Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

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augustus88
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Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by augustus88 »

I had a request for my homemade pocket clip tutorial, so here goes....

All of the materials used can be purchased at local stores like Michael's, Home Depot and Lowes. You can upgrade to finer materials purchased at Tandy leather stores and knife making supply houses often for a better price.

Not sure if this is the best place for this thread so please move it if necessary. Hope some of you find it helpful.


Need to make a pocket clip like the smaller one pictured for my larger knives like the Great Eastern #23.
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I purchased this cheap cell phone case at Lowes for the clip. Different style clips are available through other sources.
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Cut the clip off the case.
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Drill the rivets out.
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Cut a piece soft leather to fit your knife. I purchased mine at Michael's Arts and Crafts.
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Cut a slit for the clip.
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Insert the clip.
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Punch holes for the rivets.
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Rivet the clip to the leather with a Tandy Rivet Kit (purchased mine at Michael's) and a hammer.
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Glue a 2nd piece of leather to first piece(with clip) with leather adhesive(Rough sides together). Spread the glue evenly with a small paintbrush.
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Allow the glue to dry with the whole assembly pressed in a book. I put the book under a table leg so it stays really flat. Wrap in waxed paper, so any excess glue doesn't stick to the book.
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Glue two more pieces of leather together for the other half of the sheath. Press them in another book.
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You should now have two pieces of doubled leather that look like this.
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Cut the 2nd piece to match. You can do this after the two pieces are stitched together for more accurate results.
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Punch holes in the leather using an awl and a hammer or mallet. Mine is a sculpting tool that was modified on a grinder. Space the holes evenly for a nice look.
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Use a Tandy(or similar) leather stitching awl and waxed thread to attach both sides. The thread comes in lots of different colors. Follow the directions that come with the awl for best results.
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Stretch the case to shape if necessary.
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Finished sheaths.
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Sheath in my pocket.
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Another Knife Collector
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by Another Knife Collector »

Great tutorial and a good idea ::tu:: I might have to make one myself.
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Froggyedge
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by Froggyedge »

Well done! ::tu::
Both the sheaths and the tutorial! ::nod::
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by noddy »

Really nicely conceived and executed.
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Gunstock Jack
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by Gunstock Jack »

Thanks a million for posting the tutorial. I'm gonna start a couple of these as soon as I have a chance. Great concept and execution. Thanks again for sharing and posting this excellent tutorial!
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augustus88
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by augustus88 »

Thanks for he compliments guys. These sheaths do a great job of protecting your knives while increasing accessibility. Nothing more annoying than a knife hiding under your keys or slamming against your leg in your pocket. The sheath makes carrying large bulky knives so much easier.

Let me know if you encounter any issues or need help figuring out any steps.
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by rangerbluedog »

well done augustus88! ::tu:: ::idea::
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Darksev
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by Darksev »

having done a few tutorials, and realizing how bad at it I am, I just have to say this is fantastically done! I'm not a sheath guy, but I might have to give of these a go anyways!
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CCBill
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by CCBill »

Very nicely done. Thank you...
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augustus88
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by augustus88 »

Darksev wrote:having done a few tutorials, and realizing how bad at it I am, I just have to say this is fantastically done! I'm not a sheath guy, but I might have to give of these a go anyways!
Thanks.........glad you like it!

I'm a college art professor, so I do this type of thing at work every day. Teaching students to sculpt and paint by breaking down the process into basic steps and actually showing them how to do it is my preferred teaching method. I live by the step-by-step demo.

Good luck!
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copperhead75
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by copperhead75 »

::tu:: thank you very much for this! how is the retension? can you remove knife without takin sheath out of pocket?
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by zed6309 »

This is so cool, thanks for posting, i have some leather here but i might need to make a clip, ::tu::
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by SC Tiger »

I took a shot at making one of these this weekend for my Case Trapper. I attached pictures of the results. It came out kind of rough but it does work. I got the clip from a cheap phone case. Tandy Leather sells pocket clips as well and I might order one for my next case.

The biggest problem I had was getting the rivets straight. Also, as you can probably tell, I am NOT a tailor. And yes, I realize that one of the rivet backs on the opening end is larger than the other. I ran out of rivets (like I said - I was having problems).

If I make another one I will probably fold over the leather so that the fold is at the top, for a cleaner appearance.
Attachments
Picture 001.jpg
Picture 002.jpg
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tjmurphy
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by tjmurphy »

Looks like a pretty good first try to me. ::tu:: Perfection comes with practice
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by SC Tiger »

Re-reading the tutorial I think I see part of where I goofed. I should have pre-punched the holes for the stitching before doing the actual sewing. That would have resulted in more even stitching.

I also probably should invest in a real punch for the rivet holes.
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by SC Tiger »

Update - I added a piece of heat-shrink tubing to the clip to prevent it from scratching stuff I bump into. I have some more clips on order from Tandy leather that might be better suited but we'll see when they arrive.

On the next try I may attempt to cover the clip in leather. I'm thinking about how I would do that

I also learned that a pouch for a delrin-handled Trapper will not fit a bone-handled trapper since the handle is wider. It would probably work but would most likely stretch the leather out to the point it would not securely hold the delrin-handed trapper.
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by lighte88 »

I am trying to find where I can buy clips like this or money clips for wallets/credit card holders. Any ideas?
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orvet
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by orvet »

Jantz has some clips, these might work:
http://www.knifemaking.com/SearchResult ... arch=clips

USA Knife Makers Supply has some too, you will have to scroll down through this page:
http://usaknifemaker.com/catalogsearch/ ... eath+clips

Tandy Leather has some as well:
http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/sear ... yword=clip

There is even this guy in ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pack-Metal-Sp ... 1e9f91e9a7
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by stagman »

augustus88...thats a super slick idea and design for carrying a large
slip joint like your grizzly or a 5 1/4" closed folding hunter type knife
your workmanship and more importantly your approach at how you show your
students how to approach a project is outstanding !!!
Really enjoyed your tutorial and an gonna put this on my "try to do it" list

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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by deltaboy »

Nice Leather work. ::tu::
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Re: Pocket Clip Sheath for Slipjoint Knives (Tutorial)

Post by AtlanticDave »

I skipped the leather and just glued a magnet on the clip. It will hold anything.
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