Introduction: Leather Bush-knife Sheath

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leather craft bush knife sheath. made from veg tan leather.

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also feel free to comment and ask questions!

Step 1: Make a Pattern

trace your knife, and draw an outline around it about 1/4" around to account for stitching.

be sure your knife will slide out of the sheath. this knife in particular would never be able to be inserted if i sewed it with the same outline. (not to point out the obvious...sorry)

Step 2: Cut Pattern and Leather

cut out your pattern and lay it on the leather. trace and cut carefully with and exacto knife. I modified mine before i cut it. made the belt loop longer and the snap closure longer.

i then cut the pattern again for the front. i used a thinner leather for this part ( i had some scrap around)

i also used some scrap to put a border of leather around to prevent my knife from cutting the thread. ( i also needed this to make the thick blade fit)

Step 3:

cut the strip insert to a point as in picture 1 and contact cement it in place.

Step 4: Molle Straps

cut your straps. mine are 1" wide. leave them as long as you can for now.

then finish one end of the strap to your liking.

Step 5: Burnish and Dye

this will be a good time to burnish your leather. wet the edges and flesh sides and use a wood, or glass tool to rub them down smoothing everything and making it look glossy.

i have an instructable for the tool i used.

then if your going to dye your leather be sure to do this now before construction

Step 6: Add Snaps

figure out where you want all of your snaps. punch holes through the front piece as well as the the straps. be sure to measure carefully or take lucky guesses to make sure everything lines up.

i get my tools, hardware and snaps from tandy leather. the first picture shows whats needed for this phase. they are line 24 snaps i believe.

Step 7: Glue! It's Coming Together!

make another "spacer strip" for the top of the sheath. and glue eveything together.

glue about 1/4" all the way around your sheath where you will be sewing

hopefully the pictures will speak for themselves in this step.

Step 8: Chisel the Boarder

take your chisel and punch around the sheath for sewing.

Step 9: Clean Up Dye and Burnish.

touch up anything you missed with dye and give it a quick hit with the burnisher (dont worry if its not perfect we'll hit it one more time before its considered done)

Step 10:

line up everything just right and mark your snaps on your straps. again... punch holes and add your snaps.

i also punched a hole at the tip of the blade so i could tie it to my leg in the bush.

Step 11: Belt Loop

chisel punch and sew your belt loop.

Step 12: Cut Off the Excess

cut off the excess from your straps and finish them to your liking.

burnish and dye.

Step 13: Paracord or Leather Lace to Finish

i put some paracord i had kicking around through the hole.

finish with a clear sheen.

hope everything worked out! you will have to come up with your own measurements as im sure your knives will vary. if you get stuck i can try help you through it.

thanks for looking!

Tandy Leather Contest 2016

Runner Up in the
Tandy Leather Contest 2016

Summer Fun Contest 2016

Participated in the
Summer Fun Contest 2016

Outside Contest 2016

Participated in the
Outside Contest 2016