I would like some feedback from the Fiddleheads on this forum on sheath details.

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

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Mar 19, 2007
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Here is the back of one of my latest sheaths. After having a discussion in the Sheath subforum on Bladeforums - here is the question: Should I dye the inside of the sheath?

Pro's - It looks like the back grain of the sheath.

Con's - All dye - particularly black, has a tendency to come off on the blade or handle of the blade inside it.



What are your thoughts - would you prefer the inside of the sheath to match the outside - or would you rather have no issue with dye on the leather closest to your blade?


No right or wrong answer - but if I am serving Fiddleback Customers it helps to know what they want.

Jason
 
Dye it. Wouldn't think stabilized wood and micarta would be affected that much by the dye.
 
first off....fantastic sheath!!
I like them both ways.

Sorry I don't have a preference.
 
Most of the sheaths I currently own in this style from a variety of makers do appear to be dyed and I would have to say that in doing so you improve the cosmetic appearance of your sheath by not having it look unfinished. That being said, I'm not certain if you then need to seal the dyed leather to avoid transfer of the dye onto the handle of the knife. I have had dye transfer onto a light colored micarta handle. The sheather maker was willing to take the sheath back to have it sealed......problem solved.
 
I don't dye the insides of sheaths or belt loops for the same reason. Black dye will transfer don't care how you seal it unless your going to shoot acrylic over it like some of the holster makers do to stiffen them up. Mostly its my personal preference, as in I prefer not to buy knives, belts or pants for other people.
 
I like how they look without die on the inside, plus after the age for a bit they start looking real nice.
 
First of all, that is a VERY nice sheath! Personally, It comes down to the aesthetic, because you don't see these areas when it is on your belt with a knife in it. If the sheath is a custom, just give the customer the option. For "presentation" knives or ISP's with a clip dying the inside and loop (if it has one) looks a little more refined. For the workhorses and production/mid-tech knives I could care less and in fact, I have two sheaths that I have put green compound on the belt loop, so dye is not an option.
 
Seems like maybe not an a/b, yes/no question. Ive tended to rub some mink oil paste (odorless version), into the parts of the sheath that are revealed like that. That tames some of the hairiness if sheathmaker didn't choose a hide with a smooth inner or do some sanding. And it darkens the leather enough so that it blends and looks better, on those I've chosen to do this to. And no issue staining handles. Some of the sheaths I own, show staining on the revealed inner side of the hide at the mouth and on the belt loop, but not all the way down inside. That looks fine and minimizes contact with the knife's handle. Also theres oil based and water based dyes - no? Wouldn't the oil based tend to resist some of that rub off you're thinking about? While I really dig that new sheath above, I would prefer to see something that reduces the contrast on that one a bit....
 
That sheath is pretty sweet. I like the stamping and your work is always beautiful.

To answer your question, I would prefer a sheath natural in the inside. It just doesn't make sense to me to use your hard earned money on a custom knife, then have enough appreciation to match it with a hand made sheath, only to have the dye rub off on the knife.

If I had to "compromise" - what about bees waxing the natural exposed leather on the loop and immediate inside of the neck? It would add a touch of color but not danger the knife.
 
For years I dyed the interior of my sheaths and then sealed the inside. A couple years back there was an issue concerning staining of the handle material, so I've stopped doing anything to the interior. No blame goes to the handle material, although white paper/linen micarta will pickup stains very easily. Even with no dye on the inside, there can be wicking of moisture from outside to inside which can result in minor stains on some light handle material. My best answer is no dye on the inside-see Sky's reasoning.

Really nice work Jason!
 
Hey Jason,

You know that I am a fan and repeat customer of yours going back a number of years. You do top quality work. From that perspective, my first thought after looking at the sheath is that it lacks visual harmony. If you are going to the trouble and expense to tool and dye the back side of the sheath that no one sees in use, why leave the belt loop portion un-dyed? My eye is automatically drawn to the lighter unfinished area which looks out of place with the rest of the nice finish work.

In answer to your specific question, I would prefer that the belt loop section and maybe the first 1/8" to 1/4" inside the mouth of the sheath be dyed to match the outside color and the rest of the inside left natural.

Thanks,

Phil
 
Comprehensivist said:
Hey Jason,

You know that I am a fan and repeat customer of yours going back a number of years. You do top quality work. From that perspective, my first thought after looking at the sheath is that it lacks visual harmony. If you are going to the trouble and expense to tool and dye the back side of the sheath that no one sees in use, why leave the belt loop portion un-dyed? My eye is automatically drawn to the lighter unfinished area which looks out of place with the rest of the nice finish work.

In answer to your specific question, I would prefer that the belt loop section and maybe the first 1/8" to 1/4" inside the mouth of the sheath be dyed to match the outside color and the rest of the inside left natural.

Thanks,

Phil
Click to expand...

Taste is a matter of taste...

I respectfully disagree 100% with Phil. I like the lack of dye on the inside / back side. In the modernist school they say "form follows function" and that "god is in the details." I think the total lack of dye speaks to the ideal functionality of the sheath, and I think it looks cool. Cheers!

Edit to add...
short version - no dye
 
Last edited:
ncrockclimb said:
Taste is a matter of taste...

I respectfully disagree 100% with Phil. I like the lack of dye on the inside / back side. In the modernist school they say "form follows function" and that "god is in the details." I think the total lack of dye speaks to the ideal functionality of the sheath, and I think it looks cool. Cheers!

Edit to add...
short version - no dye
Click to expand...

I have no problem with other folks having different tastes or perspectives. I actually like the diversity in discussions around here. That is what makes it interesting.

I want to be clear that the comments in my post above were my opinion about the aesthetics of this particular sheath.

The "form follows function" concept implies "nothing more and nothing less." At its most base interpretation, that means any dye (inside or out) and tooling work is unnecessary because it adds nothing to the function of the sheath while adding to the cost. I am not opposed to the minimalist approach for some applications. JRE Industries, for example, does good business making functional production sheaths that all look like they came from the same piece of leather at a reasonable cost. When we are talking about custom sheaths for higher end custom knives, I want beauty and function that all flows together.

Thanks for your post Charles. I respect and appreciate your different viewpoint my friend. :)

Phil
 
The natural leather matches the stitching. I think the tri-color design is aesthetically sound.
 
Beautiful Sheath!

No Dye! Over time, I have found that the leather ages to a nice a color with use.


Martin
 
Very nice sheath. My choice would be no dye, would hate any of my micarta handles to stain.

Aesthetically as cmroberts1 said the sheath will age and look nice.
 
Cool sheath bud. I'm on the no dye side. That exposed untreated leather will take on a good working color after good use anyways.
 
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