Today is sheath day for me. I'm catching up on a batch of military, hunting, survival and kitchen knives.
Many years ago, when I started making, I got the same range of advice on sheaths that you've got here. Some guys hate it, some like it, some view it as a necessity.
I've been to shows where you'll see nothing but blades and handles on the table, and when the sale is almost complete, the client asks for the sheath. The maker pulls out a "brown bag" piece of untooled crap he's been hiding all day. The client frowns...
The most often seen piece of hardware of a custom knife is the sheath. It's the part seen when worn, noticed in the display case, and handed to others to examine.
One attitude is that the sheath is an accessory, an "after the fact" requirement only provided to have someplace to store the blade.
WRONG.
The knife sheath has many functions. Number one is to protect the wearer from the cutting edge and point. Another is to allow fittings and straps to comfortably carry his tool. Another is to protect the tool from the elements, abrasion, and being removed from the wearer. Another is to help him not loose it in the wilderness. Another is to properly give access of the tool to the wearer in an immediate situation.
For a collector's knife, the purpose is somewhat different. The knife may be stored "with" the sheath and not "in" it, or it may be transferred or shipped in the it's protective sheath, or it may be used to lay the handle across in his display case on his credenza.
But make no mistake about it! The sheath is part of the knife! The maker needs to assure that the sheath will match perfectly his work. He needs to be able to tune the leather, kydex, polymer, or whatever to his knife, to assure proper fit, clearances, and safety. If it's too tight, the wearer can suffer "jerk and cut." If too loose, you'll hear a disgruntled client telling you how your beautiful knife is somewhere in the vast wilderness attracting ravens...
I live by the creed that the sheath or stand should be commensurate with the quality of the knife. It is part of the deal, folks, and I realized that I would get as good at making sheaths and stands as the knives themselves. This is what's called ART.
That is why I do everything from inlaid exotic skinned hand tooled leathers to military locking sheaths used on HALO jumps. That is why I can make whatever the client wants, complete, without other artistic input or ideas, and guarantee it for my lifetime. This is what leads to true knife sculpture.
So get in there with attitude! It's just leather, after all. And you can make a neat little set of knives to carve it in astounding ways. Take a look at my site and others for ideas. It'll make your sheaths sale-closers, not sale-breakers!
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Read, Study, Learn, Grow
-DO-
Jay
www.gilanet.com/JayFisher/index.htm
