Rubber sheath

N

Nebulae

Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
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so as you might recognized I posted this on shop talk, then remembered the sheath forum. so heres the deal I got a couple of old bicycle inner tubes, and they look like they have real potential as a sheath material, especially if you double it up on itself, you get 2 layers of rubber, and a folded edge that looks great. besides that it seems comfey to wear (compared to kydex) especially as a neck knife. can/should I sew it together or will a standard contact cement like liquid nails do.:confused:

oh and I intend to make a crappy looking liner from aluminum or maybe squished pvc pipe

-Thanks
 
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Nebulae said:
wow either nobody likes rubber, or this forum is really slow, or both
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Actually I was just pondering your question/inquiry and wondering if you were serious or just pulling our collective leg.

Now then, the bicycle tube sheath seems at first blush to be an exercise in absolute futility, but the more I have time to think about it, the more I'm certain it is probably a grand way to waste some time creating a failure.

You did mention you intended to make a CRAPPY looking liner of aluminum or crushed PVC????? If your intent is to make something crappy then you may have chosen the ideal materials with which to work.

Now with regard to your comment about the forum being slow, your original post was written in a manner which, if you read it again, probably would not entice even you to respond.....and now I'm wondering why I did.

If you ever have a serious question concerning making a real sheath you would be proud of, please come back.

Paul
 
It sounds like you could use the materials you mentioned to make a sheath. I'm sure they could be used and configured in a way as to make a safe and secure sheath. I often use the inner tubes around the kydex sheaths I make to hold additional items secure and as a secondary fuel source. Rubber burns great.

Rubber itself could be as good a material as leather if the thickness of the rubber was as thick as the typical leather one would use for sheathmaking. You could use the adhesive to laminate several layers of the tubing to get the thickness you needed. I would split the tubes lengthwise and laminate 4 or 5 layers of the rubber together. I would guess that this laminated material once finished would prove to be quite a bit more durable than leather of similar thicness.

Once you had the thickness you needed it would be fairly straight forward to build a sheath in the same manner as you would when using leather. Focus on a heavy duty welt to protect the stitching from the edge or to protect the edge from rivets if you use them would be high on my list.

To be honest, I'd bet that a well constructed rubber sheath could easily match and possibly beat the same sheath made of leather in the durability department.

Knives were invented by man to cut materials like flesh/leather.
 
Thank you mbhanzo, I was thinking of actually rolling the inertube back on itself and not cutting it at least the first part, but the second when the knife start to curve twards the spine. then just cutting a slit and folding it inside, or possibly just cutting out the outline and sewing that

sheathmaker: aluminum liners can (I have) be made to fit the blade quite well, the only problem is they dont look too great where the aluminum overlaps, so if covered in a thin-ish leather or as I propose rubber they can and do look very nice
perhaps you should visit whine and chees efor a while.
 
i gotta say i actually like the idea. not so much the inner tube, but possibly the tire itself. it seems like a street tread (not mountain bike) would be pretty close to decent leather and having the tread, on the outside of the sheath, would make for an intresting finish. plus with the tire (itself) being close to leather, you might negate the need for a liner.

definately run with this, it might lead somewhere really cool. kind of wish i would've thunk it up.
 
yeah the actuall outside would be good, only problem I see is that it might not look so good if its old, hence why your not using it on your bike anymore dunno how spensive they are new though. other problem is that the usable area might be kinda small, but I have the lod tires, and will look into it thanks
 
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oh by the way if you think the actual tire is a good Idea, then think about using a 4 square ball they are cheep, tough, and come in all sorts of pretty colors even ti dye for your hippie clientele however few they may be :D
 
Nebulae said:
besides that it seems comfey to wear (compared to kydex) especially as a neck knife.
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Retention.

Nebulae said:
sheathmaker: aluminum liners can (I have) be made to fit the blade quite well, the only problem is they dont look too great where the aluminum overlaps, so if covered in a thin-ish leather or as I propose rubber they can and do look very nice
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This still leaves you needing a welt. The edge on thin rubber or leather isn't gonna work, and the edge against an aluminum liner isn't gonna do the edge any favors.

perhaps you should visit whine and chees efor a while.
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Perhaps when one of the best sheath makers around tries to steer you away from an idea, you should consider if there's some merit to it.
 
Kiah, your last statement said it much nicer than I could ever manage. Since I read the rather "interesting" response I've been filled with "interesting" rebuttals.

Non standard materials are fine, but expect criticism of the methods till its a proven hypothesis.
 
leatherman said:
Kiah, your last statement said it much nicer than I could ever manage. Since I read the rather "interesting" response I've been filled with "interesting" rebuttals.

Non standard materials are fine, but expect criticism of the methods till its a proven hypothesis.
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No worries, I read this thread 5 times before I found a nice way to say it. :D
 
Thanks
Sorry about that, didnt mean to offend I was trying to be reasonably nice (which is obviously not very), but it seemed a little harsh

As for the aluminum i've got an idea about that as well instead of overlaping the edge one could cut out the shape, and fold it over the spine leaving the part next to the edge open, then cover it. Retention with a fully incased aluminum sheath you can squeez it empty with vice grips to get very good retention, however the open edge liner as above it would definatly be an issue.
 
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I have to say that Aluminum is not a good material for a sheath.
A quick look at G2's last post on the Glimpse sheath will show you that even leather can scuff a finish. If it's not a knife you're concerned about scratching with the sheath.. well then..
Worse is that if you were to inadvertently sit on, step on, close a car door on :p the sheath without the knife, or even with the knife in it, you would crush or bend the aluminum and it would never go back to the same shape, leading to edge damage, surface damage....etc. even if it remained usable at all.

I have an old crappy military style knife with a metal sheath I bought when I was 13 or so and somewhere along the line the sheath got bent and it never worked again.
 
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Yeah... in most cases a sheath should be pliable if the knife is going to be used.

Rubber on the other hand could and does work well. I had a dive knife with a moulded rubber sheath and it suited that application perfectly. I wouldn't use rubber if I was going for a nice looking sheath but if it's going to be underwater :D

Keep trying new materials... no harm in being inventive even when it doesn't work ;)
 
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