Another Randall sheath, this time for my model 14.

It's a big knife so this one is 10oz leather. It's suede lined as are most of my sheaths for a dead smooth fit. Friction alone will hold this knife in even upside-down. The suede is dovetailed in at the top edge so it can't be speared with the blade point during insertion. That's a tough one to show.

It's handsewn of course and the holes drilled 1/16". As are all my sheaths - it's dead plain. I won't force my lack of natural artistic talent on anyone!


http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/pics/randall14.jpg


The retainer strap is sewn in down the back of the sheath and is on the front edge of the blade so it can't be cut.

http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/pics/randall2-14.jpg


The edges are all 600 grit and dead smooth. They are just oiled.


http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/pics/randall3-14.jpg

i've said it before, mike, i really like plain and simple.
The suede is dovetailed in at the top edge so it can't be speared with the blade point during insertion sounds like a tutorial subject :p
thanx

Excuse the crude drawing whv but I didn't feel like making a sheath for the tutorial! I'm sure I'll get my "point" across.

The top drawing is a cross-sectional cut through the sheath. It shows the suede liners front & back. About an 1/8th of an inch down from the top, cut down at 90 degrees the same depth as the suede thickness. Skive this out so that the suede lies in there flush. Glue the top ½" down with white glue and the rest of the stuff with contact cement.

Now there is no suede thickness to poke with the blade tip.

In the second drawing (I'm good eh!!) we see an inside view of the sheath front or back. We have to mark the welt's position so that we can cut the line sideways BUT not all the way to the outside of the face - or we'd see a nice dovetail when we ground & polished the main edge!

Take the cut line out to about the sewing line. The suede liner just goes about that far anyway so it too doesn't protrude out to the sheaths finished edges. We can't polish suede!!

Does it all make sense? If not I'll try harder.


http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/pics/dovetail.jpg


Ok I just managed to whip together a couple of sheaths, snap a pic and edit this post. Hehehe. I hope this gets it across -


http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/pics/liner.jpg

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.

-- Albert Einstein

Sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful. Very well done.

pretty much what i had imagined, mike. but i would have messed up the details like at the edges. thanx for the explanation - makes perfect sense to me.

Mike - Wayne is the strong silent type -- so when he speaks I listen. Can't agree more -- I love the simple working sheath look. Combined with the obvious attention to detail these are winners.
Before I saw your drawings I'd pictured the lining being sandwiched into a "filet" cut in the inside of the outer shell, but your way looks like it wold be easier to control the fit.
Are you using standard harness needles or smaller ones? 1/16th holes would be a skosh tight fit for the needles I'm using for saddle stitching.
MtMike

Originally posted by MtMike
Mike - Wayne is the strong silent type -- so when he speaks I listen. Can't agree more -- I love the simple working sheath look. Combined with the obvious attention to detail these are winners.

Thanks Mike. Praise from regular members of this site for me, a Newby here, means a lot. Art, including art on sheaths, is a very personal thing and I've seen sooooo many sheaths (I look at sheaths before knives!) that are covered in artwork where the maker has spent considerable time and energy and the basic sheathmaking steps are not perfected.

I'd hate to put a piece of artwork on one of my sheaths and have the person who ordered the sheath think "Errr that's not bad but it's not what I was expecting." I decided many years ago that this was never going to happen.

So I concentrated on getting the basic skills as perfect as my ability would allow - sewing, edges and stuff like that. But yes people have walked away from my table because I wouldn't carve their initials on a sheath. I just pointed out to them the guys who would.

Before I saw your drawings I'd pictured the lining being sandwiched into a "filet" cut in the inside of the outer shell, but your way looks like it wold be easier to control the fit.

Yes I would imagine mine is easier than your fillet idea. It's very simple to do.

Are you using standard harness needles or smaller ones? 1/16th holes would be a skosh tight fit for the needles I'm using for saddle stitching.

To be honest I don't know what they are. I'm still working on the first packet I ever bought from Tandy many years ago. They fit very easily through 1/16" holes. I do need more though! I can measure the diameter in thou or mm easily.

Mike T.

MikeT -
You are absolutely correct when it comes to your point about getting the "basics" down first. I've seen far too many newbies jump into doing the so called fun part (decoration) without getting the basic skills down. One of my old teachers taught me many years ago that it takes six months to learn the basics and the rest of your lift to learn all the tricks. After 42 years I'm still learning and Sandy has said the same thing.

But yes people have walked away from my table because I wouldn't carve their initials on a sheath. I just pointed out to them the guys who would.

Smart Man! I've been guilty in the past of taking on work I shouldn't have for whatever reason and usually one of two things happened - either I didn't do the best job possible because my heart wasn't in it or even worse the customer was one of those that wasn't going to be pleased no matter what I did (some people are just the "customer from hell" and helps if you can learn this quickly!). Luckily I learned my lesson and no longer take on just any job even if the money is good.

