Proper Garnishing

Joined
Jan 27, 2008
Messages
2,010
When garnishing a culinary creation.... plate, platter, bowl, whatever,..... it is always proper form to create a garnishing scheme that incorporates ingredients used in the main dish.

Make a Lemon-Rosemarry Roasted Chicken......... garnish with a lemon crown and fresh rosemary sprigs.
Make a Redfish cerviche'...............garnish with crispy-fried Redfish skin and lime.
Make a Chocolate Mousse.......... garnish with cocoa powder and chocolate curls.

You get the idea.

Well, at least that's my personal philosophy borne of 30+ years in professional kitchens.

Now retired from professional kitchens as a hobbiest knife maker, I have tried to maintain a similar view on making sheaths. To me, the knife as the main dish and it should be complimented by the sheath. It should provide hints as to what is in the main dish.

This one's a little "out there".

It began its formative stages as a scandi-style sheath, sort of. Its evolution was at times a troubled one, but I always held to the original idea of using the same maple, birch bark, moose antler and steel that was used in the knife. The blade is held snugly in the sheath and will not drop out when turned upside down and shaken.

The particulars:
- 1/4" thick Red Maple scales with some crazy grain and brilliant chatoyance. Same wood piece as the knife.
- Fully lined with dark brown suede
- Birch bark welt
- Contoured mouth to allow easy blade entry
- Weathered moose antler sheath tip and concho.
- 8-9 oz veg-tan strap with antiqued steel snap


Here's a few shots.

Thanks for lookin'.
Comments are most welcome.

sgaindhub091.jpg


sgaindhub094.jpg


sgaindhub101.jpg


sgaindhub092.jpg


sgaindhub098.jpg


sgaindhub093.jpg


sgaindhub072.jpg


sgaindhub097.jpg


sgaindhub077.jpg


sgaindhub081.jpg
 
Last edited:
that is a great sheath/knife combo for sure. Perfectly matched, and seems to be some stuff going on withe the sheath I have not really seen before, like the wood tip, that matches the knife handle.
 
Thank you all for the nice compliments!

Bigfattyt - Just to clear things up: The sheath is constructed with a Red Maple burl "body", and a moose antler tip. The welt is three sheets of birch bark. The knife handle also has the same Maple burl as well as stacked birch bark and a moose antler spacer just back of the guard/bolster. The lanyard "loop" on the butt end is also carved of moose antler.

I like this style/design and I'll be doing more similar pieces.

Thank you all again.
 
Very nice idea and work.

I hope you don't mind me saying, but would prefer the sheath without the stitching, pins could be good.

regards mic
 
Back
Top