Sheaths for Bushcrafts

[Martin Swinkels]

I'm working on some kydex-leather combi's for the Koster Bushie, and this is progress so far.

Liners are formed:

Here the leather is drying into shape after wetforming.
3 different kinds of leather I used.
The left one is made of lappleather. it's very thin (1.7 mm), but very stiff and strong. It's the lightweight.
The bottom one is made of 2mm halftanned, the one above in the middle also, and the one on the right is made from 3 mm halftanned. It's still a bit wet, hence the darker color.

After drying, i'll glue and stitch the beltloops. wet it again a bit on the outside, glue it shut and stitch it up. trim it, sand it, paint it and wax it.

There is no retentionstrap, since the blad is very lightweight, and retention is provided by the kydex (smooth klack) and friction will suffice for most outdoor scenario's.
On the upperbeltloop a rectangular ring will be attached to transform it into a dangler. This ring runs freely on the upper loop, and will stay out of the way on the bottom of the loop when not in use.
The beltloop is placed a little to the back of the grip, so it will not interfere when grabbing the sheathed knife. Use your thumb to push it out, for a onehanded draw.
The sheath on the right will have a square bottom with a lanyardhole btw.

I'll make more pics along the way..

Thanks for looking
martin


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[Allen Newberry]

Those look nice. I look forward to seeing how they turn out.

Allen

 

[jonesjp@surry.net]

they do look good and very functional. Thanks for the walk-through.

 

[Daniel Koster]

great pics and write up so far...please keep us posted! :thumbup:

 

[Martin Swinkels]

I finished 2 today..

Here's a pic after the beltloops have been stitched, the waxing of the inside.

Three cups in a row showing the difference in thickness. The lappleather, still untreated measures 0.06" or 1.5 mm. Taht'll be a slick one.

The finished sheaths

The left one is made of a heavier grade leather, and weighs 66 grams (2.32 ounce). The right one weighs 52 grams (1.83 ounce), and is a liitle more compact also.


The ring to attach the dangler too sits out of the way

Starts to rain a bit.. Heck, they're made for that


Easy to grab with four fingers, and pushed out by the thumb.

Small sheaths do enhance the toolmarks indeed :foot:

Retention is fine. No rattling or fear of losing them, but easy to draw one-handed.
And they're all integral. Made from a single piece of leather. Even the small welt is made from the same piece..

Hope you like 'em
Have a Nice Day!
martin

 

[Fiddleback]

Martin,

Thats fantastic work bro!

 

[Allen Newberry]

That does look like some great leather work.

Allen

 

[trestle]

Beautiful work, Martin, you've raised your level again.

You're giving me some new ideas as well, I might have to buy some more knives :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[trestle]

Did you get any pics of the sheath with the square bottom?

 

[Daniel Koster]

Martin - we need to talk.


First, though...can you make the sheath go up over the handle just a bit more? about 1/2"-3/4" ? (take the loop up 1/2-3/4" as well) I like to see the leather go up to the fullest part of the swell in the handle.

If this is not an unreasonable request, let me know...I'd like to pick up a few to play around with here.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[Martin Swinkels]

PM send !

 

[Jikidahou]

Your sheaths really let the materials speak for themselves--- fabulous work!:thumbup:
I like Dan's idea of raising the top of the sheath to the swell of the handle. That would enhance the scandi look. Thanks for sharing the pics...

 

[resinguy]

Those look REALLY good. :thumbup:

How did you do the kydex? is it just wrapped/folded like a taco, and the seam is not closed?

 

[Martin Swinkels]

Those look REALLY good. :thumbup:

How did you do the kydex? is it just wrapped/folded like a taco, and the seam is not closed?

Yes.
And the leather is keeping it shut.

This only works with scandigrinds or certain convex grinds. Before the edge reaches the stitching, the stitching will allready be broken.



Thanks for the compliments!
martin

 

[Jeepnut22]

Crap!! Those are nice!!

Will you make any to order? I have a DIY Bushcraft kit coming and would love one of those for it once I am done with my handles... :thumbup:

 

[Martin Swinkels]

Crap!! Those are nice!!

Will you make any to order? I have a DIY Bushcraft kit coming and would love one of those for it once I am done with my handles... :thumbup:

I'll be more then happy to sheath your knife, but you'll have to send it in for a good fit. The kydex is molded to the blade, and tolerances are small.
I could send you a d.i.y. kit tho.. :thumbup:

 

[bladerunner67]

Martin, what are your prices for one done in the Lappleather and will I need to send you my knife for one of the 4 inch blades.

Thanks,

Dan

 

[Martin Swinkels]

PM send.

please direct all questions about pricing and availability of the sheaths directly to my e-mail adress or PM. I don't want to use Dan's forum for this. Thank you!

 

[hollowdweller]

Beautiful but wish they were waxed stiff w/o the kydex. Wouldn't be so bad with the bushcraft rough finish flats but kydex scratches up the finish of the blade so much.

 

[Daniel Koster]

on any blades except as-forged O1, the scratches should be minimal.


The final thing I do to the flats before glue-up is to put them up to a scotchbrite belt (which does exactly what you can imagine rubbing a scotchbrite pad across a blade would do). It blends scratches longitudinally (from butt to tip). So, putting it in/out of a kydex sheath (or liner) shouldn't really show scratches much, if at all.

The only problem would be if you got some grit in there and didn't clean it out...then it might leave some scratches or marks.

:thumbup:

Dan