Fiddleback sheath and custom firesteel

Fiddleback ,
That sheath and firesteel setup is very sweet. Did you make the Nessmuk style knife too? I really like the complete package. If you ever start taking orders for the set up please let me know.

Thanks - Ron :thumbup:
 
Man Scott, I wish you were coming to blade.
 
Also with use I would expect the leather to relax and the ferro rod will of course get smaller with use.

Not really, most people that choose to use a ferro rod know how to use it best i.e. make a small deep scrape at the distal end. This way the rod will stay round for the majority of its length. A 100mm rod, minus the handle 80mm? Will last a long time.
 
Dinkum: that doesn't sound quite right to me. There is a section at one end of my rod that doesn't get used, but that certainly isn't enough to guarantee retention nor is it round for most of its length. Either way, friction retention in leather just doesn't seem like enough to me for your fire starter. Has anyone been carrying this way for a while and actually done some work while wearing it?
 
The FireSteel doesnt come out easy. I have a FireSteel loop put on all my custom knives and use them hard in the bush, and have never lost one.
 
Either way, friction retention in leather just doesn't seem like enough to me for your fire starter.

No big deal, but friction retention is all that is holding the knife in either. Pouch sheaths are reliable. So is the loop. Ray Mears knives have been that way for some time. Bark River does it this way. I've made at least 50 sheaths this way with no complaints of lost firesteels yet. Plus, this thing is tight, and that loop is 2" wide and stitched right into the structure of the sheath.
 
sputnick, check out this link for a good pic of a well used steel that would still stay snug in that loop http://www.mikespinak.com/articles/Essays/e994firesteelhowto.html Scroll down just a bit. (Evolute's excellent site) There has probably been thousands of sparks thrown from that steel, but the width is still the same as when it started.

Aside from that, I don't think anyone on this site goes to the woods with only one means of firestarting.
 
Gotcha. I don't have much experience with quality leather goods like that. Even my pistol holsters are kydex. What thickness of leather would you recommend as a minimum for a loop?
 
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