Introduction and sheath type question

[Joseph]

Hello,

I've just spent most of the weekend going over this site and can't believe the talent and wealth if information found here.

I'm from Canada, and have been a woodworker and outdoors man for most of my life. Knife-making has always been something I wanted to try, so, finally decided to go for it.

For the first try, I decided to purchase a 4.25" Mora laminated steel blade from Lee Valley, and make a whittling knife.

Laminated steel is supposed to stain or rust more readily, so I was planning on making a leather sheath with either a plastic or wooden lining with a drain hole at the bottom. The idea being to keep air around the blade thus allowing it to dry more easily if ever it gets wet (in case the canoe tips over).

Does this sound good...any other options an uninformed newbie should know about?

If one does decide to go the plastic or wooden lined leather sheath route, since the blade never contacts leather, would it be ok to use chrome tanned leather or should one stick to vegetable tanned?


Cheers,
Joseph

 

[CTaylorJr]

Welcome! I too am not only a newbie here, but newly back to knife making as well.

About the knife, try to keep it oiled to assist in rust prevention and ALWAYS use veggie tanned leather instead of chrome. The chrome type tends to leave nasties on the blade steels. Even though it may not be touching the blade, I wouldn't risk it.

Some of the wiser folks will be in soon to assist further I'm sure.

Charlie

 

[stabber]

Welcome Joe.

There sure is a lot of Great Talent on knifedogs. Best part is they are always willing to help!! Most things have been discussed many times so the Search feature will get you where you need to be.

 

[Joseph]

Thanks guys.

I'm still reading and getting the vocabulary down.

Very interesting stuff to learn; a bit overwhelming at first with all the topics, but very understandable at the same time.

 

[Leatherface]

welcome bro

You can make a wrapped sheath petty easy..

Just get a piece of kydex and mold that to the knife

take a thin piece of leather and lighly dampen it and warp it around the kydex and mold it really well

then drill some holes and stitch

rub the leather down really good with briwax and all is well
no worries

 

[Joseph]

Thanks Dave,

that's the plan, although I do have some thin vinyl and pvc stock that I want to try before getting the kydex.

 

[Ironwolf]

Welcome to KnifeDogs Joseph!
Nice to see another Canadian face here.
Your Mora shouldn't be too rust-prone,if it's not left/stored in the sheath for any length of time.
What I do is to water-proof the inside of my leather before I stitch it up.
When I'm fitting up my welt,I 'tack' everything in place with a few drops of Loctite CA glue (the gel type works well on leather)
then drill the holes for stitching.
Then,using a small foam applicator or brush I water-proof everything except where it's going to be stitched (because I glue-n-stitch,you don't want anything to
prevent the bond).
I've come up with a "poor man's leather press" and if you have a Search, I show how it's made and used.
Have fun amigo!

 

[Steven Janik]

Joseph,
Chrome tan near Knife blades always equals disaster. Check out a website www.twofingerknife.net
He sells plastic liners to be inserted into sheaths. The kydex works well but you will need to make an inexpensive press to get it really tight.

regards
Steve

 

[Joseph]

Thanks for the tips and leads guys, really appreciate it.

Insulating foam press, great idea!


I checked out my local cobblers, all were very nice and helpful but non stocked veggie tanned leather. The reason being that there is a large regional distributor nearby that stocks everything they need. Unfortunately, they are closed for vacation until the 8th...but they do sell directly to the public. More reading time for me!

It's funny that what lead me here was knife design ideas, but what really caught my attention was sheath making. Perhaps it's because knife-making seems more straightforward to me, whereas sheath-making has more of a "lost art" feel.

This will probably be old news to most here, but I stumbled onto a youtube video where a Polish guy is making his own sheath. What I enjoyed from watching it was to see how easily the leather responded to touch (something we don't really get from still pictures). The language is a barrier, but we being a visual bunch, it is still interesting to see. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4rGBlMrUyQ

 

[Logrus9]

That was a good video. I never knew leather could be formed by hand like that.