Leather Pouch Sheath Dimensions - Critique Wanted!

[J. Keeton]

Round Two!

I was slightly parinoid this time around... so I just laid out a towel



I also took some sandpaper to the cutting board to make it uber smooth



I found it way easier to cut the leather from the back. I also took more care this time around for making square cuts.



Marked out the welt with a sharpie



I did do a little center line gouge. I'll try without this next time!



Used the Edge Beveler for the top lip of the sheath and belt loop (both sides)



Dampened the loop and edges for folding and burnishing







Scratched out where I'll be gluing



Glued the loop and clamped it



Glued the welt, hammered it, and clamped it











Observations:

• It was tough to get the edges smooth while burninshing... I now see why yall set up "power burnishers!" I'll have to get some Wyo QuikSlik and see if that helps.... Still have some fuzzes in there.
• A round knife would probably be pretty helpful! I was precarious cutting some of these rounded curves.

Thanks for all the help in this thread!
JK

Edit:

• Yall normally let the contact cement dry for 24 HRS?
• Should I Neatsfoot oil the inside of the sheath before folding?

 

[Old Biker]

Yall normally let the contact cement dry for 24 HRS?

Uh, No. It's called contact cement for a reason. Let it dry till it's dry to the touch, put it together. Press it down, or pound it down so it makes good contact. Move on to your next step, it's ready to go.

O.B.

 

[Old Biker]

It was tough to get the edges smooth while burninshing

I think if you go look at the tutorial threads again, you will see that most, if not all, sand the edges smooth, then burnish. I have glued a strip of sandpaper onto a stick, to sand an edge, that I thought would be hard to sand on my cheap, Harbor freight, belt sander.

O.B.

 

[J. Keeton]

O Old Biker thanks for the tip on the contact cement and the link!

Edit: To the moderators - Two of the links in that WIP thread have broken picture links. Just FYI

 

[Ebbtide]

Try a damp paper towel lathered with saddle soap on your edges before burnishing.
IDK if it is the "proper" way, but it works pretty good for me and with the amount of hand burnishing I do.

Also I find that the stitching groover rides the edge of the sheath better before it is beveled. So I do that first. Even before the welt.
And all the tooling as well.

 

[J. Keeton]

Try a damp paper towel lathered with saddle soap on your edges before burnishing.
IDK if it is the "proper" way, but it works pretty good for me and with the amount of hand burnishing I do.
Also I find that the stitching groover rides the edge of the sheath better before it is beveled. So I do that first. Even before the welt.
And all the tooling as well.

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to try that with the stitching groover on the next one!.

 

[J. Keeton]

Some more progress... I oiled the inside of the sheath before folding, but that made me want to wet the outside of the sheath crease for the fold (so as not to put water right on top of the neatsfoot oil). I think I should of oiled the sheath yesterday and then wet the inside of the fold today. Would of made the line up easier I think. I had a tough time lining up the two sides. I got close.


Marking my holes for the belt loop stitching:


Grooving the inside of the stiches


Rigged up in the vise:



Trying to get better at saddle stitching:





Tied a square not on the back:






Spaced out the groover based on the narrowest part of my welt:



Grooved the stitch line along the welt (sorry for the blur):



Use Pricking irons to mark out holes (will be drilling):



Coated inside of sheath with oil...


Wet outside for the fold:



Contact cement:



Folded:




That could of gone smoother! But it's stuck for sure now!


Cheers!
JK

 

[Horsewright]

No need to oil the inside of the sheath. Actually prevents even water absorption when ya need it. Like for bending or wet molding. On getting the two halves to line up, leave the bottom oversized and trim flush after stitching, then sand and then edge and rub. That whole problem of lining up goes away. No need to groove the backside when done this way or the interior at all. In fact i think doing the interior could be detrimental. I'm talking the welt here, grooving the inside of the belt loop is a good idea if it lines up. Ya should wet the whole sheath to bend it. Otherwise ya can leave water marks. Now if you get some watermarks on the outside, dampen the whole exterior of the sheath with a sponge and let dry, the water marks will go away. Anytime I'm wetting something I'll do the whole thing just to prevent water marks and to keep an even color on the finished project. For instance say I'm tooling a belt. Start out at one end and by the time I get towards the other end my leather is getting a little dry. I'll dampen the whole belt including what has already been tooled. This keeps the color uniform and prevents any watermarks. Try a soldering iron for trimming your thread, more precise. On the lext one an even steeper ramp on the cam of the welt.

