2nd Attempt at stepping it up.

[Dwane Oliver]

OK , thanks everyone who commented on my last post , I learned alot.
I've had these tools for some time now , bout time I learned to use them , basket weave with a barbed wire border , I know I need some practice at this.
I bought a #5 overstich wheel , alot of stiches compared to what I was doing , but it looks a lot better , I got a couple stiches off on the back , ... Thanks.
Double sided belt loop , 2 - 4 oz back to back , skived. I should haved wet formed it down a little flatter.
I sanded to 400 , "rounded" the edges off . Does it help to sand it wet ? I think somebody said that last time.
I had bought some "Lincoln " " Tan " leather dye , looks orange to me , but not bad , then I finished with about 3 coats of "neat-lac" , buffed with a rag.
How much of the glue do y'all use when glueing sheaths together? It seems if there is some glue on it, the dye dont soak in to it.
What do you do with the thread when you get done , the burning thing looks bad now.
I'm using the waxed yellow , imitation sinew , I think it is anyway. Would some other thread work better , AND be as easy to use?








Thanks for looking and , PLEASE let me have some more pointers , tips , suggestions.

Dwane

Hey Dwane,looking good.
I'm sure you will get some good pointers.The thing I like best about dyeing is that untill it is finally dry you really don't know 'exactly' what the colour will be.
Merry X'mas,Clive.

[Mike T.]

Originally Posted by Dwane Oliver

I bought a #5 overstich wheel , alot of stiches compared to what I was doing , but it looks a lot better , I got a couple stiches off on the back ,

You ran off the back with that overstitch wheel too didn't ya Dwane?

Double sided belt loop , 2 - 4 oz back to back , skived. I should haved wet formed it down a little flatter.

I've included the pic of one of my loops before it was sewn on. Yes yours needs much squishing down before sewing. How about a bit more flair than a plain leather strap? Belt loops don't improve after they're sewn down so what you see before, is what you get after.
All my belt loop sewing is in the U-shaped form as sewing across the top of the U creates a weak spot - it's called the 'postage stamp effect'.

I sanded to 400 , "rounded" the edges off . Does it help to sand it wet ? I think somebody said that last time.

My leather is "damp" when sanded. I have a small sponge and container of water on the table and keep the leather damp - not wet.

How much of the glue do y'all use when glueing sheaths together? It seems if there is some glue on it, the dye dont soak in to it.

As little as possible. Its only purpose is too keep things assembled prior to sewing.

What do you do with the thread when you get done , the burning thing looks bad now. I'm using the waxed yellow , imitation sinew , I think it is anyway. Would some other thread work better , AND be as easy to use?

My thread, being waxed nylon, gets melted. But it's cut off just 1/8" long so there isn't much to squish and spread all over the leather. I've no idea if your sinew is meltable (is that a word?). It would probably be better if you snipped it close. My thread is "Speedy Stitcher" coarse thread and Cabella sells it (plus many other places).

[Robert Dark]

Originally Posted by Dwane Oliver

What do you do with the thread when you get done , the burning thing looks bad now.

Dwane,
One of those real small soldering irons that comes with different tips works well. I usually just let it pre-heat, then very carefully use the hot iron to cut/burn (instead of cutting it then burning it). I burn it within 1/16-1/8" of the hole. Then I use a round shaped awl to gently push the burned end back down into the hole. A quick run with the overstick wheel, and you will never see it.

Robert

[Dwane Oliver]

Thanks everybody.
Well Mike , thanks for the comments . Yes I did run off the back Dang it.
Wow , that is a nice sheath. Did you skive the ends of the loop on yours ? Do you sand the front ( like where I put the tool work on mine ) of your sheaths ? Other than that , you didn't say what you thought of the whole package. It does look better than the last one , dosen't it?

Dwane

[sheathmaker]

Dwane; Once again my PERSONAL take on your work, and not intended to criticize or influence another maker's work. Yes, you are gaining ground as you progress from one sheath to the next. The belt loop is still to thick and chunky for my taste. You might get by as well with a 7 or 8 oz. single ply the way you put them on. The flesh side of the leather would have minimal exposure and if the edges were finished very nicely it would look okay. You might also consider investing in a #5 Creaser for the finished look on the loop. If you still want multi ply loops then I'd suggest 6OZ. backed up with 2OZ. The molded bend will be much easier that way. Follow Mike T's advice on the molding of the loop and use that picture as your guide. The stitching on this one is much improved over the first one, and I suspect it will continue to improve now that you have a handle on the process. If you go to regular thread you will probably do better to go to a #6 over stitch wheel to space the stitches. Each of these sheaths should be considered by you as practice pieces and you are learning both positive and negative on each. Keep it up...you will be a fine maker soon.

Paul

[Mike T.]

Wow , that is a nice sheath. Did you skive the ends of the loop on yours ?

Thanks for the compliment and yes, the loop ends are skived. See pic.

Do you sand the front ( like where I put the tool work on mine ) of your sheaths ?

Sand the front? I don't understand that question Dwane. Enclosed is a pic of the front (and suede lined interior!) of that sheath.

Other than that , you didn't say what you thought of the whole package. It does look better than the last one , dosen't it?

This is hard for me as I won't be a hypocrite and give false praise. I'd rather say nothing than say "Hey that's beautiful" when I don't mean it. I'm not a fan of the sinew thread, the belt loop and the edges need much work and I fail to see a connection of basket weave, barbed wire and leather. But again, that's me. I've never 'decorated' the front of a sheath in my life as to me, natural grain of leather, the finest hand-sewing I can do and the finest edges that I'm capable of are my decoration.

Yes I see some stamped sheaths around here that I appreciate but it's not the makers' stampings that I appreciate, it's the rest of their craftsmanship. They just happen to be well made AND stamped.

But it all depends on how far you want to go with this Dwane. A 400 grit utility main sheath edge takes me 5 minutes to produce but that 1500 grit one shown takes at least an hour and it's just 6" long. But show your stamped sheath at a knife show and my fancy edge and guess which one will get the most customer attention? I get my jollies though when another leather craftsperson rubs my sheath's edge, nods and winks at me. He knows. Those who don't know or don't care have long since walked away.

And it's all very personal isn't it? Some might think my stuff is a P-O-S but they refrain from saying anything (thanks!) and I never leave myself open by asking "Wadda ya'll think?" It's what I want to do and if I see anything I like I'll copy it and integrate it into my stuff to make it better.

Dwane you are getting better and the best thing is that you want to get better. Be your own best critic and fix the things one by one that you identify. My wife is my best critic. If she says nothing I know she's not happy so then I have to dig out of her where I screwed up. I swalllow my pride and strive to make her happy And I've been trying to do THAT for nigh on forty years.

[Dwane Oliver]

Thanks again Mike , thats what I'm after , honesty. The sineu thread is going to have to be good enough for a while , cause I got a big roll of it and I'm pretty tight. I won't post another picture untill I may get some apprasial for it. Some day I'll get you to say " nice job Dwane " that will be a grand day , as I really look up to your work , and alot of the other guys around here as well.
Question : how is the suede liner "attached " to the rest of the sheath ?
Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions from everybody , I really need it.

Dwane

[Mike T.]

Originally Posted by Dwane Oliver

Question : how is the suede liner "attached " to the rest of the sheath ?

Contact cemented in. It butts up to that dark strip of leather you see (that's a double thickness top edge) and it's nipped between welt and sheath body and skived down to nothing so that it doesn't come all the way out to the egde because suede can't be polished!

[alexkuzn]

Mike,

your sheath is beautiful!!! How did you finish top part of inside of your sheath?

Alex