As are all my sheaths - it's dead plain. I won't force my lack of natural artistic talent on anyone!
As Dirty Harry once said "A man's got a know his limitations!" Truer words were never spoken, but if I might make a suggestion Mike (don't get me wrong I like your work - dead plain has it's own beauty that a lot of folks don't appreciate) you might try some simple line deco. Here are a couple of examples of what I am talking about.
The line work on both sheaths is simple and elegant, at least tom my eye, yet it impresses the heck out of customers. Doesn't take a lot of artistic talent (I think you're selling yourself short on this point BTW - you have an excellent eye for lines and form), just a good steady hand which you definitely have.
This first is one by John Costa -
http://wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/costa/sheath-006.jpg

The second is one I did for.
http://wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/lamour/lamour-sykes-001.jpg

It looks like John used his stitch groover and I used a pair of dividers on damp leather and impressed the lines. If using dividers slightly round the end you will press into the leather and polish it smooth. On the belt loop of mine I also used my stitch marker to deco the whole length of the grooved line.

Please understand this is not a criticism of your work, but a suggestion that may help increase sales to the another portion of the market

I will make one critique though :D - and that is to use an edge tool to "round" your edges before finishing them. It will add that extra little touch that is so important especially with "plain" sheaths since nothing is "hidden". A #2 western style edger is what I would suggest for the weight leather you are mostly using.

Nice work all the way around - glad to have you aboard.

PS to MTMike-

MikeT's probably using the single "O" harness needles rather than the triple "O" ones which may be what you have. The thread you use though will also have a bearing on your needle size. If you use the pre-waxed Nyltex type thread you almost have to use 3/0 needles as it's pretty thick and you 'll have a hard time using it with the smaller 1/0's.

I use Barbour's 5 cord linen almost exclusively, but if you prefer nylon/poly you might try some 370 OR 405 size leather machine thread. One nice thing is it comes in an off white or buckskin color that really looks nice. Leather Factory used to carry (and may still-I don't have current catalog) a linen look waxed poyl hand thread that was a 5 cord and it worked well with the 1/0 needles.

One of my old teachers taught me many years ago that it takes six months to learn the basics and the rest of your lift to learn all the tricks. After 42 years I'm still learning and Sandy has said the same thing.

Gawd I'm slow too. It's over 20 years for me and I still don't have a good enough grasp of the basics. Maybe one day I'll progess to the decoration stage.

........if I might make a suggestion Mike (don't get me wrong I like your work - dead plain has it's own beauty that a lot of folks don't appreciate) you might try some simple line deco.

Thanks for your kind words and suggestions WR but I'll stick to what I do best. At least I get to provide work for the truly artistic .............and those who think they are! (insert winkey-face here)

I will make one critique though :D - and that is to use an edge tool to "round" your edges before finishing them. It will add that extra little touch that is so important especially with "plain" sheaths since nothing is "hidden". A #2 western style edger is what I would suggest for the weight leather you are mostly using.

I use an edge beveler tool on every edge I do WR. I've no idea what size it is but it's there.

Nice work all the way around - glad to have you aboard.

I just does my best WR. I just does my best. Thanks!

Mike T.

Chuck -- the needles I have aren't marked in the baggy, but they fit a 1/16th drill gauge perfectly, so I drill with a 5/64th bit. BTW, still snowing a bit -- seem to have topped out at about 28 inches here.
Mike -- my eyes are a couple of years older than Chucks, but even mine picked up on the fine edges you used. BTW I love the finish on the edges. I've been told that a 200 grit belt on dampened edges is a good trick, but don't have the sander so I make do with a bone burnish. But I do admire the job you did with yours -- another goody to put on my list.
Mike

Mike I start at 80 grit on a big disc chucked in a lathe. Then I go to 80 grit stapled to a block. Then it's down through the grades of wet & dry (used dry!) on damp leather all the way to 600 and then worn out 600 (I've had the last piece for years!).

Then it's the palm of the hand on damp leather to finish. Water's ok for edges but if I told you what *I* use you'd go "Euuuwwwww!"

The next day when the edges are dry (and shrunk and somewhat uneven) I go back to 200 grit and start all over again. The more time that go into edges the better they are!

But then there probably isn't a total of ten minute's work into the edge of a big Randall sheath. It's hardly a step worth rushing or omitting.

Mike T.

FYI - according to my CS Osborne catalog:

single "0" (1/0) needles are: 18 ga which is .048" or 1.219mm

triple "0" (3/0) needles are: 16ga which is .064" or 1.626mm

For reference a sixteenth of an inch is .0625" in decimal measurement

WR I use needles that are 39thou (0.039") which seem quite a bit smaller than the ones you mention. I use "Speedy Stitcher Sewing Awl" coarse waxed nylon thread in them and it threads ok. Any idea where I can get some more of those needles?

Thanks

Mike T.