Tips for a center seam sheath

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

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I've got a sort of gold rush bowie or " California knife " style project planned ( I've got the knife and silver handled carving fork on the way ) and was thinking of going with a center seam style sheath for it.

I've never made one before and I'm not sure how one would go about forming a center seam sheath that follows the contours of a clip point blade.
Would I need a wood insert ?


I would love any tips or tricks to making such a sheath if anyone here has made one before.

Also what would the fittings be called for a Bowie scabbard and is there a place to find basic ones at a good price ( barring you can actually buy them ) if I was inclined to go this route ?
 
have a look at scandi sheats, they are made with a center seam.
I make them without a wooden insert but it could be done.

Make a measuring strip out of the actual leather you'll make the sheath out of and measure at several points, but do not let the sheat become narrower towards the top(the wider bottom has to go trough)
 
I haven't made that style sheath, but it seems to me, you could just glue a welt in where you wanted the seam. Then run a row of stitching down the center of it. Or depending how the cutting edge was oriented, you might not need the welt to protect the stitching, and just stitch in the seam where you want it.

As for fittings? What do you want this scabbard to look like? Where will you carry it? Left side, right side, back, in waist band? how will you carry it? Dangler, cross draw vertical, horizontal, scout style, upside down? All of that can make a difference on what fittings are needed. On this one I just needed a couple of snaps.

ACtC-3eETaueY3DioQEKQjquhXoyOJ0-cv098n0s31KXs7KKImPgv-t6WNhMvB_gjs8u7fyyKSEJhcAWMCi8PCPO_BM7Ri1j18EjWP3DYgQFCMldBWPzRS5MU9JG992wRQww_G6i9EyKyE9elfrJqBXU4GhF=w360
ACtC-3cHXLY7vb1hVy8rI7jCDNQiVKRy4DbP3ZsENZtKobd5nvtqyMDuNtvbj27uQ1fS8HR31tHU6dSGxQqJDBbSjVd0bUzf-7n9u8cahDM9bPw7jdT5nP2JI7dXZq85da_2hlW2WcyPUJ83_zxodVR4Czn4=w360

You can get snaps, rivets, D rings, chicago screws, john brown studs, buckles and more at Tandy, and I would think any other leather craft supply place, including the big river site.

O.B.
 
Old Biker said:
I haven't made that style sheath, but it seems to me, you could just glue a welt in where you wanted the seam. Then run a row of stitching down the center of it. Or depending how the cutting edge was oriented, you might not need the welt to protect the stitching, and just stitch in the seam where you want it.

As for fittings? What do you want this scabbard to look like? Where will you carry it? Left side, right side, back, in waist band? how will you carry it? Dangler, cross draw vertical, horizontal, scout style, upside down? All of that can make a difference on what fittings are needed. On this one I just needed a couple of snaps.

ACtC-3eETaueY3DioQEKQjquhXoyOJ0-cv098n0s31KXs7KKImPgv-t6WNhMvB_gjs8u7fyyKSEJhcAWMCi8PCPO_BM7Ri1j18EjWP3DYgQFCMldBWPzRS5MU9JG992wRQww_G6i9EyKyE9elfrJqBXU4GhF=w360
ACtC-3cHXLY7vb1hVy8rI7jCDNQiVKRy4DbP3ZsENZtKobd5nvtqyMDuNtvbj27uQ1fS8HR31tHU6dSGxQqJDBbSjVd0bUzf-7n9u8cahDM9bPw7jdT5nP2JI7dXZq85da_2hlW2WcyPUJ83_zxodVR4Czn4=w360

You can get snaps, rivets, D rings, chicago screws, john brown studs, buckles and more at Tandy, and I would think any other leather craft supply place, including the big river site.

O.B.
Click to expand...
This is what I've got in mind.
 
Hickory n steel said:
This is what I've got in mind.
Click to expand...

Hmm, yeah, I haven't seen something like that listed for sale. Maybe someone else has a source. I'm thinking you might have to make your own. It shouldn't be to hard. Get a thin sheet of brass, or metal of your choice. Form it around the sheath and solder in the back. You can probably find thin brass sheet at your local hardware store. If not Jantz knife supply and Texas knife supple, both sell several different kinds of metal sheets, copper ,brass, nickle silver. I would make the sheath, and then whittle and sand a wooden mold, the same size and shape, to do the metal forming and soldering on.

O.B.
 
Old Biker said:
Hmm, yeah, I haven't seen something like that listed for sale. Maybe someone else has a source. I'm thinking you might have to make your own. It shouldn't be to hard. Get a thin sheet of brass, or metal of your choice. Form it around the sheath and solder in the back. You can probably find thin brass sheet at your local hardware store. If not Jantz knife supply and Texas knife supple, both sell several different kinds of metal sheets, copper ,brass, nickle silver. I would make the sheath, and then whittle and sand a wooden mold, the same size and shape, to do the metal forming and soldering on.

O.B.
Click to expand...
I think I'm going to have to pass on the fittings.
The nickel silver is going to cost a bit too much for me to likely waste not knowing what I'm doing, and copper from the local hardware won't match this silver handle I'll be using.
Maybe I can use aluminum and give it some kind of wash ?
 
Last edited:
Old Biker said:
$15 for a .032" X 6" X 12" seemed affordable to me. But what do I know?

O.B.
Click to expand...
Thats what I thought, but with shipping it would cost me almost $30.

Chances are I'd go through the whole sheet trying to get it right and the results would not be that great.
From what I've read the tip which I found out is called a Chape is generally not a very easy thing to make, I will practice at this skill with material I have on hand so I can potentially make one in the future but at this point I'm not ready to spend material on this.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Thats what I thought, but with shipping it would cost me almost $30.

Chances are I'd go through the whole sheet trying to get it right and the results would not be that great.
From what I've read the tip which I found out is called a Good Luck is generally not a very easy thing to make, I will practice at this skill with material I have on hand so I can potentially make one in the future but at this point I'm not ready to spend material on this.
Click to expand...

Practicing with what you have makes a lot of sense. I can see how the angles involved complicate things. I hope it proves easier than you expect. Good luck.

O.B.
 
The tip and throat of this type of sheath are made using metal forms fabricated to duplicate the sheath shape. Typically, they are done in two halves then silver soldered together (assuming nickel silver). When polished, the joint will almost be invisible. It does take some time and skill but can be pulled off with some patience and care. The interior piece is generally made from layers of heavy leather designed to hold the blade securely and then wrapped with thin leather and stitched on the back. It can also be wood formed to fit and the covered but that is less common.
 
Robber58 said:
The tip and throat of this type of sheath are made using metal forms fabricated to duplicate the sheath shape. Typically, they are done in two halves then silver soldered together (assuming nickel silver). When polished, the joint will almost be invisible. It does take some time and skill but can be pulled off with some patience and care. The interior piece is generally made from layers of heavy leather designed to hold the blade securely and then wrapped with thin leather and stitched on the back. It can also be wood formed to fit and the covered but that is less common.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the Info.
I've decided to skip the fittings, but now have to decide whether I want to go with leather inside or thin plywood which I have loads of.
 
Btw I got a message today from the seller of the carving fork, and because they couldn't get it out in the mail as soon as they would have liked they're refunding the cost of the item itself.

I was happy with $10 for it but $5 is even better.
 
Split some larger caliber rifle brass down and practice making shapes with that. Once you got the dance down, you can pony up for the nickel silver and it wont seem so risky then.
 
I guess I'm miss understanding you by what you mean by center seam?
 
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