First stab at it!

[Chris623]

I'm making a sheath to replace the one on my Buck 119 hunting knife.  Cut the front piece and the welt.  Got the front wet and in a Ziplock baggie last night.  Pulled it out of the bag at noon today.  Sat down at about 4:30 to tool it because it was almost the color of un-cased veg-tan leather.  Just finished stamping it.  I didn't get that dark brown burnished look under my stamps.  Does that mean I didn't let it dry enough?  The impressions look deep enough........just no burnishing.  Figured I'd let it dry and look at it tomorrow to see if it was too wet and the impressions wash out overnight.  Comments for a newbie???

[tsunkasapa]

That would be my first guess, but pictures would be a huge help.

[Chris623]

Sorry, I know better.  I'll let it dry and post one in the morning after my "inspection".

I kept reading how I'm supposed to attach the leather to a piece of cardboard so it won't stretch.  I didn't, and it did!  It's an inch longer than originally cut.  I don't understand how you can case it if it's stuck to a piece of paper..............or how you can glue it to paper if it's already cased. 

[tsunkasapa]

24 minutes ago, Chris623 said:

Sorry, I know better.  I'll let it dry and post one in the morning after my "inspection".

I kept reading how I'm supposed to attach the leather to a piece of cardboard so it won't stretch.  I didn't, and it did!  It's an inch longer than originally cut.  I don't understand how you can case it if it's stuck to a piece of paper..............or how you can glue it to paper if it's already cased. 

I back with masking tape, a couple of layers. Back your project before wetting.

[Chris623]

Okay, I'll try that next time.  I just figured the adhesive on the tape would give way when the water hit it.

[garypl]

I use either clear packing tape on the back or I use rubber cement to attach the piece to an old plastic placemat - either work ok.

[Chris623]

Okay, thanks.  Guess this is one of those times I should have just done what I was reading about even if it made no sense to me.  DUH!!!  (we need a "head smack" emoji!)

[Retswerb]

All part of the process. A year from now you’ll look back on this and it will show you how much you’ve learned.

An inch is a lot of stretch, I’ve never had anything stretch that much. Post those pics when you get a chance, let’s have a look.

[Chris623]

Okay, don't laugh...............this is my first stab at stamping leather.

I cut the welt and front of the sheath the same length!!!  Might not have stretched a full inch as I claimed, but at least 3/4" on the longest stretched part.  Wierd!  I just bought some 2" wide Blue tape to put on the back of my future pieces.  Should have paid attention to what I was reading even if it didn't make sense.

So, as you can see from the picture, I didn't get any burnishing.  But it looks to my beginner's eye as if the stamps are of a good depth.  I still think the leather was too wet.  I'm asking advice on how to case my sheaths to stamp properly.  That piece of leather is still very cool, so still has a lot of moisture in it.

[Hildebrand]

I usually just use a stain applicator to wet the leather.  I tend to get it pretty wet then let it come back to natural color then tool.  I have only used the overnight in plastic method for wet forming and I have since found that just getting it soaking wet and letting it dry slightly works fine for that as well.  I have been watching a lot Don Gonzales videos lately and have started using tape on my tooling projects, he has a lot of good information on tooling.

Todd

[Retswerb]

No shame there @Chris623! You’re off to a fine start, and learning as you go. All part of the fun.

Your assessment is right, the leather was too wet. Sometime when you’re around the house for a while take a piece of scrap leather and case it and then as it dries stamp it once or twice every so often. Keep doing that until the leather dries. You’ll get to see the progression with the leather at different moisture levels and how it responds to the tool, can be a helpful learning aid.

[Chris623]

Thanks for the tip, Todd.

And thank you, Retswerb, I'll do that.  I've just had too many irons in too many fires all at once to be able to do that and keep any helpful data...........but I'll give that a try.

Edited October 12, 2020 by Chris623

[battlemunky]

Also, there is no shame in just wetting it right before you go to work it. Traditional casing isn't required and the leather sure gets workable faster and having tried both I don't see the value in the long casing. Maybe for a larger piece so the moisture level stays consistent but again, I've tried both and see no real difference over the other aside from one being far easier on my lack of patience than the other.

Also, using the backgrounder you won't see as much of a burnish as you will with other types of stamps like a shader or something, the main takeaway is that there is a lasting impression more than a burnish. The level of burnish also depends a lot on the leather. Hermann Oak tends to burnish up better upon stamping than Tandy and so does Wickett & Craig. I look for the stamp lasting more than I do for the burnish. That's just me though, others may look for burnishing over lasting to know they are getting it "right".

