loose sheath repair?

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

I own an old trade knife that has a leather slip sheath. The knife is too loose in an otherwise nice fitting and good conditioned sheath. I was thinking about tightening the fit by adding a small shim of veg-tan to the inside near the opening with some tandy leathercraft cement? My current skill level in leathercrafting is somewhere south of "huh?". I could also stich the shim with some sinew, but would rather avoid messing up the sheath with anything too invasive. Any suggestions to tighten up the sheath? I'm not too concerned about pc repairs for this one because nothing I ever used it on was very particular. Thank you.

 

[Artificer]

You didn't mention what kind of leather it is? If it is "hard" or vegetable tan/oak tan leather, the following should work.

Have you tried greasing and wrapping the knife in Saran Wrap, wetting the leather, putting the knife in the sheath and boning it more tightly next to the knife as the leather dries, then allowing it to dry inside and not in direct sunlight?

If it is soft leather or suede, then a different solution needs be done.

Gus

 

[coloradoclyde]

This is where a camera would come in handy..

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Clyde, I always enjoy your bullet-proof zingers :grin:


Artificer: The leather is a soft thin stock of some sort, I was not the one who made it. I only know what veg-tan looks like before it gets turned into a blood stained learning experience, so...maybe? The knife only has a slight wobble in the sheath. Additionally, while the sheath is sturdy and the leather is supple: the age of it tells me that it is one mistake away from going down hill fast, that is why I was hoping for a very non invasive means of correcting the problem. Thank you

 

[Artificer]

The technique I am referring to is known as wet molding or wet forming. Here are some You Tube videos that show what I am referring to.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=working+in+leather,+wet+molding

Gus

 

[coloradoclyde]

You must be using a really old computer...... :hmm:

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

You must be using a really old computer...... :hmm:

Clyde, I [strike]always[/strike] usually enjoy your bullet-proof zingers,

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

thank you. I will check those out :hatsoff:

 

[Artificer]

The following is a VERY basic one that explains about making a loose sheath tighter with better retention. He only uses his fingers to press the leather; but using the rounded/smooth end of an antler tine, piece of bone or even a smooth leather boning tool will make the sheath even better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-qAvBat3oo

Gus

 

[omarick1948]

I'm not too concerned about pc repairs for this one because nothing I ever used it on was very particular.

Why not just chuck it then and make yourself a new one? No particular historic value?

 

[Rifleman1776]

If it has little value and you are not concerned with appearance, just do some stitching and tighten it up a bit. Lately I have been using hemp for thread. I got a big ball of twine from a store that has funny plant in the window. :hmm: It can be split off into thinner thread and is very strong. Looks 'pc' too for those who care. I pull over a hunk of beeswax to make stitching easier.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

sorry if I came across the wrong way in my question. the intention was to get as many suggestions as possible without any limiting factors.

 

[BrownBear]

How's the stitching?

If I was attached to the sheath, I'd unzip the stitching and glue in a liner of 2-3oz leather and resew it. After all, the holes are already punched, so it would be pretty darned easy.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

How's the stitching?

everything on it is really well cared for and in good condition. it is apparent that the sheath was made for the knife originally. I do not possess the skill to duplicate the sheath to the same level of quality, plus all of my veg-tan is reserved for sheaths that I am making for a number of mora and green river blanks that I am adding handles and bolsters to. with the exception of a few tiny scraps for odds and ends repairs. I was just hoping there is some really easy way to add a little bit of retention back into the sheath. thank you.

 

[BrownBear]

...some really easy way to add a little bit of retention back into the sheath.

Maybe too easy and even somewhat temporary, but why not just cut a strip of leather wide enough for a friction fit and shove it down into the sheath and out of sight? The knife likely would find a path by it while the extra leather "shimmed" it into place?

 

[Artificer]

If the leather is cowhide and not suede, nor from splits, nor something like commercial or brain tanned buckskin; then wet molding/forming is the easiest thing to do to get retention back.

Back in the early 80's, I had no leather mentor and of course something like You Tube was unknown. I needed to make some formed cap boxes for my Civil War impression. After looking at some originals and with only the vaguest information on how to do it, I made some wet molding forms from scrap two by fours and then the cap boxes including such details as the sheepskin liner and small loop for the nipple pick. I also used the wet molding technique on holsters and knife sheaths. Really, it would be the very first thing I would try in a case such as this, because it is so easy to do.

Gus

 

[BrownBear]

I worry a bit about the affects on the leather of the original finish and a lifetime accumulation of oils. Pretty easy to come up with staining and color changes in parts of the leather, but not all parts. I've also seen older leather go to poopoo when wetted and dried.

I'm well acquainted with wet molding techniques (in fact I have a book bag, some leather fly boxes and a Leatherman sheath drying at the moment), but those are all done with fresh new leather. My experiences with old leather has been really mixed. Pretty easy to end up with a mess on your hands and a ruined treasure. Why not stick with methods with less potential for ruination, no matter how remote the chance of failure?

 

[Artificer]

If someone had used animal or any kind of petroleum grease on the leather, I would be in full agreement. Wet forming would be a disaster in that case. If the leather is too badly saturated with grease, oil or even an overdose of leather preservative; then my suggestion would be to make a new sheath anyway because it would also be next to impossible to get any kind of glue to stick and keep a leather liner in place.

In your region, you probably run across this more than in other parts of the country.

Gus

 

[BrownBear]

In your region, you probably run across this more than in other parts of the country.

Pretty common with older horse tack and any leather in the Rockies today and down on the border where I grew up. My dad was the real leather worker in the family, plus we had "guest workers" from across the border on the ranch back in the 50's who were master leatherworkers. Saw an awful lot of repairs through the years- some successful and some not.

Over its life most leather gets lots of "treatment" in addition to the normal crud and skuzz accumulated in hard use. Heck, I can take new leather today and put it to use and it's going to be a smorgasbord of oils, greases and blood within a year, not to mention the original finish I put on it.

 

[necchi]

I've done that kind of repair on a few.
I use rawhide and Barge contact cement.
Wrap the blade in Sahran wrap or cling wrap to protect from wetness.
Wet a small section of thin rawhide an 1"-1 1/2" wide, fold it over the top of the blade under the hilt and clamp it between two pieces of wood. Let it dry (24hrs usually).
If you don't use the cling wrap a high carbon blade will rust from the wet rawhide.
Once you have that rawhide form fitted to the actual blade you can trim it to fit the top inside part of the sheath, make sure the darn thing is dry,, then use contact cement to place it.
Barge is some top notch stuff that has proven itself to me here in Minn's full range of temp swings and seasons now for over a decade. The stuff holds through -20° or +100°.
Need a suitable piece of rawhide? PM me I'll fix ya up.