knife sheath Custom Knife sheath

[YinTx]

15 hours ago, battlemunky said:

Beautiful work @YinTx!

Thanks much!

YinTx

[Wild Bill46]

Really smooth, Nice work, but then you always do !

[cardinal leather]

Hey YIN, Nice job on the sheath, Your sheath may be a little thick in the one area but that is also a big knife so a bold sheath and welt is not out of line. When I'm doing something thick like that i start out with my 4 prong punch through the first layer. That establishes the angle for the awl. then i drill if required with a 1/16" bit. (I think you can get numbered bits that are smaller but many bench drill presses will only tighten down on a 1/16 bit unless you change the chuck.) Now you can push your waxed awl through following the angle of the punch, when you sew you get a nice looking stitch, after that i use a roller stitch marker to go over the threads that helps to sink the thread into the grove and evens out the stitches.

For fine work like you are doing you want a drill press as this keeps the holes plum as long as you shim up the tapered end when drilling. You can also use the nail system like someone else mentioned find one the right size you are good to go. Good luck on the next one your customer will be happy with this one.

[DwightT]

38 minutes ago, cardinal leather said:

Hey YIN, Nice job on the sheath, Your sheath may be a little thick in the one area but that is also a big knife so a bold sheath and welt is not out of line. When I'm doing something thick like that i start out with my 4 prong punch through the first layer. That establishes the angle for the awl. then i drill if required with a 1/16" bit. (I think you can get numbered bits that are smaller but many bench drill presses will only tighten down on a 1/16 bit unless you change the chuck.) Now you can push your waxed awl through following the angle of the punch, when you sew you get a nice looking stitch, after that i use a roller stitch marker to go over the threads that helps to sink the thread into the grove and evens out the stitches.

For fine work like you are doing you want a drill press as this keeps the holes plum as long as you shim up the tapered end when drilling. You can also use the nail system like someone else mentioned find one the right size you are good to go. Good luck on the next one your customer will be happy with this one.

FWIW: I found a set of PCB drill bits on Amazon that go from 0.3mm to 1.2mm but they all have 1/8 inch shank.  I can fit them into my old drill press without having to swap out the chuck.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z7JZKKD?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

    /dwight

[cardinal leather]

Sweet, thanks DwighT, i don't do jewelry, I was thinking about it from the machinist end of the spectrum.  There are a lot of products on line that you don't normally see unless u are looking for them. I'm going to buy a set just to have them on hand there are a lot of uses for small drill bits.

[DwightT]

I actually came across these bits originally when I needed to do some work on some printed circuit boards.  But then I figured they would work with leather too.  As has been mentioned, drilling the hole first makes it easier to push the awl through.

Just keep in mind that because the bits are small and brittle they can break easily.  Instead of drilling through the leather and into a wood backing, I made a backer using aluminum flat stock.  I drilled a 1/8" hole in the flat stock, then screwed it to a piece of particle board that had a 1/4" hole.  I clamp that board to my drill platform with the hole aligned with the bit.  Supports the leather and gives me a fairly clean hole.

    /dwight

Edited October 1, 2022 by DwightT