]

2 hours ago, YinTx said:

I'll try one like you mention.  I did it that way to keep the guard from rubbing on the belt tunnel section, and to keep it from pushing into the belt loop/tunnel section towards the rear, which I thought might cause binding when sheathing/unsheathing the blade.  Maybe I am over thinking things.  The blade welt is only the thickness of the blade, (which was around 11 oz on this blade) but I added tapered welts to manage the guard width.  Thanks for the suggestions, and compliment!

Makes sense, I'll give it a go.

YinTx

When accommodating a guard that large I will make the belt loop a separate piece, and then make a spacer from a couple of thicknesses of 9-10 oz Vegtan with the beltloop as the outer most piece and attach it that way. Love your work!!!

[YinTx]

2 hours ago, Leescustomleather said:

When accommodating a guard that large I will make the belt loop a separate piece, and then make a spacer from a couple of thicknesses of 9-10 oz Vegtan with the beltloop as the outer most piece and attach it that way. Love your work!!!

Thanks! Can you show a pic of what you are describing?

YinTx

[YinTx]

2 hours ago, doubleh said:

I drill my holes first to give me a straight stitch line on the back. Then I use the awl. Sick it in a piece of bee's wax to make the needle go, push it thru the drilled hole and stitch. You won't be able to tell there was any drilling done and it surely lessens the effort of pushing the awl. 

What size drill do you use?  I did have to wax my awl a couple of times, and strop it, both of which I pretty much never have to do.

YinTx

[dikman]

Very nice work, the leaf on the back, being so large, looks a bit like a feather to me (?) but the shading on it is very subtle, it looks great. When I got my arbor press I made a few odds and ends for it, one of them was to mount an awl blade in a fixture so I could use it for precisely your problem, thick welts. Never used it 'cos not long after I bought a Cowboy 4500.

[doubleh]

2 hours ago, YinTx said:

What size drill do you use?  I did have to wax my awl a couple of times, and strop it, both of which I pretty much never have to do.

YinTx

I use a 1/16" bit. I got the bee's wax trick from a bootmaker I was friends with long ago. Stick the awl in the wax on every hole. It isn't to ease the awl, it's to make the thread needles go easier. I profile my awl needles with a fine tooth file to get a true diamond shape, smooth them down with a fine diamond hone, polish them with 600 and 1000 grit wet or dry paper, and then strop them. Your hand and arm will thank you. Eventually you will need to re-do the point on the blade.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that you did a great job on the sheath.

Edited August 21, 2022 by doubleh

[YinTx]

3 hours ago, dikman said:

Very nice work, the leaf on the back, being so large, looks a bit like a feather to me (?) but the shading on it is very subtle, it looks great. When I got my arbor press I made a few odds and ends for it, one of them was to mount an awl blade in a fixture so I could use it for precisely your problem, thick welts. Never used it 'cos not long after I bought a Cowboy 4500.

If it only slightly resembles a feather, I guess I can't claim success.  It is supposed to be a feather... same as the decorations on the front are feathers.

If I ever get enough confidence in my Techsew, I'll use it.  Spent a couple of hours cajoling, cursing, sweet talking etc to it, and managed to get it to sorta sew a belt.  Certainly won't be using it on something with as many hours into it as this sheath!

YinTx

[Leescustomleather]

5 hours ago, YinTx said:

Thanks! Can you show a pic of what you are describing? This is just a mock-up done with scrap leather, but I think you can get the idea. It also minimizes the beltloop contact with the knife handle

YinTx

This is just a mock-up but I think you can get the idea, it also minimizes contact of the knife handle with the beltloop

Edited August 21, 2022 by Leescustomleather

[YinTx]

@Leescustomleather, If I see that right, you would only be stitching through 5 layers for the belt loop to sheath back, then 3 or so layers for the back, welt and front?  Seems like a decent way to do it.  I'll keep it in mind for the next one.  Thanks!

YinTx

 

[Leescustomleather]

9 minutes ago, YinTx said:

@Leescustomleather, If I see that right, you would only be stitching through 5 layers for the belt loop to sheath back, then 3 or so layers for the back, welt and front?  Seems like a decent way to do it.  I'll keep it in mind for the next one.  Thanks!

YinTx

 

My main goal in this construction was to have a sheath that the knife blade fit snugly, for positive retainment and also, I really like the way it feels.

[AzShooter]

Beautiful work.  I never considered using my drill press but now I'll give it a try.

Thanks for sharing your marvelous work.

[dikman]

21 hours ago, YinTx said:

If it only slightly resembles a feather, I guess I can't claim success.  It is supposed to be a feather... same as the decorations on the front are feathers.

 

The front ones look like leaves to me so my eyes tried to see the rear one as a leaf, but once I accepted that it is a feather then it looks right (if that makes sense). You still did a good job on it.

[YinTx]

17 hours ago, dikman said:

The front ones look like leaves to me so my eyes tried to see the rear one as a leaf, but once I accepted that it is a feather then it looks right (if that makes sense). You still did a good job on it.

Thanks!  The front are also feathers, but a bit stylized.

YinTx

[battlemunky]

Beautiful work @YinTx!