The Holster and Sheath Making Thread.

[gjohnsoniv]

I was asked to do this over in another thread but I'm putting it here for anyone to reference.

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm completely self taught so the way I do things probably vary considerably from "correct" methods.  Feel free to add any information that you might have picked up at some point or your methods for working around a problem.

This thread will be updated over the next couple days as I work on some of my various holsters and what not as they come in.

[gjohnsoniv]

Starting off.

The basic what I would call "necessary" tools to make sheaths and holsters.

Left to right, top to bottom.
Pliers, razor knife, overstitch wheel, groover with guide, chamfering tool, edge burnisher, awl, Leatherman Micra (not necessary, just nice to have), chisels, needles, paint brushes.

The overstitch wheel and the chisels do the same job essentially, hole spacing.  The difference being with the overstitch wheel you have to go back and punch the holes.  With the chisels you just hammer then stitch.

Stains and top coats.  What I use, not what you have to use.
Edge Kote coats the edges after you burnish with the gum tragacanth.  Top Finish and Acrylic Resolene are both top coats.  Top Finish is a really slick and shiny top coat while the Resolene is more of a semi gloss/satin after buffing.

[gjohnsoniv]

First part of the sheath making. The picture that was provided showed a kydex insert in a leather outer wrap with a single rivet holding the two together.

Cut and mold a piece of kydex to the knife.  This one is a little Esee Izula II.

To deal with kydex you just heat it up in an oven and then mold it over whatever item you want.  You will need some foam to use while you press the kydex so I cut up a foam kneeling pad to use.  Not ideal but it works.

[gjohnsoniv]

Next up is cutting the leather to fit around the knife.  For this I gave myself about a .25" allowance for stitching, no hard and fast rule to this, just what feels right.

[gjohnsoniv]

Next up is grooving for the stitching. Normally if I'm using a chisel I won't groove because they do a pretty good job of creating a groove when you hammer them.  If I'm using the overstitch wheel I will groove so the thread has a nice channel to ride in and protect it from wear.

[gjohnsoniv]

I'm showing the chisel method and overstitch in this same comment.  What isn't being shown is the awl punching.  Everywhere the overstitch wheel makes a dot you punch a hole with the awl.  Needless to say it takes...awhile...

Apologies for the bad pictures, I smashed up the front lens of my camera so close up pictures turn up horribly.

[gjohnsoniv]

Next up is stitching.  With the thread on average you want 2 times the distance and then a little extra.  After a couple holsters or sheaths you get to where you don't have to think about this. From there I do what is referred to as a saddle stitch.  You thread a needle on each end of the thread and pull half through the first hole.  From there you feed it through the next hole and take the opposite needle and thread it through that hole, repeat until you're done.

This picture demonstrates it better than I could possibly explain it.

After you're done with the stitching you need to do two or three holes of back-stitching to make sure your piece doesn't pull apart.  Make sure to end both ends of the thread on the backside of the piece you you can trip and melt the end with either a soldering iron or a lighter and press flat.

[gjohnsoniv]

Now comes the easy part, stain.  Choose a color you like and apply it in whatever method you prefer.  You can dip dye it where you submerge the piece in a container or stain, apply it with a cotton dauber, or even airbrush it on if you know how to do that.  For sake of this thread I used a dauber to apply Fiebing's "British Tan" which is probably my top favorite stain along with "USMC Black."  The stain will take a bit to dry so leave it while you get lunch or work on something else for about 45 minutes to an hour or so.

After the stain dries it's time to apply the top coat.  Once the top coat is applied you can buff it with a microfiber cloth, buffing cloth, or a sheep wool.

[gjohnsoniv]

Finally, with the end in sight, you chamfer, burnish, and paint the edge.

The goal of the chamfer tool is to take the corner off the piece you're working on so that you can create a nice smooth edge when you burnish.  Just run the tool along all the edges and take just a little off.  

Next take a paintbrush and start painting on the Gum Tragacanth on the exposed edges.  Once you've coated the edges take your burnishing tool and run it back and forth until everything smooths out and takes on a glossy sheen.  You have two options.  Leave it as is or paint it with Edge Kote.  Either way is completely fine and just depends on what look you like.  Personally I'll paint holster and sheath edges but leave wallet and covers as naturally burnished.

[gjohnsoniv]

Congratulations, you've just finished a kydex and leather pocket sheath.  Now on to bigger and better projects.

More types of sheaths and holsters to come this weekend (hopefully) depending on what other insanity I have going.

Final notes:

• This sheath does not have a welt in it due to being in a kydex inner sleeve, normally a welt would be required
• Some steps may not be fully explained because I was just trying to get everything down as quickly as possible.  If anything isn't clear quote that comment and I can go into better detail with some more pictures if needed.
• As stated earlier all pictures have been taken with a broken smartphone camera, apologies.

