Scabbord design... something new?

tryppyr

tryppyr

Joined
Feb 5, 2010
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For one reason or another I recently started thinking about scabbords and how they are made. My understanding is that most are made from wood (custom routed to fit the blade) surrounded by leather or metal or both. The idea is to provide a protective covering for the blade.

But does it really work? Wood can retain moisture. Defnitely don't want moisture hanging around near the blade. And enclosed scabbords can retain dust and dirt, which again means moisture retention. Once the dirt gets inside a scabbord, how do you get it out?

So my mind wandered back to my youth and the plastics shop class I took in Jr. High. I was thinking of a scabbord made of two pieces of Plexiglass that are routed or molded to fit the blade. The two pieces would be hinged on one side, and have some closures on the other side (perhaps some of the small super strong magnets glued into the Plexiglas).

Advantages include no materials that retain moisture near the blade, and the ability to open it up for cleaning when needed. If you used clear Plexiglas you could even see the blade through the scabbord.

Anyone see any flaws in this approach?
 
Sounds expensive and time consming when you can go to a chefs supply and get plastic hinged blade protectors with ruber pads inside to hold the blade steady. They only cost a few bucks each and come it all kinds of sizes. Only thing is I doubt they have the artistic touch I am sure you would give to one you made yourself!


-Xander
 
tryppyr said:
Anyone see any flaws in this approach?
Click to expand...

I definitely see flaws in your spelling.

Why not just make a frame/welt out of plex the same thickness as the blade, then put thinner stock on the front and back? Pop a couple drain holes near the bottom so you can rinse it out. Boom, done.
There's also this new stuff called kydex which would accomplish more or less the same thing. You, my friend, have a remarkable affinity for making things much more complicated than they need to be.
 
Greg, your a hoot man. when you focus in on something it's like Laser beam ninja focus. but I see your point. I've made all of 1 scabbard and it was ok... I think they are neat, and definantly diffrent then the vanilla leather or kydex options. Mine was made of mahogany and was my first experiance with the wood. It was ok. I'll definantly make others but it has to be for the right knife.

Jason
 
Tony Swatton of Sword & Stone does something similar to this (constructed from multiple pieces and glued), but he used polycarbonate rather than plexiglass when he demonstrated it at the Fire & Brimstone Hammer-In last month.

-d
 
man you got me thinking....

How about a pimp style cane sword with a plexiglass fish tank scabbard.



ok back on topic...

You could route out 1 piece of plexiglass and sandwich it between two other pieces to avoid routing out both pieces.

I want to build a wooden scabbard soon, I wonder how the retention is or how it works to hold the sword or knife?
 
james terrio said:
I definitely see flaws in your spelling.
Click to expand...

Aw com'on now james you knew what he meant. Like u never "muspelle" anything? Actually, its been spelled a few other ways in the past:

books


I like "scaubert" meself. Aye lad... that'i du!!

http://books.google.com/books?id=uzZAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA780&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U2ZkZiZs4fCsRlvrP0RzupEJB7CTg&ci=694%2C823%2C276%2C145&edge=0

but yea greg; thats'a lotta trouble brew'n with the magnets and such.... I'll just take leather please. ;)

m
 
I've seen them before, they don't really interest me . You have to be very careful gluing up plexiglass so you don't get bubbles, they'll be visible of course you could have contrasting colors like using smoked plexiglass as the welt.

I don't think his spelling is bad, I think his typing sucks :D
 
I will really have to hunt for the photo, but I made (and sold) a neat Puuko style knife about ten years back. The material for the handle and sheath was from a 5-layer red-black-white Micarta sheet. I cut pieces and make a stacked handle knife, which really looked good. For the sheath, I took two pieces, and profiled them so they matched the shape of the blade...but were about 1/8" apart. I used 1/2" wide by 1/8" thick pieces of white Micarta as spacers and positioned them with 1" spaces along the edge. I used black Micarta rivets through each spacer to lock the assembly together. I then ground the profile until about 1/4 of each black rivet was exposed. The resulting spacer edge retained the blade but allowed a "flow Through" look. The knife and sheath could be rinsed off and given a shake to clean it of sand and such.

I have also seen "skeleton" sheaths in leather, made with cut-out centers to display a stunning damascus pattern.

Plexiglas sounds cheap looking and problematic, BTW.

Added Note: Greg, Some of the books I referenced to in your other post have photos of these and similar styles. I believe the Puuko was in one of the "Knives" annuals, as I had "Point Seven" do photos of it.
 
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anvilring said:
Aw com'on now james you knew what he meant. Like u never "muspelle" anything?

m
Click to expand...

Actually, I looked up the most common spelling before posting just to make sure I wasn't talking out of my head :o I'm a real pain about spelling and grammar; it comes from being raised by a poet. Which of course makes it even more funny when I goof up.

Anyway... I agree that plex alone might look cheap. I wonder how clear it would be if routed out? I've seen Armstrong guitars like this re-issue and the routed areas are barely translucent. So I think if you want the see-through look, a three-piece construction is the way to go.
I have also heard of sheaths made the way I described earlier and covered with a thin layer of fine or exotic leather for a combination of durability and beauty. And of course there are the WWII-era "theatre" knives made with stacked handles of pieces of plex? lexan? from salvaged plane canopies. So you could certainly make a matching scabbard and handle sort of like Stacy described.
 
I get the sense that most of you don't really get what I'm thinking of here. When you talk about glue and bubbles, it's pretty clear you are on a different page.

That said, I tend to agree that plexiglas itself would look "cheap", and would be prone to scarring. I'm not familiar with many of the new materials and how they are used, which is why I harkened all the way back to the plexiglas days of the '70s.

But the concept of a scabbard that can be opened and cleaned was what I was really asking about. Permanently sealing it, however that is done (whether with rivets or glue), would make it hard to clean the inside.

When I mentioned it being hinged, I didn't mean it would have a hinge attached. I meant the two clamshell like pieces would come together in a way that their overlapping pieces could be bound together by a center rod through an aligned set of holes. In other words, an integral hinge.

As for padding inside to protect the blade, the material for that padding would likely get in the way off the blade sliding in and out. So for the sake of clarity, the concept I'm describing would be used like a regular scabbard/sheath, and would only be opened at the side for cleaning. The blade would still slide in and out of the top.

Having looked at another WIP thread of a scabbard being made, it occurred to me that the decorative ring around the top and the cap piece at the bottom could be the "locks" that hold the two pieces together. Magnets would not be necessary.

Still thinking about this, as you can tell. I may draw something up to get the idea across better.

- Greg
 
That would be easily cleaned... but doesn't offer much protection against the elements. :)
 
Greg, I get what you ae talking about a litle better now. Basically two mating halves secured with a slip ring at the mouth and some other way at the tip. I kinda like the thought of that and may try it myself! All credit goes to you for the idea, of course. I have some ideas that I will keep secret until I make mine, just to see if great minds do think alike (and maybe our minds too! ;-] )


-Xander
 
Kohai999 once suggested to me that a tube-type scabbard with a removable wooden core would be practical for my Bush Waki. Definately something to think about.
 
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