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Here's one I did last weekend. It has some [obvious] things wrong with it, (decorative groove lines cross into my stitch line, machine got away from me at the end and caused my stitching to go higher than intended (I need to be more aware of which pedal my foot is on!)....etc, etc, etc....other than that....

Thoughts, input, things I need to work on?

Thanks much :)

Amy
 

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That is a very nice sheath for a beautiful knife.
The only things I might suggest would be to make sure the stitch line maintains its margin from the edge and to finish the edges a little bit better. It looks as if you put edge coat or something similar on the edge. Strive to have edges good enough to not want to cover them up.
Still striving for perfect edges myself, but here are the steps I follow to get my best results. After glue up, but prior to establishing my stitch line, I use a belt sander to flush the edges, taking care not to scorch them. I then take a coarse foam sanding block and hand sand the edge. I then establish my stitch line, punch my holes(I hand stitch), edge the sheath, dye if needed, stitch and do any molding necessary. Then I use a fine foam sanding block and sand the edge, followed by slicking the dampened edge with a polished piece of antler. Finally using gum trag I slick the edge with the antler again. *note* On single ply edges I forgo the antler for the cheap wheel shaped edge slicker from Tandy. Finish the sheath with Neatsfoot and whatever topcoat you desire.
There is more than one way to skin a cat and this is just what currently works best for me.

Nice job Amy. Good luck!
Chris
 
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Nice work Amy. Here's what I'd suggest.

More sanding on the edges. That edge with the welt should look like one piece of leather. Then more burninshing. Did ya dye the edges or use Edge Kote? I really like the overall color of the sheath too.

I'd like to see the tip at the bottom a little more rounded. Those pointy ones can curl a bit with hard use. Maybe slick the belt loop area to get some of those fuzzies to lay down better. Some folks will slick that with gum and also ya can use TanKote to keep those fuzzies laying down.

I really like the bead and thong. Very nice on the overall pacakage.
 
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Thanks, Chris. I appreciate the input, as well as the tips on how to work on the edges. I'll for sure work on my stitch line margin--I'm still learning how to use the machine, so my execution is probably not quite where it needs to be at this point.
 
Nice work Amy. Here's what I'd suggest.

More sanding on the edges. That edge with the welt should look like one piece of leather. Then more burninshing. Did ya dye the edges or use Edge Kote? I really like the overall color of the sheath too.

I'd like to see the tip at the bottom a little more rounded. Those pointy ones can curl a bit with hard use. Maybe slick the belt loop area to get some of those fuzzies to lay down better. Some folks will slick that with gum and also ya can use TanKote to keep those fuzzies laying down.

I really like the bead and thong. Very nice on the overall pacakage.

Thanks, Dave. Since both of the input comments on this thread indicated my edges could use some improvement, that's the next place i'll be focusing my energies on. It sounds like hand-sanding may be the one step i've been skipping over, that will make the difference between mediocre and "wow!"

I think the fuzzies on the belt loop are a result of inferior leather. Might be time to put that leather aside for welts or sheaths that will be lined, and invest in something of a higher quality. (i say this, because I actually did slick it down--you should have seen it before I did that :eek: But i did not do the slicking down with Tankote, so maybe that would have helped a little.

I did use Edge Kote on the edges--it usually looks a little shinier than it does on this one...not sure what I did to cause it to look dull....

The color on the sheath is a combo of Feibing's saddle tan and walnut brown. I used the walnut around the stitch line and accent areas, and saddle tan everywhere else and did my best to blend between the two where it mattered. Glad you like it.
 
The ends of your stitching runs are a mess, they look like big globs of melted plastic. That more than anything drew my eye.

I don't use a machine so I can't give you any advice there, but if you're using a lighter to melt your thread ends, stop. Get a thread zapper, they're like $5 and you can put the heat exactly where you want it.
 
The ends of your stitching runs are a mess, they look like big globs of melted plastic. That more than anything drew my eye.

I don't use a machine so I can't give you any advice there, but if you're using a lighter to melt your thread ends, stop. Get a thread zapper, they're like $5 and you can put the heat exactly where you want it.

I normally have no need for melting the thread when using the machine, as the back stitching locks the thread in. However, I ran into some unusual problems on this particular sheath with the machine, and there was need for improvising. What you see is the result (and yeah...it ain't pretty). The zapper sounds like a good tool to have on hand, for the next time I need some flame. Thanks for the feedback.
 
I normally have no need for melting the thread when using the machine, as the back stitching locks the thread in. However, I ran into some unusual problems on this particular sheath with the machine, and there was need for improvising. What you see is the result (and yeah...it ain't pretty). The zapper sounds like a good tool to have on hand, for the next time I need some flame. Thanks for the feedback.

It did seem strange, because it really stuck out on an otherwise nice sheath (yeah the edges need work, but edges are tough to get right... I still haven't mastered them!)

Since the stitching for the belt loop is very visible on the back of the sheath, I'd do everything in my power to make it look cool. You went with a half circle, which isn't as bad as a simple straight cut, but maybe next time try doing a belt-end cut or even mimic the bottom tip of the sheath. If sticking with a rounded end, maybe put something circular down, trace around it, and do a full circle of stitching (simply for aesthetic reasons, I'm sure the amount of stitching you have there is more than strong enough)

Just spitballing here...
 
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