Made me a little holster today for OC.

small stuff is often harder to make than big stuff. that's why barbie clothes look so clunky.

*Slips in wearing Mod hat*

Please keep in mind that large images can cause problems for people who have slow internet connections, especially if you get several on one page or people quote posts that contain images.

Not a telling off, just something people should be aware of.

*Removes hat*

Nice pulp

it's one of those "doesn't scale well" sorts of things. to be thick enough to withstand little girls, the clothes have to be the equivalent of inches thick.

That's a great idea! Goodwill, here I come.

Tandy is a great place, I've bought quite a bit of stuff from them over the years.

One of the tools I use for leather knife sheath/holster work is one of these:

www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/8079-298.aspx

I glue my sheath together with the welt in it, sand the edges so they match, then use one of Tandy's grooving tools to make a small groove where I want the stitching to be, then use the marking wheel to space out the stitches.

Then, using my small table top drill press, I "drill" holes through the sheath on the marks with small drill bit that I have sharpened on the shank end to a sharp, centered point.

Not really drilling, more like spinning a hole through the leather.

Then, I stitch using waxed thread, and double needles.

OH, BTW, when making a sheath with a belt loop, with the belt loop being integral with the sheath, remember to stitch the belt loop to the sheath BEFORE folding the sheath and gluing it together!!!

Yep, I guess that you could call it that.

I found that a drill bit tore up the leather, and had a tendency to wander more than the other method.

You have to be careful though, and keep the top of the sheath level and straight when "drilling" or the holes on the bottom will get out of line.

When I make sheaths I soak the leather in warm water and then wet form the leather around the knife, pressing the leather around the edge and guard of the knife, so I know where the welt will go.

I glue up three or so layers of leather for the welt, and make a pattern to the lines that are now visible on the inside of the sheath, and leaving a little extra on the outside.

The marking roller works really well, and works on curved stitch lines very well.

You can also get a set of dividers and set them for the stitch length that you want, and "walk" them around the stitch line.

The dividers also work to lay out the stitch line itself, but you need to have the outside of the sheath contoured, smooth, and finished to what the final contour will be.

I glue the sheath together, and sand the outside edge before doing any layout of stitch lines.

I have one of those cheap 1"x42" beltsanders, and it works great for leather work.

Also, after using the dividers to mark the stitch line, and before marking the hole locations, I sometimes use a small "V" gouge to cut a groove for the stitching, this makes it so the stitches are below the surface of the leather, and the stitches won't wear through from friction on clothes, belts, etc.

I also make a little ramp on the welt, just before the place where the guard bottoms out on the wels, and if I fit it properly, the guard rides up over this little ramp, and the knife "snaps" into place, and no retention strap is needed.

You are right, Leather must be damp or wet to tool, and warm water seems to work the best.

I went to a monument shop and bought a piece of granite to do my tooling and stamping on, it is about 10"x12" or so, and about 3" thick.

I would think even a piece of Formica countertop would work, especially the cutout from a sink, squared up, and perhaps glued wood side to wood side to another piece, you want something stable that won't bounce around when smacking a stamping tool with the mallet.

My father did a lot of leather work, tooling wallets, purses, belts, holsters, etc., and I ended up with his tools, but I really haven't done much tooling in years, and not much then, just a couple of holsters.

My knife sheathes aren't tooled, just stitched.

It's a great hobby, and sometimes you see tools at Goodwill, or other thrift stores, a lot of people don't know what they are.

I know that the stamps and tools can get pretty spendy, but they do last pretty much forever.

I just checked out E-Bay, for "leather stamping tools," and they have a pretty good selection.

I even saw a couple of tools that the person didn't know what they were, they thought maybe "pry bars," when they were really corner beveling tools, for putting a bevel on a sharp cornered sheath, holster, etc., tool has a flat bottomed sharpened groove in it, and the sides ride on the leather for keeping the depth correct.

Like this one:

www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/8077-03.aspx

I also checked out Tandy's, a little more, boy, prices have gone up since I've bought anything from them, but then again, it has been years...

I'm making a knife scabbard for my brother and a co-worker brought me a tackle box full of tools. He bought them at a yard sale for $5.00. Probably 10 pounds or so all together. I'm not artistic enough to know how to use all the different stamping tools, but I did get his SASS alias on the scabbard, in sort of a straight line.