Master Smith Joe Keeslar's book is a great source of info. Its available in the ABS store here on the web site. Also, I believe Paul Long has several videos out. Check Amazon for them.

Bob

|quoted:

Master Smith Joe Keeslar's book is a great source of info.

I'll second That! I love my copy.

Nick, what type of "button snaps" are you using? I generally use these: https://www.tandyleather.com/en/category/snaps

I think the line 20 are larger, 24 are smaller. I cannot remember as I purchased like 1000 of

each 20 years ago and still have a couple hundred left.......

They don't make the setting tool I have, but the one in this ad looks like it would work well:

http://www.garrettwade.com/snap-setter-snap-kit-gp.html?scid=W4011000&gclid=CjwKEAjwl9DIBRCG_e3DwsKsizsSJADMmJ114l4qXttFthiLJwUIctgVoMniwUffAi4HdAMU8wh8XxoCBMLw_wcB

And the snaps are less expensive than at Tandy.

The Bob Loveless book, how to make knives, has a good section on them. Beyond that I can't really recommend any specifics. They generally tend to be something that just takes some experience to get the hang of making them. Starting with good leather (I only use Herman oak) and making sure you've got enough room to play with before gluing and sewing it together are the main things. I'll generally use some 1/8" foam sheet (I believe it's hardwood floor underlayer) to test fit and make a pattern before cutting the leather. It saves lots of expensive screwups

Ian Atkinson at leodis leather has a great in depth video on YouTube on this same topic. Give it a look!

Look at Bruce Chaney's YouTube channel also.

Nick - I agree with all the advice given so far. If it doesn't work out for you though with those - I have in article in the latest issue of Grit magazine where I explain my simple fold over sheath step by step - including how to make a pattern for your specific knife.

Shout if you have specific problems.

-Jim

Here's one that might help you I did a couple of years ago. Use the parts of it that meet your needs:

https://youtu.be/9eXNSx7n35E

I agree with the rec for Joe's book, all of his books are excellent in fact. Tandy Leather also has some handy books on sheath making ( https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/making-leather-knife-sheaths). I have the second volume, which I think is great - I've used it to make several sheaths. The first volume, I believe, covers folded/quiver style sheaths. ~Jake

The Keeslar leather sheaths DVD on the ABS store site is very good too. Really nice being able to watch him do it while explaining what's going on.

Hi Nick I wrote an article for our newsletter on a pouch sheath. If you want to check it out go to ncknifeguild.com / Newsletters and read Summer 2018.

What I always do when I am making a fold over sheath is add 1/4 of an inch to the edge of the blade "cutting edge" and then trace out the rest of the knife. The 1/4 inch allows for your stitches. As far as the belt loop of the sheath goes it can be a small strip or a loop sheath. The biggest part of the sheath that will stand out is the edges. sometimes these are looked over and it really hurts the value of a quality sheath. The method I use for finishing edges are some water initially ( it doesnt take much ) and some form of a slicking tool. My slicking tool consists of the handle of my edge beveler. Once I have gotten a good finish on them I will put some beeswax on the edge and continue the slicking process, in the end it will result in very finely finished edges that will have some waterproofing due to the beeswax. I apologize about getting side tracked here but edges seem to be a troublesome area and I just wanted to add some advice about them. Nonetheless happy tooling and best of luck in the sheath making process!

I was going to chime in on this for second as I make them almost every day. Even something as simple as fold over sheaths can benefit from a little extra zip. First off I always case and wet mold sheaths. Wrap your knife in cling wrap or blue tape. Use it as your pattern for the sheath. Start by wetting "casing the leather. Lay your knife in and fold the thoroughly soaked leather over and folded with enough margins around the edge for error. Now this is the point that you can do a few things. You can mold and shape with your fingers ever hour or so until dry. This will do a fine job of getting a detailed sheath. Or you can do what I do and make yourself a jig out of two pieces of 3/4" plywood, about 2" total thickness of closed cell foam glued to it. Case the sheath with your fingers to get some of the fine detail, clamp it between the two boards with closed cell foam on them and forget about it for a day or so. it will take a good while to dry,

Now then, when it completely dry, you can make your cut lines and stitch lines with EASE! Cut and shape the sheath how you have envisioned it. When I see people discuss leather I never hear them talk about the most important part of putting leather together....GLUE. Buy a good contact leather cement. Barge, king wood or touchdown are my choices. Barge cement will never get hard and crusty. It will remain pliable forever. Touchdown is a form of super carpet contact cement. It is really THIN right out of the can and works best for inlays and layers of leather. Either way make your cut lines and BOND THE LEATHER. If you do this job correctly, the stitches are just there for looks.

Keep in mind that if your sheath is a fold over with a sewn belt loop, it will need to be done before molding. If it's just a fold over loop you can set a rivet into it after the fact. Point is this, even with the simplest sheath out there, the fold over, there is still lots of room to run artistically. You can make them as simple or as elaborate as you like. Simple doesn't have to mean ugly.