Making sheaths for knives

[rxh]

Here are a few photos showing how I made sheaths for the knives described in my recent thread "Making knives". We don't have a forum for leatherwork so I decided to show them here. Please note that I am very much a novice at leatherwork.

Here I am punching holes and using pop rivets to hold the parts together without slipping. I made the holes in the long piece first then used them to locate the positions for punching the holes in the other pieces.



Closing the pop rivets.



Punching the holes for the stitching.



Sewing with the stitching awl.



The completed sheaths.

 

[Pete Maddex]

I use cut down round head brass screws for rivets, file down the head until you get to the bottom of the slot and anneal them before you rivet them some washers help to clamp the leather tight.

https://flic.kr/p/2rMLcBy

Pete

 

[Lurker]

Can I suggest that you google Chicago screws

 

[Pete Maddex]

Can I suggest that you google Chicago screws

Sounds like an adult film, are you trying to get us in trouble?

Pete

 

[Lurker]

I would have thought that you were the sort of bloke who would have a few Chicago screws, Pete.

 

[Pete Maddex]

I would have thought that you were the sort of bloke who would have a few Chicago screws, Pete.

I have not seen them, looks like something for my wish list along with some Corby bolts.


Pete

 

[Pete Maddex]

When stitching leather if you don’t have punches for the stitch holes you can mark them with a fork and use an awl to make the holes, I call it the fork awl method.

Pete

 

[duke]

Here are a few photos showing how I made sheaths for the knives described in my recent thread "Making knives". We don't have a forum for leatherwork so I decided to show them here. Please note that I am very much a novice at leatherwork.

Here I am punching holes and using pop rivets to hold the parts together without slipping. I made the holes in the long piece first then used them to locate the positions for punching the holes in the other pieces.

View attachment 37741

Closing the pop rivets.

View attachment 37742

Punching the holes for the stitching.

View attachment 37743

Sewing with the stitching awl.

View attachment 37744

The completed sheaths.
View attachment 37745
View attachment 37746

I like the flap holding the but of the handle secure, never seen that before.

 

[AJB Temple]

I like the flap holding the but of the handle secure, never seen that before.

Oddly enough, I thought that it will make the knife difficult to get out of the sheath.

However, I am not Bowie or a carrier.

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes that’s a neat way of stopping the knife being lost, do you find the blade catches on the rivets? Or is the leather held too close together?
Chicago bolts, also known as sex bolts ( please don’t shoot the messenger) come in all sorts of sizes, I used a lot of them when I made place setting named key fobs for my sons wedding. Don’t have a photo but they held a loop of leather to a little oblong of Oak, with each different name cad burnt on, the symbolism appealed to me as I’m a woodworker and Bens bride’s father was a saddle maker.

 

[BentonTool]

I use cut down round head brass screws for rivets, file down the head until you get to the bottom of the slot and anneal them before you rivet them some washers help to clamp the leather tight.

https://flic.kr/p/2rMLcBy

Pete

That's about how I make them! Well done...

 

[rxh]

Oddly enough, I thought that it will make the knife difficult to get out of the sheath.

However, I am not Bowie or a carrier.

I based the sheath design on this Norwegian one. The flap does keep the knife in securely but the knife can be released easily by holding its handle end with the thumb whilst pulling the flap up with two fingers, one on each side of the handle.

 

[Phil]

Chicago Screws (had to surf) - in the olden days we used those to bind documents between covers.

Nice looking sheaths!

 

[BigMonka]

Yes that’s a neat way of stopping the knife being lost, do you find the blade catches on the rivets? Or is the leather held too close together?
Chicago bolts, also known as sex bolts ( please don’t shoot the messenger) come in all sorts of sizes, I used a lot of them when I made place setting named key fobs for my sons wedding. Don’t have a photo but they held a loop of leather to a little oblong of Oak, with each different name cad burnt on, the symbolism appealed to me as I’m a woodworker and Bens bride’s father was a saddle maker.

I've not used rivets before but when I've made sheaths I've included an extra strip of leather in between the front and back pieces so that the stiches are protected - I believe it's called a "welt". I think I'd use that with rivets too so that they can't blunt the blade.