returning a sgian dubh to hose?

**Ryan Ross** · 4th February 10, 01:54 PM

Ah, thanks for the intel, good sir! Please permit me to ask three more questions:

What weight leather did you used for this project?

The blade I intend to make a sheath for is high carbon, and not the stainless kind. Should I wrap the blade in plastic wrap while doing the molding (I assume that the blade has to stay in the sheath while it sets up, but perhaps not)?

Did you complete the sewing first, and molding after (I assume once again, but wanted to ask anyway)?

Thanks a million!

And to the moderators- Terribly sorry for the threadjack. I vow to leave this matter in peace, after my next post.

-Ryan

**Tobus** · 4th February 10, 02:01 PM

in regards to your earlier comment on molded sheaths, do you know if anyone has put up a tutorial on making them, or some such? I've been thinking it would be just the thing for my McRae sgian.

Knife sheaths are among the easiest leather goodies to make yourself. I'm sure you can search the internet for basic knife sheath instructions. The hardest part will be stitching it by hand if you've never done it before.

What cavscout said is pretty much it. You make the sheath, wet it, form it around the knife, and let it dry in place. It will keep that shape. You'll want to oil the outside and finish it then.

The sheath shown in cavscout's post is about as simple as it gets, and should be easy to make. I will say, though, that most leather workers who make sheaths will put a filler piece between the two pieces of leather at the stitch line. It gets trimmed out around the shape of the blade before everything is stitched together and acts like a spacer. This does two things. First, it gives the blade more relief inside the sheath so that the sheath is not tight around the sharp edges. Second, it protects the stitching from being cut when you draw or sheath the blade. The sharp edge will rub the leather spacer piece, instead of cutting through the thread.

I'd post some pictures of other knife sheaths my wife and I have made as examples of what I'm talking about, but since they're not for traditional Scottish knives, I'm afraid they would probably be against the rules of this board.

**cavscout** · 4th February 10, 02:10 PM

I'll put my responses beside your questions below. As for spacers, they aren't really necessary in this application as the sheath is supposed to be fitted as close to the blade as possible and so secure it well. A blade that has more contours and thickness would require more room in the sheath but a sgian dubh pretty much tapers from one edge to the other and so will slide in and out very easy. The close molding and a bit of extra width ensures the blade doesn't cut the stitching. Also being in my hose, a spacer would have created a more noticeable bulge that I wanted to prevent.

Originally Posted by Ryan Ross

Ah, thanks for the intel, good sir! Please permit me to ask three more questions:

What weight leather did you used for this project? About 7/8 oz veg-tanned

The blade I intend to make a sheath for is high carbon, and not the stainless kind. Should I wrap the blade in plastic wrap while doing the molding (I assume that the blade has to stay in the sheath while it sets up, but perhaps not)? Yes, I smear Vaseline on the blade and wrap anything that might touch the wet leather with a layer of plastic wrap. Too much and you won't get the snug fit you want so a layer or two is plenty.

Did you complete the sewing first, and molding after (I assume once again, but wanted to ask anyway)? The leather will shrink a bit so I soak it first then sew the sheath together and then mold the sheath to the knife and let it dry.

With water you have a lot of time to work with the leather but I imagine with alcohol the process needs to move much faster since it evaporates at a faster rate.

Thanks a million!

And to the moderators- Terribly sorry for the threadjack. I vow to leave this matter in peace, after my next post.

-Ryan

**Ryan Ross** · 4th February 10, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tobus

Knife sheaths are among the easiest leather goodies to make yourself. I'm sure you can search the internet for basic knife sheath instructions. The hardest part will be stitching it by hand if you've never done it before.

What cavscout said is pretty much it. You make the sheath, wet it, form it around the knife, and let it dry in place. It will keep that shape. You'll want to oil the outside and finish it then.

The sheath shown in cavscout's post is about as simple as it gets, and should be easy to make. I will say, though, that most leather workers who make sheaths will put a filler piece between the two pieces of leather at the stitch line. It gets trimmed out around the shape of the blade before everything is stitched together and acts like a spacer. This does two things. First, it gives the blade more relief inside the sheath so that the sheath is not tight around the sharp edges. Second, it protects the stitching from being cut when you draw or sheath the blade. The sharp edge will rub the leather spacer piece, instead of cutting through the thread.

I'd post some pictures of other knife sheaths my wife and I have made as examples of what I'm talking about, but since they're not for traditional Scottish knives, I'm afraid they would probably be against the rules of this board.

Thanks very much, sir! I've done a little bit of hand stitching of leather before, so that should be no problem. I imagine I'll hit up my local Tandy for some scraps of veg tanned leather in what seems like a good weight, and see what I can do!