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Knife Sheath Sewalong (Pic Heavy)

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madcrow:
I have had a few questions about the sheaths I make and the process of making them, so I decided to make a sheath sew along.  Making one that will stand up to the elements and abuse that they tend to go through can be time consuming, but rewarding in the end.  It will probably take a couple days of posting to get all of it in, so bear with me.  I think there are around 80 pictures and I will try to split it up for those that have dialup.
 
Here is the stuff I use on a regular basis.  Needles, artificial sinew, waxed linen thread, a leather thimble, an awl, contact cement, various styles of rivets, snaps, and a bunch of stuff I never though I would need to make a sheath.





The first thing you need to make is a pattern for the sheath.  I lay the knife on a piece of stiff paper.  Old file folders work and so do 12 pack boxes.  I usually leave about 1/2" around the blade.  This will allow for the leather to fold and also have room for the welt.

madcrow:
Once you get it drawn, flip the knife over and draw another beside the first.



The edge looked a little plain, so I grabbed the pen and started playing around.



When you get the final shape the way you want it, fold down the center line and use the scissors to cut it out.  That design will add some character to the overall package.

madcrow:
Now for the belt loop.  Cut out a rectangle from some scrap paper, grab a pen and go to work.  I will show you later why a little more planning is needed if there is going to be any tooling involved.

 

If the loop was going to be plain, this design will work. For tooling, there is a little more calculating involved and I already had a headache.



Now to get started.  I am using some 8 ounce veggie tanned leather for this.  Check the hide side of the leather for any cuts, scratches, or blemishes.  These will show in the final piece.  Lay the patterns on the leather and trace around them.  You can use a regular pen, pencil, scratch awl, but I would stay away from the permanent markers and gel pens.  They tend to bleed and unless you are dying the leather black, the ink will show.  Now would also be a good time to go wash your hands.  The leather will pick up any oils or dirt on them.  I usually end up washing mine about ten times during one sheaths because of handling tools and stuff.



To cut the leather, I use a razor blade.  Scissors will work on thinner leather, and eventually work on this, but you will have some cramped and blistered hands when you are done.  Here is a ghost holding the blade for me while I take a picture.



One pass with the razor blade almost cut all the way through and not alot of pressure was needed.

madcrow:
A second pass took care of the trouble spots, which are usually in the corners.  When it is cut out, check it for fit.  This will also give you an idea of how wide the welt needs to be.  Welts need to be wide enough to be easily sewn through.  If they are too narrow, it becomes a pain and you can miss the welt when punching holes.







Now for the belt loop and the welt.  I stratigically placed the welt over a blemish in the leather, because it will not show in the final piece.  Also I did not make a pattern for the welt.  I layed the sheath on the leather and traced around the outer edge and guesstimated the width.

madcrow:
Here are the three main pieces ready to go.



Before I jump in head first, I need a line for reference.  I use the pattern and a tracing wheel to mark where I will be sewing.  Allow plenty of room between the line and the edge.If you try to punch holes too close to the egde, you may miss and the punch will come out on the very edge.



The tracing wheel leaves perfectly spaced divets in the leather.  I also used a punch to make the holes for the rivets that I will be using.  Also, since the recipient of this knife is a knapper, I penciled in an arrowhead.

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