 

[J. Keeton]

No need to oil the inside of the sheath. Actually prevents even water absorption when ya need it. Like for bending or wet molding. On getting the two halves to line up, leave the bottom oversized and trim flush after stitching, then sand and then edge and rub. That whole problem of lining up goes away. No need to groove the backside when done this way or the interior at all. In fact i think doing the interior could be detrimental. I'm talking the welt here, grooving the inside of the belt loop is a good idea if it lines up. Ya should wet the whole sheath to bend it. Otherwise ya can leave water marks. Now if you get some watermarks on the outside, dampen the whole exterior of the sheath with a sponge and let dry, the water marks will go away. Anytime I'm wetting something I'll do the whole thing just to prevent water marks and to keep an even color on the finished project. For instance say I'm tooling a belt. Start out at one end and by the time I get towards the other end my leather is getting a little dry. I'll dampen the whole belt including what has already been tooled. This keeps the color uniform and prevents any watermarks. Try a soldering iron for trimming your thread, more precise. On the lext one an even steeper ramp on the cam of the welt.

So many good points! I really like over-sizing the bottom side so that all I need to do is trim the excess. Also very good tips about wetting a veg-tan leather sheath to keep it consistent. I feel like I'm trying to drink water from a fire-hose with all this knowledge being dropped!

I'll have to try the soldering iron. Do you still suggest using the square knot to finish it off? I've seen some people negate this step and just melt both ends with the iron.

I don't fully understand what you mean by "steeper ramp" on the cam.

 

[J. Keeton]

Little more progress... I know a build along wasn't the original intention of this thread, but it's been enjoyable for me! Thanks for all the help!



Flaw Spotted; Looks like one of my clips dug in:



Drilled some holes... Couldn't keep it straight to save my life... The lack luster alignment during the fold and the drilling didn't give me much hole room on the back of the sheath:



Front



Back (puffy holes)


Stitched:


Square Knot, then used soldering Iron to burn... way easier!



Sanded down with 60 grit then 220:



Another Flaw... Seems like the blue sharpie I used for marking bled through? Wasn't expecting that:



Knocked the edges down before burnishing:



Dampened with water then Burnished:





Wet the sheath in the sink, and wrapped up the knife:



Inserted, formed with my thumbs, and used a piece of 1/8th'' wood to simulate a belt:



Oh and another flaw (you can see the glue under the belt loop):




Cheers!
JK

EDIT: Does anyone use the "drill press with a finishing nail/big needle PUNCH method?"

 

[ANovinc]

You may also consider skiving the belt loop down a bit (underneath where you will glue it down) in the stich area on your next build to see how you like it. It makes for a more aesthetically pleasing sheath (in my opinion) and perhaps a bit more comfortable to wear, as well. Your glue problem on the belt loop area may be easily solved by using an adhesive eraser (inexpensive through Tandy leather) or other similar type product.

 

[Horsewright]

I think that a lot of folks that use the drill press for the stitching holes use an awl needle chucked up and punch the holes whit the press not running. give that a try. To mark your cutting lines use a pencil. I only use a sharpie to mark the wile lutline on the inside and then each one of my sheaths has a number inside in sharpie to correspond with the specific knife, (built 70 odd yesterday). That way I can keep em straight. I think the sharpie you are seeing on the edges are from your cut out line. I don't use any clamps. Just tap together with a smooth faced hammer after the contact cement has dried. I don't do a square knot. I just back stitch a couple and then melt a string on each side. If you are careful and have a fine tip on your iron ya can get down in that stitch hole a little and make a nice clean cut that can't be seen. Leaving the bottom side oversized will also help with your stitching holes coming out straighter on the bottom side. Less tendancy for the sheath to roll and twist as the holes are being punched causing the holes to come out angled towards the edge. Doing good!

 

[rtmind]

JK, One hint for the clamps is to really round off the edges of the leather. With that, even if the leather compresses around the clamp, it will not leave a mark. rtmind/randy

 

[ty_higg]

I use a drill press for punching my sheath holes, but I use a needle that is a size up or same size as my hand stitching needle. I have a smooth piece of bass wood that I put behind the sheath so the holes don’t have a torn out look also. And I usually have my drill press on and some beeswax ready to coat the needle as it enters the leather.

