8 or 9 ounce leather Graph paper Cardstock or cardboard Masking tape Leather dye Waxed thread Neatsfoot oil
Pencil Ruler Scissors Thin bladed utility knife Compass Awl (a sharp pointed tool used to puncture leather)[2] X Research source Overstitch wheel (a wheel with sharp points used to mark even stitching holes) Drill and 1/16 inch bit Wood rasp (a file used to shape and eliminate wood)[3] X Research source Belt sander Two needles Spray bottle filled with water Contact cement glue Dauber (a stick with a cotton ball attached to one end that is used to apply dye) 220 grit sandpaper fine sandpaper Clean rags
Use a pencil to trace the sharp side of the knife. Begin at the centerline approximately ⅛” down from the tip of the blade. Following the blade’s curve, draw a line up and around the sharp side of the knife. Continue the line ⅔ of the way up the handle. Do not trace directly along the handle. Since the handle is thicker than the blade, extra material is required in order to enclose it. [5] X Research source Measure and draw the welt. The welt is an additional piece of leather placed inside of the sheath. It runs along the sharp side of the blade to prevent the knife from cutting through the sheath. Create a second curved line that is 9/16” to ⅝” away from the first curved line. [6] X Research source Design a sleek top line to connect the pattern’s curved outer-line to its straight centerline. Locate and mark a point on the centerline that is approximately 1 inch above the top of the curved outer-line. Connect this point with the top of the second curved line—this connecting line should gradually rises from the lower horizontal line up towards the top horizontal line. [7] X Research source Create the belt loop. Shift the centerline to the left ¼ inch and extend it up from the top of the handle 4 ½ inches. Connect the original centerline to the shifted centerline with a slight curve. Draw a ¾ inch straight horizontal line from the shifted centerline to the left. Connect the sheath’s second curved line with the belt loop’s top horizontal line at a 45° angle. [8] X Research source
Lay the leather on your work surface so that the soft side is facing up. Determine if you will wear your sheath on the right or the left. If you are right handed, you may wish to wear your belt sheath on the right. Flip the pattern over so that the belt loop is on the right side of the pattern. If you are left handed, you may wish to wear your belt sheath on the left. Flip the pattern so that the belt loop is on the left side of the pattern. [10] X Research source Place your pattern onto the leather and secure the pattern in place with masking tape. Use a pencil to trace the pattern onto the leather—trace directly over the masking tape. Use a sharp thin bladed utility knife to cut out the pattern. [11] X Research source
To create a welt pattern, cut along the inner curved line of the original pattern. Continue cutting ¼ inch beyond the centerline. Place the welt on the leather and secure it in place with masking tape. Trace the welt pattern onto the leather with a pencil and cut it out with the utility knife. [12] X Research source
Use a ruler to draw a straight horizontal line 1 ¾ inch from the top of the belt loop—begin and end the line ¼ inch from each side. This will be the bottom stitch line. Place your pencil on the right end of the horizontal line. Moving your pencil towards the top of the belt loop, draw a 1 ½ inch straight vertical line. Repeat on the left side. Connect to the vertical lines with a straight horizontal line. [14] X Research source
Run a damp rag over the stitch line to wet the leather slightly. Use an awl, a sharp pointed tool, to mark the first stitch in the lower left corner of the stitch line. [15] X Research source Place one spoke of an overstitch wheel, a wheel with sharp points used to mark even stitching holes, in the hole you created with the awl. Rotate the overstitch wheel along the stitch line to create a series of evenly spaced dots along the stitch lines. [16] X Research source
When using a drill, create the holes with a 1/16 inch drill bit. [17] X Research source
Hold the belt 2 inches from the top of the leather strap and fold the belt loop ½ inch above its base towards the soft side of the leather. Use a pencil to trace the top 2 inches of the leather strap to indicate where the belt loop will attach to the sheath. Roughen up the attachment site with sandpaper, a utility knife, or a wood rasp. Using your tool of choice, carefully score the top 2 inches of the belt loop and the area inside the pencil markings on the sheath. [18] X Research source
