Sgian Dubh sheath slippage

**Nathan** · 16th April 13, 06:49 AM

Madainn mhath à Rhabbail,

I have a very nice antler handled sgian dubh which I wear with my day tweeds. Unlike my dress sgian dubh that has a hard sheath that kind of snaps into place, this sgian dubh has a leather sheath. The problem is that when I put the knife in my hose and walk, gravity sets in and the sheath falls off, leaving the very sharp sheffield steel blade riding bare against my leg.

So far, it has not cut me or anything, but I find this annoying. Does anyone have any tricks for securing this type of leather sheath better. I obviously don't want it stuck on permanantly... Any tips would be appreciated.

Slàinte,

N

**artificer** · 16th April 13, 06:55 AM

You've got two choices,
either have a new sheath made for it (a proper wet-moulded one).

or you can try to do a bit of wet moulding on your current one, assuming that it is made of veg-tanned leather.

If you want to give it a try, wet down the sheath and wait a bit for the water to fully soak through. Then wrap your blade in cling-film (saran wrap) and put it back in the sheath.

While the leather is pliable, work it around the blade and up over the bolster/guard area. Then let it sit until the moisture has evaporated. It should be nice and firm and properly fitted to your blade.

Good luck!

ith:

**Chas** · 16th April 13, 07:08 AM

Great tip, using cling-film (saran wrap).

Regards

Chas

**tundramanq** · 16th April 13, 07:16 AM

A tighter sheath is a great idea!
I put detents in mine to keep the blade and sheath from separating when I don't want them too.
My SD sheath also has bands on it with points.
The sheath has the points on it just for "locking" it in place.
They dig into the hose and hold it quite well.

**unixken** · 16th April 13, 08:20 AM

Here's a thread that describes and shows my solution for securing a sheath in my hose, to keep it from slipping up and down. It works brilliantly.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...an-dubh-75686/

**Father Bill** · 16th April 13, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by unixken

Here's a thread that describes and shows my solution for securing a sheath in my hose, to keep it from slipping up and down. It works brilliantly.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...an-dubh-75686/

I only wish that I was skilled enough at stitching! Ah well; perhaps sufficient motivation here.

**creagdhubh** · 16th April 13, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by artificer

You've got two choices,
either have a new sheath made for it (a proper wet-moulded one).

or you can try to do a bit of wet moulding on your current one, assuming that it is made of veg-tanned leather.

If you want to give it a try, wet down the sheath and wait a bit for the water to fully soak through. Then wrap your blade in cling-film (saran wrap) and put it back in the sheath.

While the leather is pliable, work it around the blade and up over the bolster/guard area. Then let it sit until the moisture has evaporated. It should be nice and firm and properly fitted to your blade.

Good luck!

ith:

***

Superb advice, Scott. Clear, concise and simple.

**Nathan** · 16th April 13, 10:53 AM

Thanks for the tips! I'll try them. Sheath this this style.

sgian dubh.jpg

**Dale Seago** · 16th April 13, 11:11 AM

Wet-molded leather works very well indeed. My own sgian and sheath (made for me by someone here at Xmarks) stay firmly in place -- though I'm sure the fact that I use garter ties rather than flashes helps with that. The knife essentially "snaps into" the sheath, yet draws from my hose with no "drag" noticeable. You can see how it was done, here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=86ea3c07b3

As far as doing your own wet-molding is concerned, I once made a wet-molded thick leather half-liner fitted to the inside of a steel broadsword basket. Instead of using water, though, I used isopropyl alcohol (aka "rubbing alcohol") -- wets the leather just as well, and dries more rapidly than water with no worries about rust. After the liner was "set" and dry to the touch, I baked it at low heat for a while to really harden it. (One doesn't want to get punctured through the basket, don't you know!). It worked very well.

**artificer** · 16th April 13, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Dale Seago

Wet-molded leather works very well indeed. My own sgian and sheath (made for me by someone here at Xmarks) stay firmly in place -- though I'm sure the fact that I use garter ties rather than flashes helps with that. The knife essentially "snaps into" the sheath, yet draws from my hose with no "drag" noticeable. You can see how it was done, here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=86ea3c07b3

As far as doing your own wet-molding is concerned, I once made a wet-molded thick leather half-liner fitted to the inside of a steel broadsword basket. Instead of using water, though, I used isopropyl alcohol (aka "rubbing alcohol") -- wets the leather just as well, and dries more rapidly than water with no worries about rust. After the liner was "set" and dry to the touch, I baked it at low heat for a while to really harden it. (One doesn't want to get punctured through the basket, don't you know!). It worked very well.

The only issue with using alcohol (and this is true of spirit based dyes as well) is that it can cause the leather to become very brittle, if you're not careful.
It shouldn't be too much of an issue with something as small as a knife sheath, but given how tight a wet moulded sheath can fit it could be problematic on some knife styles.

ith: