DIY Leather Knife Sheaths

Cottis

Well-Known Member
Not sure if these are any interest to folk?

Hilariously my mate said he hated his plastic sheath thing that comes with the Mora knives and would I mind doing him a nice leather friction sheath for his scandi cutter. They are a bit of a faff but I have had some lovely chestnut veg tan (not poorly dyed stuff) in a thicker weight sat in the corner for a while and I did keep meaning to do something with it. So we penned out a template for him and his gnarly old HD Companion (which I sharpened for him, god knows how he ever cut anything with it before) and this is the finished item.

It has turned out alright with lovely contrast through the welt after burnishing. I am not a huge fan of edge painting. It hides the natural beauty of the different layers in full grain leather and I quite like all the imperfections from whatever animal the material came from.

I am considering making a few of these to order but unsure whether it would be viable from a cost point of view. If it was for a Mora companion type knife with a fairly uniform handle without fat guards or without oversize bolsters etc, then I could do one from stuff I have hanging about but if it was for a specific knife, I would need the knife as a template and that would then leave you without a knife for a week or two. Then there is the shipping it back and paying the higher postage costs to potentially insure what could be expensive pieces of steel. I guess people would like nice sheaths for nice knives and potentially people would not want to pay more for a sheath than the cost of the actual knife. I don't know. I guess a Mora is like a tenner or twenty quid or whatever they cost these days. Clearly I cannot make these for a tenner. So not sure if there is a market for it but if anyone has a request, by all means PM me with some details, a picture of your knife etc and we can discuss whether it is something that is viable for you.

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I was planning to make a sheath for the knife I made recently, but I know for sure I couldn't match those! Maybe I'll drop you a PM sometime soon.
 
Nice work.

Just had a thought in the context of all those of a Best Practice bent that would eschew the use of leather for reasons of "contamination" or some such:

Why not maker a leather sheath that uses the hygiene-friendly plastic one supplied with such knives as an insert? This could be wet molded and of a pattern that makes it invisible to the untrained eye.

K
 
Sorry folks, been a bit hectic the last few days. Been roped in to various extra curricular work the last few days like the appalling relocation of high seats yesterday for a mate and having to entertain nephew and family etc.

I have a few emails to answer from people reference requests etc. This sheath is now in use by a mate who gobbled it up pretty quick. I ended up being not liberal enough with my template for the heavy duty companion it was designed for but it fits the standard companion snugly.

I have made another one which is soaking up some beeswax and carnauba at the moment. I altered the template a bit to take the heavy duty companion which fits the new one well. A standard companion has a slightly thinner steel and a slightly thinner handle but should also fit well as the HD is a good push fit.
 
Nice work.

Just had a thought in the context of all those of a Best Practice bent that would eschew the use of leather for reasons of "contamination" or some such:

Why not maker a leather sheath that uses the hygiene-friendly plastic one supplied with such knives as an insert? This could be wet molded and of a pattern that makes it invisible to the untrained eye.

K

It could even have a hole in the bottom to let the blood flow out and a waterproof dubbin so it could go in the dishwasher?

Yeah I rolled my eyes and tutted as well.
 
i am in the process of making some knives and I hadn't figured what to do about sheaths yet so I may tap you on the shoulder at some point, if I ever finish them :)
 
Nice work.

Just had a thought in the context of all those of a Best Practice bent that would eschew the use of leather for reasons of "contamination" or some such:

Why not maker a leather sheath that uses the hygiene-friendly plastic one supplied with such knives as an insert? This could be wet molded and of a pattern that makes it invisible to the untrained eye.

K

Heard the phrase " A step too far "
 
I was planning to make a sheath for the knife I made recently, but I know for sure I couldn't match those! Maybe I'll drop you a PM sometime soon.

No probs, just send me a pic in a PM anytime you like and I can assess and see if I have the right leather to help out.
 
Not sure if these are any interest to folk?

Hilariously my mate said he hated his plastic sheath thing that comes with the Mora knives and would I mind doing him a nice leather friction sheath for his scandi cutter. They are a bit of a faff but I have had some lovely chestnut veg tan (not poorly dyed stuff) in a thicker weight sat in the corner for a while and I did keep meaning to do something with it. So we penned out a template for him and his gnarly old HD Companion (which I sharpened for him, god knows how he ever cut anything with it before) and this is the finished item.

