Show Off Your Leather!

[ArtinNC]

Another one of mine.

 

[GrizzlyBear]

My first sheath, practice...made from 3/4oz leather from hobby lobby while waiting on my good leather to arrive.

Sheath #2 for my EDC. 8/9oz, Fiebing's Pro Black, Mink Oil finish.

Sheath #3 for my first order. Same as above.

Sheaths #4 and #5 for my current orders. Again, same as above.

And, my first ever attempt at actual tooling of leather:

 

[sheathmaker]

Griz, your edges look to be first class!:thumbup: Keep it up.

Paul

 

[GrizzlyBear]

Thanks Paul!!!

I wish I could get my belt loop edges to be as nice. I may be doing something wrong...I'm beveling both the inside and outside corners of the edge on those loops. Should I not be doing that?

Also, for a nice gloss coating, what product should I be looking at? I like the matte finish I'm currently getting, but I may have folks who want a gloss.

Right now, after dying when I finish up the sheath, I work in 3-4 coats of mink oil with a hair dryer, then hand buff with a microfiber towel.

 

[sheathmaker]

Thanks Paul!!!

I wish I could get my belt loop edges to be as nice. I may be doing something wrong...I'm beveling both the inside and outside corners of the edge on those loops. Should I not be doing that?

Also, for a nice gloss coating, what product should I be looking at? I like the matte finish I'm currently getting, but I may have folks who want a gloss.

Right now, after dying when I finish up the sheath, I work in 3-4 coats of mink oil with a hair dryer, then hand buff with a microfiber towel.

If it is a separate strap loop then I would not bevel at all. Just finish the flat cut edge like you do the sheath edges. If it doesn't look as good as the sheath edges then you may be quitting before you are finished

I use Feibing's TanKote. Gives a nice semi gloss finish and if I want it more shiny I follow the TanKote with a coat of ClearLac (used to be NeatLac). Springfield leather has the ClearLac.

This seems to be making a good looking working finish.

Paul

 

[GrizzlyBear]

Thanks! Yeah they're separate strap loops. I'd like my next sheath to have an included loop made into the top....figure I'd give that style a try.

One more question...what is the advantage of taking the last couple of inches along the spine of a pouch sheath and splitting it, then sewing it together flat? Is it purely cosmetic, or does it allow better blade retention?

 

[WBaaijen]

 

[mtnfolk mike]

wow.. there is some amazing work in this thread... well i guess i never put anything up either?? huh.. i have been messing with leather on and off for the past 8 years or so.. my stuff is basic and funftional... besides sheaths i do a lot of traditional archery related tackle too..

sheath for a Ban Tang BT4..

dangler style sheath for a David Farmer "tribal utility" belt knife..

necker sheath.

sheath for a Ray Laconico Kephart..

Fiddleback Terrasaur sheath with firesteel loop..

basic back quiver..

 

[sheathmaker]

Thanks! Yeah they're separate strap loops. I'd like my next sheath to have an included loop made into the top....figure I'd give that style a try.

One more question...what is the advantage of taking the last couple of inches along the spine of a pouch sheath and splitting it, then sewing it together flat? Is it purely cosmetic, or does it allow better blade retention?

It allows you follow the blade shape more exactly and produces a much less GENERIC looking sheath. Almost all of my pouch sheaths have the split toe.

Paul

 

[GrizzlyBear]

dangler style sheath for a David Farmer "tribal utility" belt knife..

necker sheath.

sheath for a Ray Laconico Kephart..

Fiddleback Terrasaur sheath with firesteel loop..

Hey, what dye are you using (and finish) to get that beautiful reddish brown color on those last few pics?

 

[mtnfolk mike]

Hey, what dye are you using (and finish) to get that beautiful reddish brown color on those last few pics?

cheers Craig...:thumbup: most those sheath were dyed with Fiebings med. brown.. the more coats you do the darker it gets... one of them has a tad of ox blood dye mixed into it.. the ox blood has a nice reddish tone as well..

i finish my sheaths with beeswax... i usually rub it on while it's warm/soft and then heat it up a bit again to soak it in...

hope that helps..

 

[GrizzlyBear]

What kind of feel do your sheaths have with the beeswax on it? Do they feel gummy at all? A friend of mine made cow's knee (a leather cover for a flintlock's firing mech) and worked it over with beeswax but it felt gummy.

 

[mtnfolk mike]

What kind of feel do your sheaths have with the beeswax on it? Do they feel gummy at all? A friend of mine made cow's knee (a leather cover for a flintlock's firing mech) and worked it over with beeswax but it felt gummy.

not at all.. in fact they harden quite nicely..:thumbup: retaining the wet form of the knife..

 

[GrizzlyBear]

Nice, I may have to try this on my next sheath. Do you simply take a piece and rub it on the leather after heating the sheath up? Then go over it with a hairdryer to melt the wax further and soak it in?

 

[mtnfolk mike]

Nice, I may have to try this on my next sheath. Do you simply take a piece and rub it on the leather after heating the sheath up? Then go over it with a hairdryer to melt the wax further and soak it in?

you are correct.. i also heat the beeswax up too, it makes it easier to apply evenly..:thumbup: good luck.. post some pics when you're done..

 

[church&son]

here is some of what I do. I call these the Wintertime Blues Series. I work a lot of hours during the winter and don't use electricity
at the Redbud Forge so my "hobby" waits on longer days. Back last summer I decided this winter would be different. I traded for a bucket
of old knives at a antiques fair and these three are the first to be remodeled.

The Butcher on the left is stamped Forgecraft and the others are probably Old Hickory. I had to rehandle the Hickorys , poured bolsters
and added rawhide wraps to all. My other "hobby" is history and I do a ton of research into the 19th century. All of these blade styles were traded
to Indians in mid-late 1800's so that thought inspired the sheaths. The two on left are Crow/Blackfoot style and the other more Cheyenne style.
Most of the leather is reused from something else such as boots, old jackets and the rest are scraps from a local tanner.
Beads are from antique fairs and trading. Finish on blades and sheaths is my homebrew dirt, grease and varnish.
It's the dead of winter and it's better than watching TV, maybe got time for a couple more....................Randy Church

http://churchandson.wordpress.com/

 

[GrizzlyBear]

I have the same Forgecraft butcher on the left and one like the style in the center. They were my mom's who had them for no telling how long. I refinished them and still would like to make some kind of sheath for them.

 

[church&son]

Mr. Grizzly, those are great knives. Forgecraft Hi Carbon is stamped on it. Can't find much history on Forgecraft, I read that the knife division was bought by Chicago Cutlery in the 1920's, but I can't document that yet, but there was millions made by different companys all basically same blade styles and techniques over the last 150 years. This photo was marked "Old Hickory 1890"

........Randy

http://churchandson.wordpress.com/

 

[rayban]

I have the same Forgecraft butcher on the left and one like the style in the center. They were my mom's who had them for no telling how long. I refinished them and still would like to make some kind of sheath for them.

Hey Grizz...you should make something like this for those keepsakes.
(note: this is NOT my work, just something I admire and have in my files)

 

[church&son]

Mr. Rayban, that is sharp! I have photos somewhere of buffalo skinners carrying neck or shoulder sheaths similar to this with multiple knives, guess you don't have to stop and sharpen as often.........Randy

http://churchandson.wordpress.com/