 

[J. Keeton]

You may also consider skiving the belt loop down a bit (underneath where you will glue it down) in the stich area on your next build to see how you like it. It makes for a more aesthetically pleasing sheath (in my opinion) and perhaps a bit more comfortable to wear, as well. Your glue problem on the belt loop area may be easily solved by using an adhesive eraser (inexpensive through Tandy leather) or other similar type product.

Thanks for the tips! I think I’m going to pick up one of those safety bevelers for that operation. I’ve had a hard time doing it with the tools I have. In reality, my next project should be making a “round knife...”

Thanks for the tip on the adheasive eraser. I need to use less glue, too.

 

[J. Keeton]

I think that a lot of folks that use the drill press for the stitching holes use an awl needle chucked up and punch the holes whit the press not running. give that a try. To mark your cutting lines use a pencil. I only use a sharpie to mark the wile lutline on the inside and then each one of my sheaths has a number inside in sharpie to correspond with the specific knife, (built 70 odd yesterday). That way I can keep em straight. I think the sharpie you are seeing on the edges are from your cut out line. I don't use any clamps. Just tap together with a smooth faced hammer after the contact cement has dried. I don't do a square knot. I just back stitch a couple and then melt a string on each side. If you are careful and have a fine tip on your iron ya can get down in that stitch hole a little and make a nice clean cut that can't be seen. Leaving the bottom side oversized will also help with your stitching holes coming out straighter on the bottom side. Less tendancy for the sheath to roll and twist as the holes are being punched causing the holes to come out angled towards the edge. Doing good!

Cool deal! I’ll try that approach next. I think I’ll try to make a dedicated arrangement... That looks like a strop, but with a hole in it to give the awl needle somewhere to go. Then I can clamp this leather covered “awl receiving jig” on the drill press so that I don’t mark up the back of the sheath while popping holes in it.

70 sheaths! Holy heck!

Noted on the piencil, clamps and square knot.

The oversized bottom tip you have yesterday is crucial. I’m going to have to try that for sure. Thanks for the support.

 

[J. Keeton]

JK, One hint for the clamps is to really round off the edges of the leather. With that, even if the leather compresses around the clamp, it will not leave a mark. rtmind/randy

Good idea.. I should of used the beveler on them before epoxying them to the clamps!

I use a drill press for punching my sheath holes, but I use a needle that is a size up or same size as my hand stitching needle. I have a smooth piece of bass wood that I put behind the sheath so the holes don’t have a torn out look also. And I usually have my drill press on and some beeswax ready to coat the needle as it enters the leather.

Those are great tips. I will need to try this! I foresee it will provide a more aesthetic look than the #48 drill bit I used on this one. My cheap “leather kit” came with a nice arrangement of needles. One of them I think will be the appropriate size for this operation!

 

[ty_higg]

Good idea.. I should of used the beveler on them before epoxying them to the clamps!



Those are great tips. I will need to try this! I foresee it will provide a more aesthetic look than the #48 drill bit I used on this one. My cheap “leather kit” came with a nice arrangement of needles. One of them I think will be the appropriate size for this operation!

This way you still get the appearance of a traditional hand stitch after you “set the stitch” with a hammer to close up the holes.

 

[J. Keeton]

This way you still get the appearance of a traditional hand stitch after you “set the stitch” with a hammer to close up the holes.
View attachment 1140068 View attachment 1140069 View attachment 1140070

Very Slick! I like your use of the ultra clip.

 

[Bigfattyt]

I don't use a drill bit. I use a polished needle punch/round punch.


But, that said, I've never made a sheath or holster with a drill press. I just never had one till this year.

My next holster or sheath will be made with my drill press, though!!

I hate hand punching thick leather.

The drill bit, though removes leather and really, you want to push the leather aside, not remove it. Makes for tighter, more permanent stitching.

I also don't tie knots in stitching on my holsters or sheaths. I use a saddle stitch, where you thread from opposite sides at the same time, and I've never had one come loose in 15 or so years. I do 3 or 4 or more back stitches and it is usually pretty danged tight (especially if you are not drilling the leather with a bit).

I'm no pro, however. Just a dabbler...

(This black leather, I used vinagroon to turn it black....worked surprisingly well!!! But smelled bad for quite some time. I would probably use a different mix/ratio/ clean the steel wool better next time)