Any takers?

the prototype is stitched up and ready for molding! Should have a picture or two later this evening...
 
Lorien said:
well, then I will make one for you!
Click to expand...

I just realized that the last sheath we talked about was for an FK.

Things have changed, lol. Nathan should have a SWEET african blackwood DEK1 ready for me towards the end of the year. :D

P.S.
Your Kephart sheath is holding up really well and is easily the best sheath I own. :D
 
Fixall said:
I just realized that the last sheath we talked about was for an FK.

Things have changed, lol. Nathan should have a SWEET african blackwood DEK1 ready for me towards the end of the year. :D

P.S.
Your Kephart sheath is holding up really well and is easily the best sheath I own. :D
Click to expand...
why, thank you! Glad you like it!

I think what I'll do is get this run of UF2 sheaths squared away and then do a run of DEK1 sheaths, since I already have that one designed and have all the stuff I need to get going
 
XJ7J2KV.jpg


x6vYMhQ.jpg


it's all together, just gotta dry out and then I'll treat it. I've been wanting to do a camo dye job and I think I might experiment with this sheath.
So far I'm really happy with the way it turned out, but you never know for sure until it's 100% done. Still opportunity for problems🤞
 
Lorien said:
XJ7J2KV.jpg


x6vYMhQ.jpg


it's all together, just gotta dry out and then I'll treat it. I've been wanting to do a camo dye job and I think I might experiment with this sheath.
So far I'm really happy with the way it turned out, but you never know for sure until it's 100% done. Still opportunity for problems🤞
Click to expand...
Looking good! Stay positive my friend, stay positive.
 
ok, well the prototype is done as of last night.

The dye job was experimental- the first time I've tried it out. I won't be offering this camo finish until I get it totally dialed in but now that I've done it once, I think I'll be able to improve on it. It's extremely time consuming to do, adding days to the process between drying and buffing.

That said, I will offer to dye sheaths for those of you who desire that, and there will be additional cost because it takes more time. The base model will have a natural, waxed leather finish.

I need to design and build a keeper strap next. The retention of this sheath is VERY good, but my goal is to design a 'jump rated' sheath, and that means redundant retention features.

So, now that the sheath is built, I'll be carrying it on my morning hikes and assessing it to see what refinements or changes might be required. I don't think I'll need to go back to the drawing board with this, as I feel as though this is one of the best sheaths I've designed and made. Right up there with my CPK dagger sheaths.

When I'm done with the assessment phase, I'll start a new thread offering this sheath to you fine people. There will be a small, non refundable deposit required, and I will be capping the number of sheaths made to about a dozen. But we can talk about that later.

Have a good weekend!

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set up for IWB carry via DCC clip;
JcihuJD.jpg


one big advantage leather has over kydex for this carry method is that it stays in place. Leather tends to 'stick' better to skin than plastic
 
Lorien,

I love the design and how your leather sheaths lock the knife in place. Can you describe how you accomplish this and where the sheath locks onto the knife?

I have several CPK's that have a satin hand rubbed finish and wood scales. Will your sheaths be less likely to cause blade scratches or damage to the wood scales vs a kydex sheath?
 
Wood5045 said:
Lorien,

I love the design and how your leather sheaths lock the knife in place. Can you describe how you accomplish this and where the sheath locks onto the knife?

I have several CPK's that have a satin hand rubbed finish and wood scales. Will your sheaths be less likely to cause blade scratches or damage to the wood scales vs a kydex sheath?
Click to expand...
first of all, thank you!

the knife is locked into place by a combination of welt design and wet molding. The welt design determines the angle of release so I can really dial in the thumb break. The wet molding allows the leather to conform to the handle's shape and determines the level of retention. For this model, high retention is a design goal, so the throat of the sheath is heavily molded.

there is nothing about the sheath that should cause scratching or staining. These sheaths in particular are waxed inside and out, and none of the sheaths I've made in the past using this method have caused or contributed to staining or corrosion, in my experience. Because the inside of these sheaths are waxed, it's much less likely that a grit of some kind that works its way in there is going to get caught up in the fibers of the leather because they are compacted and coated. The way the sheath is made, the sides of it are not pressed against the bevels and the welt is fairly thick, meaning there is quite a bit more space and much less of the inside of the sheath touching the steel than a kydex sheath, generally speaking.

the throat of the sheath is heavily waxed, and barring some grit getting lodged in there, should have no effect at all on the handle.
 