It has turned out alright with lovely contrast through the welt after burnishing. I am not a huge fan of edge painting. It hides the natural beauty of the different layers in full grain leather and I quite like all the imperfections from whatever animal the material came from.

I am considering making a few of these to order but unsure whether it would be viable from a cost point of view. If it was for a Mora companion type knife with a fairly uniform handle without fat guards or without oversize bolsters etc, then I could do one from stuff I have hanging about but if it was for a specific knife, I would need the knife as a template and that would then leave you without a knife for a week or two. Then there is the shipping it back and paying the higher postage costs to potentially insure what could be expensive pieces of steel. I guess people would like nice sheaths for nice knives and potentially people would not want to pay more for a sheath than the cost of the actual knife. I don't know. I guess a Mora is like a tenner or twenty quid or whatever they cost these days. Clearly I cannot make these for a tenner. So not sure if there is a market for it but if anyone has a request, by all means PM me with some details, a picture of your knife etc and we can discuss whether it is something that is viable for you.

T3UfXhV.jpg

y0qnQgF.jpg

Y4CqYqJ.jpg

FLm60jn.jpg

8f4GXli.jpg

Damn good effort! Wish I had your 'DIY' skills.
 
Damn good effort! Wish I had your 'DIY' skills.

Thanks.

As someone who has historically not really been a creative person, I find it quite satisfying and calming. There have been some impatient moments though ha ha ha. Mistakes happen at annoying times.
 
I'd definitely be interested in a sheaf for my Pat Mitchel knife. Can you please PM me with a contact number?
Happy New Year.
 
Cottis has very kindly provided an excellent sheath for my el cheapo Mora Clipper Frost go-to knife and I discover it also fits the el cheapo BushWear knife too with the guard. Following pictures are for Cottis as I cannot add pictures to a PM (if anyone can advise how I'd love to know as I've failed via iPhone, iPad and a PC) and show the sheath, the various knives and the Casstrom belt hangers I use to make it easier when sitting in cars, high seats, etc.

A lovely product and a pleasure to handle - many thanks!

Knives 1.webpKnives 2.webpKnives 3.webpKnives 4.webpKnives 5.webp

ATB

Peter
 
Cottis has very kindly provided an excellent sheath for my el cheapo Mora Clipper Frost go-to knife and I discover it also fits the el cheapo BushWear knife too with the guard. Following pictures are for Cottis as I cannot add pictures to a PM (if anyone can advise how I'd love to know as I've failed via iPhone, iPad and a PC) and show the sheath, the various knives and the Casstrom belt hangers I use to make it easier when sitting in cars, high seats, etc.

A lovely product and a pleasure to handle - many thanks!

View attachment 145774View attachment 145775View attachment 145776View attachment 145777View attachment 145778

ATB

Peter

Aha, I see what you mean about the work round for the hanger. That is a good fix and something for me to consider for future efforts. Thanks of rthe kind words and just shout if you run in to any issues.
 
Hi Cottis, I'm due to make a Sgian Duhs for a boy on the shift who is getting married in May from a roe deer antler. I don't have your skills with the leather so if I send you a picture once it's made if you think you could make a sheath to suit that would be great .
 
Those sheaths look well made. But they need some form of flap that goes over the knife handle to retain it. Sooner or later as the sheath wears in that knife will fall out. I have seen it happen to others.
 
Those sheaths look well made. But they need some form of flap that goes over the knife handle to retain it. Sooner or later as the sheath wears in that knife will fall out. I have seen it happen to others.
Yep know what you are saying. Have seen similar with poorly dimensioned sheaths which are also made from the wrong sort of leather. This is heavy weight stiff vegetable tanned full grain hide. It will fail one day but i would be amazed if it was anytime in the next five years.

Interestingly, i did screw up a sheath with this leather a while back so scrapped the whole thing but before i did, i got Miss Cottis to thread her dressing gown sash through the belt loop and i picked her up with it. Granted she is only 8 stone but even i was amazed at the strength of both the thread, the leather and my stitching
 
Hi Cottis, I'm due to make a Sgian Duhs for a boy on the shift who is getting married in May from a roe deer antler. I don't have your skills with the leather so if I send you a picture once it's made if you think you could make a sheath to suit that would be great .

Hi, thanks for your message but i am now out of this leather. It needs a certain.gauge and type to be done properly and i have run out. I am not intending to order more anytime soon as i will soon be taking another break from leatherwork but keep an eye out in future as i will get withdrawal symptoms again and will no doubt return again when i have completed current orders
 
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