Leather Sheaths

A

AustinS1234

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Jun 8, 2018
Messages
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I have been trying for a while to make my second leather sheath and I cant seem to get the hang of pricking the holes and stitching. I should start off by saying that all my leather working tools are from amazon and to my knowledge aren't the best but probably aren't the worst. My question is how do I create the holes with my pricking iron through 3 pieces of 4mm thick leather. I have tried pricking them in 1 layer at a time and matching the layers then gluing and stitching. I have tried pricking through the top layer and the welt at the same time then transferring these marks to the bottom layer. Any combination of these my pricking iron gets aggressively stuck in the leather even if I don't go the whole way through and bottom the stitching iron out. Nothing seems to work come stitching time. I need to use pliers to pull the needle out and an awl to enlarge the holes. The last sheath I attempted took me 4 hours to stitch... Someone please send help!
 
from one of the earlier threads here also, I picked up the recommendation of using a small nail in the bit of the drill press. it goes through the leather cleanly without leaving too large a hole.

I also use pliers to pull the needle through the hole
 
Is there a technique to have the needle go though the leather without the use of pliers? Or due to the thickness of knife sheaths is this unavoidable?
 
Try putting a needle in a drill press and using the running drill press to pierce all the holes first like that.
Layers all glued together first.

Try all of Paul Long's videos they are well well worth the cost
 
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12345678910 said:
Try putting a needle in a drill press and using the drill press to pierce all the holes first like that.
Layers all glued together first.

Try all of Paul Long's videos they are well well worth the cost
Click to expand...
That is an interesting idea! I am going to try that when my leather order gets in.
 
12345678910 said:
Try putting a needle in a drill press and using the drill press to pierce all the holes first like that.
Layers all glued together first.
Click to expand...

This is what I do, too.

You might need to get a stitching spacer to make sure the spaces are equal
 
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weo said:
This is what I do too.

You might need to get a stitching spacer to make sure the spaces are equal
Click to expand...
That is what I do :)

horsewright (my wizard-mentor :). ) also mentioned using a fork to define the spacing.

god .. I hope some day I am able to show up at that mans ranch with a couple bottles of bourbon in tow. I owe him that much for the experience and wisdom.
 
I can't afford enough bourbon to pay off all the people I owe here!

A lot of (most?) leather workers will tell you not to drill holes for a number of reasons. For a long time I drilled 1/16th" holes (I'm not a leather worker). Now I put a finishing nail in my drill press and just use it to press holes.
 
Randydb said:
I can't afford enough bourbon to pay off all the people I owe here!

A lot of (most?) leather workers will tell you not to drill holes for a number of reasons. For a long time I drilled 1/16th" holes (I'm not a leather worker). Now I put a finishing nail in my drill press and just use it to press holes.
Click to expand...
I just went right to the nail. What does a drill do that is not-good?
 
Cushing H. said:
I just went right to the nail. What does a drill do that is not-good?
Click to expand...
Basic idea of pressing a hole is that all of the leather is still there and it closes up and sort of grabs on the thread and helps hold things the most (remember I am not a leatherworker and this is a layman's interpretation of my readings...). When you drill you remove material and things can't close up as tight around the thread and it isn't as good a quality hold.
I've read about 8-10 threads/discussions about this and there is some pretty heated views on all of it. Some people who drill holes make some amazing sheaths/leatherwork too and seem to have been doing it for a long time. But overall I would say the vast majority of the serious leatherwork people seem to punch rather than drill. Of course we are talking about people who hand stitch, not machine stitching.
 
If you use a needle or nail, the hole burnishes, rather than tearing the leather. Much cleaner holes. I started with a twist drill, but someone years ago suggested the needle/nail, and it works quite well. I don’t just press the holes, the drill press is spinning as I press it through.
 
If you need pliers to pull a needle trough it means the leather presses on the thread and holds it. If the thread tears or so the sheath will still hold the knife.
I(like many others) actualy ty every stitch for more pressure.
I've cut old sheats in two, it stays in shape, the thread doesn't go lose.
 
Thanks guys for the nail suggestion, it makes good sense. I'll have to try that next time!
 
Hengelo_77 said:
....I(like many others) actualy ty every stitch for more pressure..
Click to expand...
"Ty" as in a knot? I double stitch...needle through hole from both directions. What do you mean by tying every stitch? What is that called and do you have a few suggestions of websites where I can see it?

Robert Erickson said:
Thanks guys for the nail suggestion, it makes good sense. I'll have to try that next time!
Click to expand...
Process/effort wise using a nail is as easy and quick as using the drill bit in the end and according to the experts it is a better method for setting up to stitch.
 
Hard to explain in words:
Have one needle to the left, one to the right.
Take the right needle, go trough the leather to the left. Don't pull tight, leave a loop.
Take the other needle, go trough the leathet to the right. Now go trough the loop with the needle. I always go trough the loop twice.
Now pull both threads.
It gives more volume and the leather presses tight on the threat.
I always take in threat 6 times the distance I want to sew plus 8" for handeling.
 
My 2cents I don't have one of those fancy cowboy heel tools to make my hole spacing even so I use a kitchen fork and press indents placing the first prong into the spot where the last prong left it's indentation and repeat. I will admit I also drill with a small drill bit.
 
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