Frontier Belt Knife

L

LRB

Joined
Feb 28, 2006
Messages
1,494
pennyknife013.jpg
[/IMG]Just finished this outfit for a good friend. 01 steel, 1 1/4"x8"x5/32', partial tang, walnut grip with deer rawhide wrap sewn with thin rawhide wang. Sheath is vege tan with full deer rawide cover. Sheath took longer to make than the knife. Hope some of you enjoy it. Blade was lightly aged.
 
Great job. The knife looks great, but so does the sheath.
 
Awsome! Love the shape and looks of the knife, and the sheath looks like it took quite a while to make. :thumbup:
 
Very nice! I've been wanting to start working with rawhide for my sheaths. Where do you get the rawhide from? Is it difficult to work? Great looking work!
 
I used to get it from Crazy Crow Trading Post. I use only deer rawhide, and Crazy Crow is a tad expensive, but was good stuff. I buy it at Rendevous' now at about $25.oo, to $35.oo, depending on who I get it from. It needs to be wet to work well, and as I go along, I have to lay it between wet rags every now and then, to keep it wet. The deer rawhide is very thin and works and forms really well, but occasionally there will be a weak spot, and it may tear, but usually this is no problem when doing the types of sheaths that I do. It adds character to the piece. I have found that in many cases it helps to epoxy it to the sheath you are covering in just a few strategic spots, before wetting, just to keep it in place until you get a good start on the sewing. Once the epoxy is dry, you can wet it with wet rags to soften it. Chuck Burrows can probably tell you more about the process. I am pretty much just winging it. Learning as I go. Get a catalog from Dan Winkler, and look at Karen Shooks work if you want to see real artistry in rawhide, or braintan. The sheath in my post is in the theme of her work, but I am not yet in her league.
 
Thanks for the info, LRB. Chuck Burrows is a huge inspiration for me, although I don't really even attempt anything in his style (or caliber); and he's probably sick of answering my questions by now! :) Dan Winkler is a frontier knife God, but I hadn't heard of Karen Shook's work. I'll have to look it up.

Thanks!
 
Karen Shook makes Dan's sheaths. She lives just up the road from him. Her sheaths are almost as expensive as his knives, but they are an art unto themselves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top