[gregintenn]

Great tutorial!

I use a deer antler as a burnishing tool.

I've also found a shoe brush to be a great polishing/finishing tool.

After applying Resolene, I like to apply neutral shoe polish and buff with this brush.

I don't have the chisels for the stitching holes. I may have to try them sometime. With an overstitch wheel and an awl, something like a double layer belt is quite tedious. These look like they might make it go a bit faster.

I'd add a rawhide maul, or hard rubber hammer to your list of tools.

I also find a freehand groover very useful in addition to the groover pictured above.

Tandy Leather is your one stop shop for leather and accessories. Their staff is also helpful and knowledgeable.

Make sure to use vegetable tanned leather for sheaths and holsters, as chrome tanned leather can be corrosive to steel. I like to use shoulders, but other parts, such as sides would work also. 4/5 oz for small sheaths and mag pouches, 6/7 oz for larger sheaths, and 7/8 oz for holsters.

 

Edited December 30, 2016 by gregintenn

[Jamie Jackson]

Excellent and informative tutorial. Thank you for taking the time.

Great job!  

 

[Randall53]

Thank you. I've thought about doing this and may now actually do it!! 

[gjohnsoniv]

7 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Great tutorial!

I use a deer antler as a burnishing tool.

I've also found a shoe brush to be a great polishing/finishing tool.

After applying Resolene, I like to apply neutral shoe polish and buff with this brush.

I don't have the chisels for the stitching holes. I may have to try them sometime. With an overstitch wheel and an awl, something like a double layer belt is quite tedious. These look like they might make it go a bit faster.

I'd add a rawhide maul, or hard rubber hammer to your list of tools.

I also find a freehand groover very useful in addition to the groover pictured above.

Tandy Leather is your one stop shop for leather and accessories. Their staff is also helpful and knowledgeable.

Make sure to use vegetable tanned leather for sheaths and holsters, as chrome tanned leather can be corrosive to steel. I like to use shoulders, but other parts, such as sides would work also. 4/5 oz for small sheaths and mag pouches, 6/7 oz for larger sheaths, and 7/8 oz for holsters.

 

All good information. I completely forgot about the mallet/maul. Doh.

Also, yes, only use vegetable tanned. Another point I missed. 

[Wilson002s]

This is fantastic. Thanks a ton for the help and advice, man.

[Murgatroy]

Having one of George's holsters for my Baby Eagle (Jericho) that he patterned after a Glock 19, I can say his work is awesome. My holster was from several years ago, and it was good then, I am sure his skill have only gotten better.

 

Great thread.

[gregintenn]

This thread should be pinned!

[gjohnsoniv]

I'm going to add some other things tonight or tomorrow. Have a couple holsters I need to do, and I'll do a partial how to on welted sheath construction. 

[Wilson002s]

I plan to start grabbing supplies in the next week or so and trying my luck at this whole thing. This thread has been incredibly helpful, and I look forward to whatever else you've got in store

[gregintenn]

20 minutes ago, Wilson002s said:

I plan to start grabbing supplies in the next week or so and trying my luck at this whole thing. This thread has been incredibly helpful, and I look forward to whatever else you've got in store

If you're like most of us, you'll do something wrong on your first attempt. Don't be discouraged by this. The first one is a learning experience. Don't throw it away. Keep it around to compare your latest work with. This way, you'll see your progress.

[Wilson002s]

2 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

If you're like most of us, you'll do something wrong on your first attempt. Don't be discouraged by this. The first one is a learning experience. Don't throw it away. Keep it around to compare your latest work with. This way, you'll see your progress.

I'm positive I'll goof something up, but I plan to keep the goof ups around to see my progress. I'm excited about trying it out. I'll probably head up to Tandy next week to kinda wrap my head around everything

[Grand Torino]

45 minutes ago, Wilson002s said:

I'm positive I'll goof something up, but I plan to keep the goof ups around to see my progress. I'm excited about trying it out. I'll probably head up to Tandy next week to kinda wrap my head around everything

You probably will but it's no big deal. Just realize it's a learning experience for something you really want to do. I still have a couple "learning experience" blades hanging above my work bench.

[gjohnsoniv]

Thought I'd bump this thread in case there were any questions, despite apparently my pictures are now locked by the terrorists of Photobucket.

[No_0ne]

Just one question.  Why aren't you working on my sheath instead of bumping old dead threads ...

[peejman]

10 hours ago, No_0ne said:

Just one question.  Why aren't you working on my sheath instead of bumping old dead threads ...

Really?