Cut a length of waxed thread that is 5 times longer than the stitch line. Thread one needle on each end of the thread. To prevent the thread from slipping out, pull one inch of thread through the eye and bend it. Insert one needle (needle A) into the stitch hole in the top left corner. Pull the needle through the hole until you an even amount of thread on each side of the sheath. The other needle (needle B) will remain on the opposite side. Insert needle A through the next stitch hole (move to right) and pull it through. Needle A is now on the same side as needle B. Insert needle B into the same hole and pull it through. Needles A and B are now on opposite sides. Pull tightly on the thread to create a tight stitch. Repeat this process, until you return to the first stitch hole. [21] X Research source Create 1 more forward stitch. Individually insert the needles into opposite sides of the first stitch hole and pull through. Create 2 backwards stitches. Reverse the direction of the stitches. Individually insert the needles into opposite sides of the last stitch, followed by the second to last stitch hole. Insert the needle on the inside of the sheath (the flesh side) through the third stitch hole. Needles A and B are both on the outside of the sheath. Trim the ends close to the leather. Use a lighter to melt the threads in the second and third to last stitch holes. [22] X Research source
Dampen the leather. When leather is dry, it is difficult to mold and its risk of splitting increases. Use a spray bottle to dampen the edges of the sheath. Also, wet the sheath’s centerline. Wipe away excess water with a damp rag. Fold the sheath along the centerline. Align the top corners of the sheath together. Clamp down on the edges with your fingers to press the corners together. After aligning a small section of the sheath’s edges, press down firmly with your fingers to secure it in place. Repeat until you reach the bottom. [26] X Research source
Cut a length of waxed thread 6 to 7 times longer than the stitch line. Thread each end of the waxed thread through separate needles. Insert one needle (needle A) into the stitch hole at the top of the sheath. Pull the needle through the hole until you there is an even amount of thread on each side of the sheath. The other needle (needle B) will remain on the opposite side. Insert needle A through the next stitch hole and pull it through. Needle A is now on the same side as needle B. Insert needle B into the same hole and pull it through. Needles A and B are now on opposite sides. Pull on the thread to create a tight stitch. Repeat this process, until you reach the last stitch hole. [32] X Research source Backstitch. Reverse the direction of the stitches. Individually insert the needles into opposite sides of the last stitch, followed by the second and then third to last stitch holes. Insert one needle through the fourth stitch hole so that both needles are on the same side of the sheath. Trim the ends close to the leather. Use a lighter to melt the threads in the second and third to last stitch holes. [33] X Research source
Dampen the leather. In order to form the leather to the shape of your knife, it must be damp. Use a spray bottle to wet both sides of the sheath. Allow the water to soak into the leather. Continue to wet the leather until it is easy to mold. Wipe away any excess water with a damp cloth. [34] X Research source Form the leather around your knife. Insert your knife into the damp sheath—make sure the tip of the blade reaches the bottom. Use your fingers to press the leather around the blade and handle. Pull the knife out and reinsert it 5 to 6 times to ensure that it is fitting properly. Once the leather is formed, remove the knife and hang up your sheath to dry. [35] X Research source
Prepare your workspace. Cover your work space with 2 to 3 layers of newspaper. Lay the sheath on top of the newspaper—make sure the soft side of the leather is facing up. Put on a pair of disposable rubber gloves. [36] X Research source Apply an even coat of dye to the soft side. Pour your dye into a small disposable cup. Dip a dauber—a stick with a ball of fluff on the end—into the dye. Carefully tap off any excess dye before applying a thin, even coat of dye to the leather. Re-saturate the dauber as needed. [37] X Research source As the dye dries, use a dry rag to polish the leather. This will remove any excess dye and residue. [38] X Research source
Use a spray bottle to mist the edges of the sheath with water. Wipe down the edge with a damp cloth. [41] X Research source Shape the edges with a belt sander or wood rasp. Then use a belt sander to even out the three layers of leather with a belt sander and an 80 grit belt. Once the layers are even, use a 220 grit belt to smooth the edge. [42] X Research source Touch up any rough spots with a piece of fine sandpaper. [43] X Research source Dye the edge to match the sheath. Cover your work space with 2 to 3 layers of newspaper and put on a pair of disposable rubber gloves. [44] X Research source Pour your dye into a small disposable cup. Dip a dauber into the dye. Apply a thin, even coat of dye to the leather with the dauber. [45] X Research source Re-saturate the dauber as needed. While the dye dries, remove any excess dye and residue with a dry rag. [46] X Research source