Lorien said:
first of all, thank you!

the knife is locked into place by a combination of welt design and wet molding. The welt design determines the angle of release so I can really dial in the thumb break. The wet molding allows the leather to conform to the handle's shape and determines the level of retention. For this model, high retention is a design goal, so the throat of the sheath is heavily molded.

there is nothing about the sheath that should cause scratching or staining. These sheaths in particular are waxed inside and out, and none of the sheaths I've made in the past using this method have caused or contributed to staining or corrosion, in my experience. Because the inside of these sheaths are waxed, it's much less likely that a grit of some kind that works its way in there is going to get caught up in the fibers of the leather because they are compacted and coated. The way the sheath is made, the sides of it are not pressed against the bevels and the welt is fairly thick, meaning there is quite a bit more space and much less of the inside of the sheath touching the steel than a kydex sheath, generally speaking.

the throat of the sheath is heavily waxed, and barring some grit getting lodged in there, should have no effect at all on the handle.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed explanation Lorien. Looking forward to see what you come up with next.
 
I've been using one of Lorien's sheaths with my CPK Kephart (machined, walnut scales) for almost a year now. There hasn't been any damage to the blade or scales. The retention system Lorien has implemented is rather ingenious and super secure.
 
A couple questions, Lorien:

First, what kind of timeline are you looking at? No rush at all on my part but with the CPK Shiv pre-order and me wanting to squirrel away a few bucks for a possible Signature SDFK, I'm starting to feel the weight a bit.

Second, I will probably stick with undyed but I am curious as to why it is such a cumbersome process (unless, of course, you're referring to the camo setup). Is it due to your molding/waxing methods?
 
the timeline depends upon when I get close to the number of committed buyers I'm looking for, (around10). Ideally, I'll start cutting leather in a couple weeks. I'm not in a rush, plenty of projects on the go.

my dyeing method takes days, between adding layers, letting them dry and then buffing. Usually 6-7 applications to get the effect I want which is durable and has a nice chatoyant effect. The process also doubles the hot waxing time, since the wax uptake is slower. If I started off with pre dyed leather, it probably wouldn't cost more but it also wouldn't be the same look and feel that I want from my work.

my plan is to make another sheath and not dye it, then I'll have something to show which represents what people will be spending their hard earned bucks on. It'll also help me dial in my process a bit more before I start making a larger batch
 
Lorien said:
the timeline depends upon when I get close to the number of committed buyers I'm looking for, (around10). Ideally, I'll start cutting leather in a couple weeks. I'm not in a rush, plenty of projects on the go.

my dyeing method takes days, between adding layers, letting them dry and then buffing. Usually 6-7 applications to get the effect I want which is durable and has a nice chatoyant effect. The process also doubles the hot waxing time, since the wax uptake is slower. If I started off with pre dyed leather, it probably wouldn't cost more but it also wouldn't be the same look and feel that I want from my work.

my plan is to make another sheath and not dye it, then I'll have something to show which represents what people will be spending their hard earned bucks on. It'll also help me dial in my process a bit more before I start making a larger batch
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks, Lorien. Makes sense and works for me. One of the nice things about undyed leather is the character it takes on with wear and use - I'm happy with that choice.
 
I should be getting a UF2 in about a week(+) or so and I've been thinking about a leather sheath.

Will a finished (waxed) but un-dyed sample look similar (color-wise) to those boot dagger sheaths that you show in your "Available For Sale" thread towards the top of your forum?

Also... Is that brownish leather sheath that you made for the antler handled knife shown in the same thread dyed? Or is that the color of the leather that you started with?
 
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