Thank you sheathmaker

G

G1ZM0

Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Messages
82
Got my sheath today for GCA pt2. It looks great. I also got the cap. Thanks to all involved.

Front



Open






Back
 
Yeah, that sheathmaker.....

Not only is he quite the jokester, ( :D ), I'd have to agree he makes a dam_ fine sheath.

Bill
 
That sheath is nice. I already have plans to have a sharpfinger sheath and hunting pouch made to match the 15OT sheath I have coming from Paul in a few weeks. And then there's that 171UH Pro Hunter without a decent sheath. And the two very old original laced 15OT patent pending sheaths to be restored. And then the...... :D

Nice work Paul!

Codger :thumbup:
 
Paul has been a pleasure to work with. He took my suggestions, my knife, his creativity and skills and made a beautiful sheath to go with a 15OT rescale knife for me. I sent him an old original knife to make his pattern from since the mammoth tusk ivory has not been applied yet to the knife, but sent him pictures of the ivory scale blanks. Here is what he designed for me:



I am showing it with a staglon DU version of the 15OT, but you can get an idea of how it will match the mammoth ivory. I apologize for the poor scan. I still do not have a good camera.

The inserts are dark brown "hornback" alligator hide and the sheath is Hermann oak vegetable tanned leather, trimmed with "tobacco" deerskin.

His design overcame the shortcomings of all the versions of the original sheaths, mostly caused by the deep belly and high clip point of the blade. The knife rests and locks up on the extended choil before the tip has a chance to pierce the end of the sheath. It fits deeply enough into the throat to eliminate the need for a keeper strap and long belt hanger, allowing the knife to ride higher when worn for more security and less swing.

The stitched edge, (where on the first original sheaths was laced with thongs often cut by users, then protected by metal eyelets, then finally by rivets) is fitted by Paul with skived (angular sliced and thinned) gussets of matching leather, so that the blade cannot reach the thread. The sheath is folded, semi-tubular and very finely detailed with stitching (16 to the inch on the inlays, throat, and deerskin belthanger covering, 6 to the inch on the perimeter) and nicely detailed with stamped tooling, including a pebbleing that can't be seen in the scan, a detail most makers would have skipped.

After I finished admiring the front of the sheath, I turned it over. "M LITTLE" over the maker's cartouche with "10-05" under. My children and grandchildren will quarrel over this knife and sheath years after I am gone, and they will belong with my own grandfather's Smith & Wesson and Dad's .30-30 Winchester.

If I sound pleased, it is because I am. I can see why his skills are in demand by custom knife makers. Sheathmaker exceeded my expectations and I have comissioned another one, and sent him a 1965 sheath for reproduction.

Thankyou Sheathmaker!
Codger
 
Very nice indeed! Thanks for sharing. How do we contact sheathmaker? Think I need his fine talent for more than 1 knife. Would that be El Lobo? Looks like it might be from his post.
 
That would be Paul from Tejas. His nom de guere here is.... sheathmaker! Go to a thread where he posted, most recently in the last page of the "Sticky", click his name, click "send an e-mail to sheathmaker". I'll post another picture when the sheaths he is now working on for me are done. Hopefully done with a good quality digital camera. This picture was a scan that was like looking at a poloroid of of a custom car. The details that make it special just don't come through!

Codger

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/member.php?u=141951
 
:thumbup:
Codger_64 said:
That would be Paul from Tejas. His nom de guere here is.... sheathmaker! Go to a thread where he posted, most recently in the last page of the "Sticky", click his name, click "send an e-mail to sheathmaker". I'll post another picture when the sheaths he is now working on for me are done. Hopefully done with a good quality digital camera. This picture was a scan that was like looking at a poloroid of of a custom car. The details that make it special just don't come through!

Codger

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/member.php?u=141951
Click to expand...

Thank you Codger.
 
The sheath for my 165OT came today, made in the style of the original early 15OT laced sheath, as well as a prototype of a replacement sheath for the 15OT also done in the original style.

To my shock (and Paul's dismay), the ragged original sheath I had sent him to take apart to use as a pattern for the reproduction was... was....Well, do you remember when you got home with that cheese from the market and read on the package "Immitation processed cheese food substitute"??? The leather of that old sheath was not leather at all, but reprocessed lether scrap fibers, pressed into a leather-like substitute with some sort of binder. No wonder those old sheaths are rare! Needless to say, it was agreed that real leather would be better for the reproduction sheath, and upgraded to better lacing (cowhide laces aren't very durable, but kangaroo is!), with the thin gusset in the laced edge to protect the laces. Paul did not attempt to make a "fake" original sheath, as that was not my or his original intent.


I think the replacements sheaths turned out a lot better than the originals I have seen. And I know they are better constructed. What do you guys think?

Codger
 
Guys familiar with the Schrade 15OT Deerslayer and 152OT Sharpfinger readily recognize the family resemblence. Both were children of Henry Baer, well, o.k, designs of Henry Baer, introduced about ten years apart. After receiving Paul's custom sheath for my 15OTM Mammothslayer, I wanted a matching one for a mammoth rescaled Sharpfinger. Scaling the details of the large 15OTM to the 152OTM was a challenge, I am sure, but it translated quite well I think. Here is the result.


Fred and Nemo, eat your hearts out! :D

Codger
 
Those are truly awesome Codger!! I might even get to like fixed blades with knives and sheathwork like that.

Paul even put a CLIP on my FOLDER sheath, since I don't wear a belt with my shorts. It turned out just perfectly. He is an artist for sure.

Bill
 
I looked with much envy on ole Codgers dealings with the Sheathmaker and after some good old horse trading we came up with another beauty. This is one awesome job done for me by the Sheathmaker! He even put my initials on it.
PF-171.jpg

I am beyond pleased.

Thanks
Larry
 
OK now I am getting the bug. I have been buying some blades and putting some handles on them, (not really knife making, but as close as I can get at this point with the equipment I have). It is a lot of fun! My youngest son is doing some with me. Once I get them finished I will have to send a knife or two to Sheathmaker for custom sheaths.
For now I have to go a bunch of kitchen knives for my daughters, wife and Mother, Christmas is coming soon.

Having seen pics of several of Sheathmakers sheaths I think his are some of the finest I have seen!
 
Having four of his custom made sheaths, I can honestly say that they are as fine in detail as Larry's sheath appears to be in the above picture. I am only sorry that I do not have a camera that can show the rich details, perfect stitching, and tooling. There is a surprise in the offing with another project he is considering for me. Designing and discussing has only begun. That is one of the things that makes Paul's sheaths so truly unique. Not only does he pour his talent and skill into each one, and make it fit the knife, he makes it fit the owner! No factory could produce the quality of product he does. Afterall, he IS the...Sheathmaker!

Codger
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top