Shrinking a Scabbard?

[Josh Feltman]

I just finished doing some pretty heavy reprofiling/repair on my M-43, and I've noticed that the scabbard is now a tiny bit loose. I've read the instructions for shrinking a scabbard on the HI website, but I was wondering how long you soak the scabbard before you wrap it with a belt/rope. Do you wet the whole thing or just spray some water on the leather? Do you let it dry with the khukuri in the scabbard? How much does this usually tighten the scabbard-- mine is only a tiny bit loose, and I actually like a bit of a loose fit as it is easier to draw the blade. Any thoughts or suggestions?
--Josh

 

[Bill Martino]

You might want to try a small leather shim in the mouth before you start shrinking.

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Good point Uncle, a piece of leather (or even a piece of felt) glued into the throat of the scabbard would knock out any wiggle/rattle, while still allowing a smooth draw.

Josh, if you still want to shrink the scabbard, here's how I did one for a buddy's Kobra over in Afghanistan.
- Find a safe place to temporarily store the unsheathed khuk
- Immerse the scabbard into a bucket of water, bathtub, etc., and let it soak about five minutes
- Shake off/out any excess water and wrap the scabbard stem to stern with a snugly applied ACE bandage
- Allow to dry thoroughly, inserting the khuk every few hours to check fit (don't leave the khuk in the scabbard, there's practically nothing you could do to keep wet leather/wood from rusting it if you do)
- When the fit feels right, take off the ACE bandage and allow the scabbard a little extra time to completely dry out
- Even though you may think the scabbard's dry, wood will retain moisture for several days, read that keep your khuk well oiled when you resume wearing it, or you will experience surface pitting of your blade

I'd try Uncle's suggestion first if it were me.

Sarge

 

[Josh Feltman]

Thanks for the suggestions. I played around with it last night, and I think for the time being I'm just going to leave it as-is-- the looser fit is kinda growing on me. If it starts bothering me, I'll try a little leather shim in the mouth, and if that doesn't work, I'll try the water trick.
--Josh