Tooling question for sheath makers.....Mr Burrows

[mtgelaude]

Hello, I am getting ready to make a sheath for a knife that I have just completed, and am considering doing some tooling on it.  I actually like tooling on a sheath to be fairly plain, and am fond of the two parallel boarder lines on the sheath body, but am not sure how to make them.  In Chuck Burrows article on making Mexican Loop Knife Sheaths he says " If you're going to tool it, now is the time, although a simple impressed single or double straight border just inside your stitch line can be very nice. Simple yet elegant. To make it, dampen the face and use a pair of dividers to impress the lines."  What do you mean deviders?  are you refering to the tool that looks kinda like a compass, but withought a pencil on one end, or is it somthing different.  This is a small, and kinda dumb question.  Thanks for the help.

Matthew Gelaude

[Artificer]

Not Chuck, but here's a link to a set of inexpensive dividers. 

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100659807&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=100659807&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D25X-_-100659807

Chuck may have a different opinion, but I slightly round over the pointed end I use to make an impression on wet leather.  This so the divider doesn't dig in or even cut the surface of the leather. 

Gus

[mtgelaude]

That will do, I just wanted to know if that is whay you all used, or if I was missing somthing.  Better to find out now, before spending money on leather and atool and ruining one of the two.  Thanks.

[Chuck Burrows]

What Gus said.....

[SuperCracker]

I have, in the past, used the paneling nails. The ones with the rounded heads. Dressed the head to make it a hair more round and then drove it into a piece of wood the desired distance apart. Then use like a divider. I would then improve the line with another one driven into the end of a dowel like a burnisher.

Virtually free and works better than you'd think

[Artificer]

I have, in the past, used the paneling nails. The ones with the rounded heads. Dressed the head to make it a hair more round and then drove it into a piece of wood the desired distance apart. Then use like a divider. I would then improve the line with another one driven into the end of a dowel like a burnisher.

Virtually free and works better than you'd think

Taking that one step further and when I could barely afford enough tools I needed all at once, I used a piece of scrap wood and three nails that formed a right triangle.  The two nails at the "base" of the triangle were pushed against the edge of the leather and held the distance from the leather to the indenting nail more persactly than just one point of a pair of dividers pushed against the edge of the leather. 

Gus 

[T.C.Albert]

Antique wing dividers are still very reasonable at junk shops, garage sales, antique stores, and even on line...common ones by outfits like C.S & co. or Greene seem to cost just as little as rarer ones like hand made versions or even high end stuff by Starret...they come in some different sizes...the pair I usually use is a big 10" divider...but a smaller set would work every bit as well...I think less than ten bucks should do it even for a nice collectable old pair...even brand new from a place like Harbor Freigt or like the link from Gus they are cheap (though I prefer wing dividers for leather work and spring dividers for the lathe, thats just me)....I think anyhow...besides that, the improvised versions as noted above would work just as well...
TCA

[Artificer]

Matthew,

In case you don't know what we mean when we say "adjustable wing dividers," here's an example.  

http://cgi.ebay.com/BOOKBINDING-Antique-Vintage-J-Buck-Divider-8-Inch-/260631576334?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caeda3f0e

Gus