Gary W. Graley
“Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Mar 2, 1999
- Messages
- 27,291
I had stopped making fixed blade sheaths a while back but had to make one recently for, of all people! The W.D. Pease fixed blade wharncliff knife arrived with a dangler sheath that I never did like very well and so didn't use the knife at all, but liked it a lot, what was I to do? So I made one for myself, with a regular belt loop down the back side.
The reason for the post is to share one of the `Tricks', so to speak, about how I formed the sheath to conform to the blade shape.
I took some plastic bubble wrap, the kind used for packaging, to wrap around the knife to create a template of how the sheath will be, then take that cut out piece and lay it on to the leather, saves on the leather a bit by using the bubble wrap, small size bubbles of course!
I wrap the knife in plastic food wrap to keep the moisture from the wet leather transfering on to the knife. I place the knife into the sheath, work the leather with what is called a bone folder tool, it's a plastic/nylon stick about 3/4" wide and 1/8" thick and about 5" long. One end is squared off and smooth. While the leather is wet, I pull along the side where the curve of the back side of the knife is to try and conform to the shape of the blade, makes for a compact type sheath, keep working it, as the sheath dries I take it and keep working it until it stays in that shape. The ridge you see along the blade is something that I made to add some rigidity to the sheath and looks a bit different too!
You can also do this to trailing point type knives, just pull or stretch the leather in the direction you want it to go.
Here is the sheath, the knife has light finger grooves and aids in the retention into the sheath, I worked/formed along the edges of the handle to follow the indents. There is a leather welt that is also glued in place from the top of the sheath down to the bottom.
Note that I rounded the tip off a bit, sharp pointed sheaths are a nusiance and usually will bend later on and cause the knife to poke through, not very handy!
Not taking any orders for fixed blade sheaths, just really not into making them but hope this gives you guys some ideas for your own sheath making efforts.
G2
The reason for the post is to share one of the `Tricks', so to speak, about how I formed the sheath to conform to the blade shape.
I took some plastic bubble wrap, the kind used for packaging, to wrap around the knife to create a template of how the sheath will be, then take that cut out piece and lay it on to the leather, saves on the leather a bit by using the bubble wrap, small size bubbles of course!
I wrap the knife in plastic food wrap to keep the moisture from the wet leather transfering on to the knife. I place the knife into the sheath, work the leather with what is called a bone folder tool, it's a plastic/nylon stick about 3/4" wide and 1/8" thick and about 5" long. One end is squared off and smooth. While the leather is wet, I pull along the side where the curve of the back side of the knife is to try and conform to the shape of the blade, makes for a compact type sheath, keep working it, as the sheath dries I take it and keep working it until it stays in that shape. The ridge you see along the blade is something that I made to add some rigidity to the sheath and looks a bit different too!
You can also do this to trailing point type knives, just pull or stretch the leather in the direction you want it to go.
Here is the sheath, the knife has light finger grooves and aids in the retention into the sheath, I worked/formed along the edges of the handle to follow the indents. There is a leather welt that is also glued in place from the top of the sheath down to the bottom.
Note that I rounded the tip off a bit, sharp pointed sheaths are a nusiance and usually will bend later on and cause the knife to poke through, not very handy!
Not taking any orders for fixed blade sheaths, just really not into making them but hope this gives you guys some ideas for your own sheath making efforts.
G2
