aproy1101 said:
Today is the day I expect my FF to arrive! I went to Tandy this weekend for leather and tools recommended by Dan. I have an Idea in my mind for the scabbard I plan to make for it much like Yvsa's. Yvsa...do you mind me making something similar?
Please, be my guest Andy, you flatter me as I have no copywrite on the design.
But Andy there's a couple of things you need to know before you start making the sheath, and one of the utmost important things is to remember that this is a sheath and NOT a scabbard!!!!!!!!!!!
A sheath can be cut through and otherwise fail you while a scabbard is much less apt to do, so the watchword is to Be Careful!
Lay your Foxy Folly on a piece of brown wrapping paper and draw yourself a pattern. Get it like you want it before you transfer it to the leather or the cardboard first if you decide to make a practice piece, if it were my first one I would do so.
You can even glue on up out of cardboard first to get an idea of how many welts you're gonna have to put in on each side.
Of course the spine side will take more than the edged side.
Cut the welts at least a 1/2" wide and 9/16" would be better, makes for easier shapeing and cleanup when you're done.
Mark the sewing or lacing marks about 3/8" from the inside of the welts.
You will need to use the contact cement and glue the welts together and then glue them onto the top and bottom sections of your sheath.
The welts don't have to be cut perfectly but the closer they are to one another the better and easier it is to assemble the sheath.
If I were doing a sheath for the Foxy Folly I would reinforce the top and bottom of the sheath with an ornamented piece of leather about 3" up from the bottom and at least 2" down from the top on both the front and back, makes for a heavier weight to carry around but is a lot safer.
A fancy cut piece in the center for added stiffening on the front would be a plus as well but not absolutely necessary.
Drill your holes with a larger drill bit than you think necessary, at least a 1/16" diameter, a 3/32" wouldn't be too large even. You will thank me for this later.
The reason for the wide width on the welts is so you will have room on the outside to finish sanding the odd bumps and valleys out after the sheath is assembled and so you won't get too close to the previous drilled holes for the thread.
I would use the saddle or double needle stitch the same as I used on the sheath for the As Forged Chainpuri blade I took the artistic license with.
Also be careful when you drill the holes that they are going through straight, easier to do on a dtill press than with a hand drill like I had to use. You don't want to be too close to either edge of the welt but you want to be sure to leave enough along the outside edge for later cleanup.
I can't stress that enough and especially for your first sheath.
Your first sheath will give you the needed experience and knowledge to make the cuts closer on any further ones you might make.
If you bought any saddle stamps to decorate the sheath with the time to do so is before you glue the sheath up.
Slightly dampen the leather and then let it set until it appears dry. This is called casing the leather.
Casing the leather allows the fibers to expand.
After the leather is cased stamp in the pattern you desire, assemble and sew the sheath.
Once fully assembled smooth the edges preferably on a belt or disk sander.
If you properly cased the leather and got a good burnish with your stamps you may just want to use some Neat-Laq or such on the leather for a finish and then wax with a neutral polish.
If you decide to dye the leather then that's fine as well.
It's nice to use an edge dressing on the edge, it's usually a black dye that leaves a glossy finish.
Use of an edge dressing makes the piece professionally finished.
Unless I happen to really scuff up a piece of leather down past the finish I prefer to use a neutral polish unless I'm using Sno-Seal or the like on it. If I scuff it past the finish then I'll use a colored polish.
A deep Ox Blood finish with the Chandan and Purple Heart handles will be beautiful but then so would the natural tan.
Just remember that the more natural leather is exposed to sunlight the darker it will become.
If any of this doesn't make any sense please feel free to ask any questions.
I think its the long handle. The thing feels lighter and faster than any of my Khuks. And boy does the blade ring like a wine glass when you steel it. WOW. What I meant when I said it was too big to be a user was that its length (20 in) would make it an inconvenient belt knife, and so wouldn't be my choice for hiking/camping. I'm not Satori's size, that's for sure.
Thank You Yangdu!!
