Help with Chicago Screws

T

The Mighty Ginsu

Joined
Aug 11, 2016
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I thought I was finally ready to finish my first sheath. The leather is ready for a clip and sewing, I have an Ulticlip, and I bought Chicago screws.

Problem: my screws are too long, and I'm not totally sure what to do about the parts that will be inside the sheath.

I bought 1/4" screws, which came with washers. I'm using 7-8-ounce leather (one layer). When I put a screw through the clip, leather, and washer, the screw does not tighten on the leather.

Wondering whether I should get 3/16" screws or stitch a leather pad on the outside of the sheath. It would add some rigidity, which is something to think about. I see fat rubber spacers are available, too. I could put a couple on the outside of the Ulticlip, but I think it would be weird.

Also, do I need to put something over the screws inside the sheath? Will my 440C blade be gouged up by the screws when it goes in and out? Maybe I could cement a piece of thin leather over them.
 
File the post down first. Then if it's still too long, file the screw down. Put a regular nut on it first to file it down and use the nut as a file guide, Filing will burr the end of the screw, and unscrewing the nut should straighten out the burrs. Then lightly file the burrs off.
 
Here is my current guesswork.

I Dremeled a screw (nut, actually) down to the right size. It works. Seems like a cheesy way to do it, however.

Because the nut is aluminum, I don't think there is any point in covering it. It should not be able to damage a steel knife.

It looks like there are Chicago screws with steel nuts, but if I used them, I might have to think about covering the nuts.
 
I got everything working. My stitching is not great, so I may pull the thread and redo it. Right now, I'm waiting for the sheath to dry. I wet it down and molded it around one side of the knife.

I don't know if the rubber washers were a good idea, but they came with the Chicago screws, and I thought they might work.

Now I'm wondering...once I finish the sheath's edges and get it how I want it, what do I treat it with? Neatsfoot? Wax?

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I use Tandy Eco-Flo All-In-One leather finish. It stains and finishes with a waterproof finish all in one step. Best way to use it is to lay it on thick in one coat.

I use it on the inside of the sheath too so that moisture will not get into the leather. It's a bit tricky gluing the finished leather, but if you let it dry completely epoxy will stick to it. You won't need as much epoxy because it's no longer porous.
 
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Does anybody know the Chicago screw size that comes with tek lok's? I need longer ones
 
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