question for brian

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fausto nasafiaschi

Joined
Aug 6, 2000
Messages
506
I've downloaded the pictures of the AK Bowie w/leather sheath and CKBC w/leather sheath from your photo album.I may be making a sheath for my AK Bowie and I was looking into making a sheath for my 15" AK. My question is: did you put any kind of hard liner inside the hide sheaths or they are just straight leather?
You have a great collection.
Tks in advance for your answer.
Fausto
 
Thanks for your kind words about my collection, Fausto. While I don't use any kind of hard liner inside the sheaths, I do take precautions to prevent cut through.

If I recall correctly, I've used 9-10 oz. tooling leather for the khukuri sheaths. About the heaviest usually available is 10-11 oz., so what I used was one step down from that. (It was what I had on hand.) If I were buying specifically for khukuri sheath making, I would probably go for the 10-11 oz. About the lightest I would consider using for these blades is 8-9 oz. (In my experience, most fixed blade sheaths are probably 7-8 oz. leather.)

The following picture shows the welt that I used on the edge side of the AK Bowie sheath.
View

IMO, a substantial welt is one of the most important features that can be built into a sheath for a large fixed blade. The stitching goes through the middle of the welt & is protected from the blade's edge by the leather. A thick welt (You'll note I used 3 layers of leather in the above pic.) can also serve to stiffen the overall sheath, helping to prevent the tip from piercing the front or back of the sheath.

I also reinforce the welt itself in a couple of ways. First, the separate layers of leather are glued together and the welt itself is glued to the main body of the sheath. (I've recently used super glue since it was what I had on hand. In the past, I've used contact cement with good results.) Glue adds to the stiffness, hardens the leather, & prevents the edge of the blade from slipping between the layers. On the AK Bowie sheath, I also used a couple of "cutler's rivets" in the welt. They are both longer & of heavier construction (i.e. solid brass posts & heads) than leather rivets and help to strenghten the overall construction.

In case you haven't seen them, I have a separate photo album set up with additional pictures of the AK Bowie sheath. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Maybe Terry will add some of his tips to the discussion.

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Cheers,
Brian

He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
Brian & Will tks for your input. Great pix I've downloaded all of them. I will think about it. My problem with the liner is where to find the kidex in Italy, as I'm around in the States quite often (mostly Florida, Fort Lauderdale)could you give an address in the USA?
Fausto
 
Fausto, if you are in Florida early next year jump ship for a couple of days and attend the HI khukuri convention. We would all love to meet you in person, especially me. And, remember the organizer down there is Chiappelli and I am Martino as you know. You will feel like you are right at home!

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Archives (18,000+ posts)
 
:
I don't now how cutting resistant a Rubbermaid waste container is, but there was a young man in the general forum a while back that had made a really neat neck knife scabbard using that as the material, with a Schrade Sharpfinger as the knife. It was a Great Looking rig!!!

I went so far as to buy one of the green containers, but it is being used as my water bucket for cooling blades when I am on my beltsander.
I think they come in Hot Pink for the ladies as well.
biggrin.gif




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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

"There's no trick in being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

...............Will Rogers......

Khukuri FAQ
 
Fausto,

I don't know where you can get kydex in the Florida area (I'm from Canada). But as Yvsa points out there are other materials that will accomplish the same thing. The nice thing about kydex is that it can be molded (with heat).

Try posting the question on the general discussion forum there are a lot of people from Florida at Bladeforums.


Will


[This message has been edited by Will Kwan (edited 09-21-2000).]
 
Thanks to all for the good advise. I think I will give a try to the rubbermaid containers, we have plenty of them around the ship.
Ciao
Fausto
 
:
Fausto, let us know how it turns out please.

I have to dayum many irons in the fire at once, but one of these days I will get me a "round (o) tuit" and try out the Rubbermaid material.
The guy who made the neck knife scabbard used some of the fancy rivets designed for that purpose, if I remember correctly.
Good luck on your project.
biggrin.gif


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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

"There's no trick in being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

...............Will Rogers......

Khukuri FAQ
 
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