Starting a double sheath

[MIOutdoorsman]

This is not PC, but I’m a deer hunter, and I carry two knives with me. One knife is a standard Buck knife, and the other is a FieldTorq that cuts through a deer pelvis and also opens the rib cage. Makes field processing deer a bit easier, though I haven’t used that one yet!

Both knives come with pretty crappy sheathes that flop all around the belt so I decided to craft a single sheath that’ll hold both of them.

Here’s the back piece of leather :

There will be two belt loops cut into the sides so that you weave your belt behind the sheath and it should all sit snugly on the hip. (Photo is upside down but the points will point to the ground when worn.)

I’m less clear on how to cut/sew the top piece on now, since the leather needs to form tightly around the handles. I’d like to not have to use snaps, but not sure if I can create a template that’ll be the right size and shape after wet-shaping.

This surely has me thinking...

Any ideas for creating the top template?

I know I could put together some scraps from other material first, but I’m just not sure that’ll actually work well since I will eventually wet the top leather to sew it in place. Will flexible material emulate wet leather in terms of stretch? Probably not.

Should I just plan on snaps or some other tether? Not sure that’s easier but maybe more secure...

So much to contemplate on these projects.

 

[Treestalker]

Wrap your blades and handles in Saran wrap and wet your top piece of leather. Then mould it to the handles/blades and after drying trim to fit the edge of the bottom piece. Add welts as necessary. Sew or apply brads. You will get the hang of it, it's the only way to fly. Good luck!

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Wrap your blades and handles in Saran wrap and wet your top piece of leather. Then mould it to the handles/blades and after drying trim to fit the edge of the bottom piece....

Thanks. So for this I guess I commit a piece that’s too large and just trim away the excess. Makes sense, but the wet molding is intimidating.

 

[Treestalker]

It's not as bad as it seems, just let the leather dry to a 'damp' before moulding. I would also sew strong strips of leather for loops on the back piece to thread a belt through. Do this before you sew on the top piece, and make sure your belt will fit smoothly in the loops.

 

[tallpine]

You are going to have to glue your welt in next, than make the pattern for the top. If I was building that sheath, I would put the rough side down and and make two seperate covers

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the advice and tips.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

You are going to have to glue your welt in next,

I’ve used welts before on some of my bags but never glued them in... just kinda sewed then on the run. What kind of glue do you use for such?

 

[Treestalker]

Contact cement, Barges or Weldwood.

 

[tallpine]

Yes, Contact cement, I glue the whole sheath together before I mark out the sewing holes. You can buy it at Wally World

 

[smo]

You might look at adding a raw hide liner too the arrangement mentioned above.

It will help keep the blades from penetrating the side of the sheath.
Just adds another layer of protection and helps grip the blade.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Ok so... would the process be to shape with damp leather first, then remove the shaped leather and trim off excess. Then glue in the welt, then glue it all together and then sew?

I’ve made a couple of bags and other accessories but haven’t yet used glue of any sort.

 

[RoaringBull]

I use double sided craft tape. It works great, is very sticky but not permanent like glue. A little easier to poke holes through and not nearly as messy to deal with. I found a ser of 6 different widths.