Rattlesnake sheath

H

Hmathews

Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
1,004
We get a request for this from time to time and they are a fun diversion from our standard sheaths. The rattlesnake was found too close to our shop and decided to become part of the selection of leathers I have on hand for sheath making. (It crawled the wrong direction). The sheath is lined with goat skin, and has a belt loop stitched to the back. The knife has a 4 inch blade of CPM 3V and stag, ivory, and Blackwood handle. Hope you like it.
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You guys are getting as bad as me when it comes to harvesting your own materials:D.Very nicely done on the sheath.Dave:)
 
Outstanding work HMathews! That's the "healthiest" looking snakeskin I've seen.

How did you tan it?
 
Thanks for the comments guys. Stretch we tack it on a board trying not to stretch it too bad and let it dry. Then scrape the tissue from the meat side of the skin. It should be dry as toast. Then we coat it with a mixture of alcohol and glycerin. I don't remember the mix for sure but I think that it is one part rubbing alcohol, one part glycerin and one part acetone. Just coat the hide on both sides about three times with 8 to 10 hours between coats. Remove the excess oil with paper towels. Lay skin on paper towels and cover with paper towels then apply weight pressing the skin to remove as much excess oil as possible. You can brush off the scale covers with a soft brush. It should be good to go. It is glued to standard weight leather (8 to 9 oz) and the edges covered with thin garment leather. I finished it with our hot oil and wax dip just like I do any other sheath. They seem to hold up pretty well. There are tons of different ways to tan these suckers some just dry them out. On a sheath they don't have to be flexible and that works too.
 
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Fine artisan workmanship there:thumbup:

Good job it's a sheath and not slithering about the place, those I do not like to see in any size:eek:
 
I'm almost done m first rattlesnake sheath. Yours puts it to shame by far. Great work.

-Chris
 
Hmathews, thanks for the advice on tanning!

Sometime last fall, I believe, I heard a buzzing in the shop. The cat was circling an area near the door. It sounded like a spray paint can that had fallen and wedged the spray button "on". I immediately thought I knew what it was, but it was so constant - like that spray can thing - that I began to doubt it was a rattlesnake. Well, it was. I killed it and skinned it with a Bark River Northstar that had just arrived that day!. Without thinking, I discarded the snake. The next day I realized what an oppurtunity I lost in making a sheath for the Northstar with the snakeskin!

Now, I know better what to do. Of course, since the chance of finding a rattler on the same day I receive a knife is so slim, I'll just kill the next nice one I find, THEN order a new knife! ((( :D )))
 
Harry, sure wish you had brought that fantastic sheath to the meeting, Saturday.
Fine, Fine work.

Dave Roberts
Columbus, GA
 
That knife and sheath was a special order and is headed to the customer or I would have brought it. Most of the time we don't even get pictures of the knives before they get shipped out.

I did have a cane break rattlesnake volunteer donate his hide just last week. Some of these guys just don't realize how important it can be to crawl away from me rather than toward me. Charlie and I have not yet found one in the shop, but we have found one between the shop and the cabin which is only about 50 feet. Seems like we have a pretty steady supply of these things. While I don't condone the killing of every one, if they are too close to the cabin or shop that is how they will be dealt with. I don't play with these things alive or dead and I am not going to take any chances.
 
I went back and checked the mix on the tanning solution I was using and found that my memory was not what it used to be. Probably never was. The mix I quoted had an additional part of formaldehyde and I don't recommend it and had left it out. The replacement mix that was recommended to me and I have been using is as follows:

one part rubbing alcohol
one part acetone
one part glycerin

It seems to work just fine. While the stuff is flammable, I don't think that it has the carcinogen threat that any thing with formaldehyde has. Still as with anything use appropriate handling procedures, keep away from flames, wear gloves, use good ventilation, etc, and don't rub any on a laboratory rat you like.
 
Stunning, just stunning! I normally wouldn't be partial to all those spacers, but their colors and arrangement sure do work at echoing the snake skin and make a nice tie in to the stag. What a BEAUT!
 
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