Edited October 12, 2020 by battlemunky

[Chris623]

Thanks, battlemunky.

[garypl]

If you want to confirm the leather is the right moisture level before putting a stamp to your workpiece, cut another piece of scrap from the same piece as your project and wet it at the same time you do your project piece.  Test on the scrap and if it looks good, then move to your project piece.  Might save you some aggravation.  This might not work as well if you are using a large piece for your project and the scrap is much smaller, but as long as it is the same thickness, should get you in the ballpark.

Gary

[Chris623]

Thanks, Gary.  That's an almost too obvious tip.  I should have thought of it myself!!!    I'll definitely do that when I prepare to tool the back of the sheath.

[buzzardbait]

The leather itself can also be the problem. over the years i have used lots of leather that will not burnish worth a damn no matter what you do.

[Affaltar]

I had similar problems when starting and I found a procedure that worked without any problems every time (I don't know where so I can't link original instructions)

1. Tape the back, I use just the yellowish paper tape for painting, don't know the name, but use few layers

2. With a damp sponge wet the top until it gets dark and it stops sucking in all the water, you'll notice water starting to pool at top and just slowly get inside, that's enough. Try to get it like that everywhere

3. Wait for it to dry until the top is dry color again. 


That's it. It's fast, and if it starts to feel like it's too dry during tooling you can just make a quick pass with a sponge and wait 20ish minutes again

[Chris623]

Thanks.  That's my plan when I get back to the leather working.

[Chris623]

  Well, the joke's on me! 

I mentioned the sheath had stretched in length.  Okay, so I cut it off to match the welt.  Glued the welt in today.  Laid the knife "inside" the welt to check the fit.  Uh...............................don't know why I didn't think to check it, but the sheath also stretched in width in the area of the mouth.  (1/4")   I'm pondering whether to cut 1/8" spacers to get rid of the slop and finish the sheath or just nail what I have to the "Wall of Shame" and start over.  If this sheath was for a customer, I'd not even consider continuing on with it, but since it's just for me and the idea was just to get a little practice in making sheaths,  I'm tempted to finish it.  It's my first sheath.  If I "toss it" over every little mistake, I'll never get it done!      Thoughts?

[fredk]

16 minutes ago, Chris623 said:

  I'm pondering whether to cut 1/8" spacers to get rid of the slop and finish the sheath or just nail what I have to the "Wall of Shame" and start over.  If this sheath was for a customer, I'd not even consider continuing on with it, but since it's just for me and the idea was just to get a little practice in making sheaths,  I'm tempted to finish it.  It's my first sheath.  If I "toss it" over every little mistake, I'll never get it done!      Thoughts?

Put in the spacers. Angle the tops a bit to guide the blade into the sheath

On this copy of a 16th century sheath the knife has a 1 inch wide blade. I cut spacers to the main shape and to narrow the blade area down to 1 inch wide. In this case the spacers are also the welts, but the same idea holds

[Retswerb]

1 hour ago, Chris623 said:

I'm tempted to finish it.  It's my first sheath.  If I "toss it" over every little mistake, I'll never get it done!      Thoughts?

Finish that sucker! If for no other reason because there’s still a host of opportunities remaining where you can still screw up this build lol. At least this way you can see the process all the way through and limit your chances of running into surprises on the next one.

Your spacers should work just fine.

[Chris623]

Thanks, guys, I agree with you both.  Just feelin' my way down this dark corridor, not really knowing what to expect ahead of me.

I have already cut and glued the spacers.  This is an interesting journey, for sure.

[Chris623]

Working on it.  Got the front all stacked up and tapered.  Now to figure out how to stack up the back so the guard is clear of the belt hanging loop.  Going to have to do some "pondering".     I hate guards on knives.

[fredk]

How far have you got with this:

This suggestion needs doing before the front is sewn on.

1. cut a piece for your hanging loop strap (here after, hls ), make it the width you want and about 7 or 8 inches long*

2. cut one or two 'spacers' the width of your hls and about 1/2 inch high

3. sew one end of your hls thru the spacers to the back of the sheath, with the rest of the hls going upwards

4. bring your hls up, around and down past the part you sewed and sew that end to the sheath, about 1/2 below where the spacers end is sewn.

5. you now have a sheath standing-off from the hls

 

* hls = say 1 inch from sewing point to top of sheath, up for about 2 inches, curve over 1/2 inch, then down 2 inches, plus 1.5 inches past the first sewn point = 8 inches