Slip questions, ideas.

JM2

JM2

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Mar 11, 2013
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I’m thinking about making a slip for at least some of my knives. I don’t do embossing, but basic leather work is easy enough. Well I need ideas. And I have questions.

So, do you normally dedicate a slip to a knife? Or do you use the same slip for many knives? Or do folks do a combo of both?

And does the slip actually cover the entire knife or does it leave the bolster proud for easy grabbing?

What about a double slip. Say for a combo like a tribal lock and a med stockman? Or a 75 pattern stockman and a medium jack. Would it be better to have the face of it reveal the bolsters and the back go full length?

Pics of knives in slips would be appreciated, as well as all pics of slips and traditional knives.

Thanks for reading and sharing.
 
I carry almost all of my Stag handled knives in a slip , but I have way more Stag handled knives than I do Slips . You will find that a slip will adequately fit quite a few of the knives that you may have .

Harry
 
I think just a few sizes of slips will fit a lot of knives, bearing in mind that the thickness of the knives matter as well as their length. I like slips that cover the bolsters, but with the stitching short of the top so the bolster can be pinched between thumb and index finger, from blade tang to backspring. Here's a simple (crude) sueded leather slip I made, with an old Camillus made Buck 307.
https://imgur.com/a/llojQ5I
Here's it inside.
https://imgur.com/a/b0VCBRU
The Buck is 4 1/4" long. The slip is 4 5/8" long by 2 1/4" wide (flat).
 
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I like to pair a larger knife with a small one. If my pants don't have a watch pocket, I'll sometimes carry the smaller one in a slip so they don't bang around in the same pocket.

I've made a number of slightly different sized and shaped slips, to accommodate my "watch pocket knives"

I suggest you just go for it! Experiment with a couple different styles and see what you like.
P5sNQM1.jpg

5bQEo6y.jpg
 
These 3 knives find their way into my pocket a lot. I've got a bunch of slips to choose from, but these do the trick for me. They all cover the bolster and are tight enough that I need to squeeze the slip on the sides and "pour" the knife into my hand. Not a one handed operation, but I don't want the knife to slip out of the slip and out of my pocket.
MoCULQn.jpg

Here's some others that I use, depending on what kind of day it's going to be. A few of them are "danglers", looped around your belt or belt loop and dropped in the pocket.
I use whatever best fits the knife I want to carry for the day.
D626xLF.jpg
 
My main reason for using a slip is to keep the knife vertical in my pocket. I've found the rectangular shaped slips perform this function a little better than oval shaped slips. I also want my slips to be made from a more rigid high quality leather. I don't want cheap flimsy leather. That's like putting your knife into a wet noodle. Each knife gets its own slip. Ideally with good quality leather the slip will form around your knife as it breaks in and this will create a sheath-like effect. The aging process of a good quality slip can be as satisfying as the knife it carries.
 
I appreciate all the replies. Definitely some interesting ideas.

The dangler ones, I guess they are made to loop on your belt, with the idea that the knife can’t come out even if the slip slides out of your pocket? I spose you’d have a chance of losing the knife and slip both if you were wearing slacks.
 
Signalprick said:
My main reason for using a slip is to keep the knife vertical in my pocket.
Click to expand...
Same here. I've also found that a slip is less slippery then most knives. That extra friction keeps my slip joints from slipping out of my pocket, which happened more then once to me.
JM2 said:
The dangler ones, I guess they are made to loop on your belt, with the idea that the knife can’t come out even if the slip slides out of your pocket? I spose you’d have a chance of losing the knife and slip both if you were wearing slacks.
Click to expand...
I've never had that happen. My dangler slips hang far enough inside my pockets to pretty much eliminate that as a consideration. This particular slip allows me to attach a shorter or longer lanyard to keep it secure and positioned properly. A little OCD I guess, but it works for me.
IRoPAr9.jpg
 
JM2 said:
I’m thinking about making a slip for at least some of my knives. I don’t do embossing, but basic leather work is easy enough. Well I need ideas. And I have questions.

So, do you normally dedicate a slip to a knife? Or do you use the same slip for many knives? Or do folks do a combo of both?

And does the slip actually cover the entire knife or does it leave the bolster proud for easy grabbing?

What about a double slip. Say for a combo like a tribal lock and a med stockman? Or a 75 pattern stockman and a medium jack. Would it be better to have the face of it reveal the bolsters and the back go full length?

Pics of knives in slips would be appreciated, as well as all pics of slips and traditional knives.

Thanks for reading and sharing.
Click to expand...
I have done a few simple slips for my SAK´s.
https://imgur.com/h08GWy5
Very simple fold-over with stitching on the sides. I make the back part a little longer so I can have a lanyard attached to the belt while the slip/knife is in my pocket. I wet shape them for each knife to get a snug fit.
I think of sheats for folders in two ways. One is to protect the knife from getting dirt and scratches when in the pocket, and not to accidentaly loose it. The other is to actually carry the knife in it. Like attached to the belt like a fixedblade. I prefer to carry my smaller knives naked in the coinpocket or front pocket. But when they are around 9cm i find it more comfortable with a slip in the front pocket
https://imgur.com/ivj9bdg
 
Some nifty ideas. Thanks for all the replies. My main thing I guess is I want to carry 2 knives sometimes and not have them grinding around together in my “knife” pocket.

But also, I’ve never made a slip so I want to give it a try. I have made a few bolsters and sheaths. Made 1 belt with loops that turned out pretty good.
 
I like my slips to protect the knife completely and with a squeeze, drop the knife in my hand. I prefer soft leather with a little firmness but not so much that it feels like a brick is in my pocket. Simple with no frills or special braids… stamped initials or logo are cool though. Can’t wait to see some of your work. There’s some real nice slips on this thread. Here’s some I’ve picked up over the years.

482A5F83-F19B-4B4F-A957-F8586CD8F384.jpeg
 
Peregrin said:
These 3 knives find their way into my pocket a lot. I've got a bunch of slips to choose from, but these do the trick for me. They all cover the bolster and are tight enough that I need to squeeze the slip on the sides and "pour" the knife into my hand. Not a one handed operation, but I don't want the knife to slip out of the slip and out of my pocket.
MoCULQn.jpg

Here's some others that I use, depending on what kind of day it's going to be. A few of them are "danglers", looped around your belt or belt loop and dropped in the pocket.
I use whatever best fits the knife I want to carry for the day.
D626xLF.jpg
Click to expand...
Some of those look like they'd carry a DAN's size Arkansas pocket stone as well.
They all look great. 👍
 
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