You remember knife number 6 that I finished a few months ago? I thought it deserved a leather sheath, but with the Covid lockdown restrictions I was unable to attend a training course to learn the skill of leather working. So, after several hours of watching videos on YouTube I decided to have a go by myself.
I used a piece of "vegetable tanned belly butt" leather and the tools from a leather craft kit I was given some months ago. I sketched the shape onto a piece of paper, using the knife as a template and transferred this onto the leather. Cut out the pieces with a utility knife and cleaned up the edges. Cut a shallow groove around the edge, which provided a channel so the stitching would be recessed into the surface.
From the YouTube videos I had learned that the easiest way to stitch the leather is to clamp it in a "stitching pony". Again, YouTube provided design ideas, so I was able to make my own out of leftover scraps in the workshop. Sure enough, the pony did its job and the stitching turned out nice and even. I folded over the top to form a belt loop and attached a strap with a press stud to hold the knife handle securely while in the sheath.
Once assembled I polished the leather to give it a rich, slightly used appearance. I used this as a learning experience since it was my first attempt at leather working but having said that, I am tremendously happy with the result.
Enjoy the photos!
Nice work, brother. I have done some leatherwork but never used a pony. May have to rethink that on my next job. Although it’s difficult to put a turtle shell in a holder like that!
ReplyDeleteFits like a glove! Beautiful work! :-)
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