HI Bolo Scabbard

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Well you've all seen the bolo with the new handle. Well now I've gottent o the scabbard. First I epoxied the two halves together. Then I pinned them so that the edge can't sneak out and into unsuspecting fingers. Now I've recovered the scabbard with leather and added a stop at the top and a chape at the tip. I'm not sure this one isn't finished. The rig weighs almost 3 lbs, so belt carry is a silly idea IMO. This is a pack knife. So whats the point of a frog? Anybody got advice? Should I call this one complete. Its pretty to look at and holds the blade snugly. Frog, or no frog? Whats your opinion?
 

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I think it looks great! As far as carry; a frog probably wouldn't be great, but set up for sling carry, it could be easily schlepped. Is that known as a baldric?

Andy
 
I have a question about the use of leather on these sheaths; is leather used because it wears better than plain wood? Does it serve to keep the wooden parts of the scabbard together?

Andy
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
I have a question about the use of leather on these sheaths; is leather used because it wears better than plain wood? Does it serve to keep the wooden parts of the scabbard together?

Andy
Click to expand...

hi andy,

indonesian/phillipino and other S.E.Asian scabbards are usually not covered in leather, tho they may have decorative rattan or metal bandings to hold the scabbard halves together. part of the reason is weight, the other is the wood is usually quite decorative in itself & deserves being shown off. plain wood may be covered completely in a silver, brass or gold sheathing. i do have a barong with a leather chape and a leather band around the scabbard mouth, the central wooden area is exposed. completely leather covered scabbards with metal fittings are more popular elsewhere, like nepal, but decorative exposed wooden scabbards, with metal banding & chape are also done in nepal for khukeris and other weapons. HI has them occasionally. all in all it's tradition for the area and personal preference.

of course all leather sheaths, or even heavy nylon, or plastics such as kydex, are used nowadays, again depends on tradition, the manufacturer, personal preference, and material availabilty.
 
On this one, Andy, the halves are glued together. When HI does one they are not, so the leather serves to hold the two halves together. Part of the beauty of that system is that its ajustable. I realized this after I glued the halves together. The dang knife wouldn't fit back into the scabbard. An example of the same idea is when you've got a khuk that fits tightly in a scabbard, and you soak it and wedge it. What you've done is stretch the leather and allow the boards to seperate a little.
 
Thanks, Andy, guys, for the explanation. I'm thinking about making a wooden scabbard for my stick knife. Can you make a recommendation about what kind of wood would be good for such a project?

Thanks!

Andy
 
I've used maple before. You should be able to find that example if you do a search. If you're going to cover it with leather it doesn't need to be a hardwood. I'd go with Basswood in that case.
 
ah, you've well and truly made it your own :)

congrats :>

trade ya my cupcake for it! :}

bladite
 
A cupcake huh? Is it like one of those burgers that police got from BK? Hehehehe.
 
Nice scabbard, thank you Andy
 
For a covered sheath, definitely basswood. Light, strong, easy to work, doesn't warp a lot. If you can't find it locally, try here.
 
Thank You Yangdu. That blade is really an inspiration.
 
Very cool, I like it a lot. I lose the frogs on all my khuks because I lash them to a pack. So in my eyes, you're done. Very nice job.
 
Your usual fine work, Andy! It's really a pleasure to see how you're coming along in your craft.
 
Just great work Andy! :thumbup: A real pleasure to see this. Thanks for sharing.

Norm
 
Thanks Guys. Between my wrist being injured and dang busy time at work I'm not around as much. Believe me I'd rather be here showing off work inspried by you people!
 
Thanks Steve. It was fun. Its a hell of a rig too. That blade chops through 1" diameter limbs by just allowing the blade to fall through the wood. Bigger than that it binds some, but still does damage.
 
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