How to tighten up top of leather sheath

S

sawgrass7

Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
216
Hi guys,

I have a real nice blade with a custom leather pouch type sheath for it - but the knife just slides right in and out way to easily - loosely for my liking.

It is a few years old but basically new. The sheath was wet molded, has a welt and is dyed black and has some kind of finish. The welt has two rows of stitching.

With the knife in the sheath, if I PINCH the top of the sheath just beyond the welt towards the knife handle - this is perfect. I can turn the sheath upside down and the knife stays put. The rest of the pouch fits it fine.

Perhaps if the maker had just made the welt WIDER by maybe 1/2" it might be fine.

I would really appreciate your suggestions on what I can do to remedy this loose sheath opening situation.

Thank you all.
 
Don't take my advice ,but pinch it to the size then freeze the tip is what I would do. Since freezing makes things smaller.
 
I would rather see the knife and sheath before adding my 2 cents...but probably getting the leather good and wet, THEN pinching it around the knife, then letting it dry for a while, extracting knife, then setting it near a heat source...out in the sun would be best......till it was dry. Then re-finish it.
I've done it, it works.
 
Retention right at the mouth of the sheath sounds like it would cure your problem. I have fixed many like this for people over the years. Punch a number seven punch tube hole in the corner of the sheath just barely inside the stitching. Then insert a Chicago Screw and tighten it up. This will do the same thing as pinching, but will do it permanently. If you can find a Chicago Screw with a "concho" cap it will also add a little decoration to your sheath. You can try the screw at various tightness settings until you find one you like, then put a drop of Elmer's plain white glue in the cap and tighten it back to that point and it will stay there until hell freezes over or the Texas Rangers win the World Series, whichever comes first.

Paul
 
Rayban - Thanks. An "expert" at Tandy Leather said that wouldn't work, so that's why i asked here. I have never wet molded and since it has a finish, didn't know if rewetting it would "take."

Paul - Thanks so much. That is a great idea that I had thought of myself but didn't know if it would work since there was just space between the two sides of the sheath. I will look into this. I like the concho thing, maybe you could PM me how that works if you want. I have never used any of these things. Thanks again!


choco: Ummm...maybe it's time you switch over to Fruity Pebbles instead of your regular cereal...
 
I have done what Ray has done - and I like what sheath makes suggests. If you have the tools - you could also drop a few stitches just inside the existing stitching if it would look nice and I am sure that would do the same.

Nice - I learned something.

TF
 
talf - thanks. I do have tools. Would you just do stitches alone or I wonder if should try to slip in like another little piece of welt to butt up against the existing welt? So that the knife hits the added/New welt piece going in and is more secure?

I have also been wondering about how to make those sheaths that are leather horizontal carry - but are designed to kind of "lock in" the knife and secure it.
Thanks again to you all!
 
Posting a couple of pictures with the knife in and out might spark some ideas.
 
Ramm9 - thanks, you're so right. But I'm not that level here and money is tight right now. I really do want to up my membership level, I just can't right now. Thank you.
 
If you decide you want to post pics in this thread or others upload them to a Photobucket account (it's free) then copy the photo link into your post. On Photobucket four links will appear for each photo, you want to copy and paste the last one.
 
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