1. Prepare a piece of thin cardboard or thick paper. Place on it the knife for which you will sew your leather case. The template or paper pattern for the future case should be with some margin, and note! – it is not symmetrical. Its rear part has an extension, which finished form will go down towards the blade. If desired, you can sew slots into it through which the waist belt is threaded, and your knife case will turn into a real sheath. This is convenient when traveling outdoors and in camping conditions. A knife in a sheath, always at hand, on the belt - it’s cool, masculine.

2. Cut out the template with scissors so that you can try it on the knife and make sure that everything is done correctly. Our knife will fit freely into the case and at the same time it will not fall out of it.

3. If you are happy with the result, then fold the template in half and cut off all excess so that the fastening points are even and can be sewn nicely and evenly.

4. Take tape and glue the template around the edges. Move the knife around inside the template to make sure nothing is blocking its movement, it doesn't get stuck anywhere, and you're happy with it.

5. Cut off all the excess again so that the edges are evenly aligned, and you do not have to struggle with sewing the edges of the leather blank.

Leather blank or pattern

6. It’s time to make a leather pattern using our template. Take a piece of leather and draw a pattern along the contour on the wrong side of the piece of leather. Where it looks like suede, rough.

We will cut it exactly according to the template. Well, maybe with a little allowance. A millimeter and a half. Do not overdo it so that the knife does not slip out of the sheath or dangle in it.

Please note

You need to cut the pattern on the skin with a very sharp knife, well secured in the holder (so as not to cut your hands), a straight razor (there are special rotary knives for leather) or a surgical scalpel. Carefully!

Sharp, precise actions will eliminate stretching and unevenness from the workpiece and make the cut perfectly even. Depends on it appearance a ready-made knife sheath that you make with your own hands.

Skin formation

7. Now we need to add volume to our workpiece. As a form for volume, we use the same knife for which the case is intended.
Let's take a soft one cling film and wrap it in several layers around the blade and handle of our knife. So that it becomes thicker than it actually is, but at the same time retains its shape. This will give the same volumetric gap that is necessary for maximum convenience when using a ready-made cover.

8. Heat water in a low bowl and, while still very hot, carefully lower the part of our leather blank that will be the sheath itself. A few minutes is enough. The part of the skin that is immersed in water will bubble - this is air entering the pores of the skin. The part that will be the fastener does not need to be soaked.

Attention

Use oven mitts and a kitchen towel to prevent burns.

9. Take kitchen towel, lay it out on the table and carefully pull out our wet workpiece onto it. Blot off excess water on both sides with a towel. Place our knife, wrapped in cling film, into the wet workpiece and secure the edges with paper clips, as close to each other as possible.

Then, directly with your hands, press the wet skin against the blade and handle so that a sheath is formed in the shape of a knife. While it dries, check several times to see how well the shape of the cover is maintained when drying. If necessary, adjust by wetting and pressing with your fingers those places where the skin does not want to lie according to your plan.

10. Usually a few hours are enough until the leather dries and you can continue working with the workpiece. But it is better to be patient and leave the leather blank in the clamps all night. After complete drying, you can remove all the clamps. The cover should keep its shape.

Finish trimming and preparation for stitching

11. If you have a special knife, which is called a rotary knife, this will make the task easier. If not, take the tool you used to cut the leather and carefully cut off the two layers of edges of the workpiece. For this you will have to put in a little more effort than when cutting the workpiece, because you now have two layers of dried, hardened skin.

Warning

Be careful not to cut yourself.

12. This step will not hurt you if you have thick skin for the case or you are the happy owner special devices. Here you will need a semicircular leather chisel with a guide, or a homemade chisel from a needle from medical syringe. Which needs to be securely secured in a wooden or plastic comfortable handle. So that the hand does not break and the groove is smooth, clear and without defects.

Remember that the groove you need to make should be cut and not carved. And it is needed so that the seam on the cover is as neat and professional as possible.

13. Now you need to mark a line in the intended groove or along a pencil line. This is best done with a special marking wheel. If it is not there, then you will have to do it manually with an awl. Choose the stitch pitch yourself, according to your taste, so to speak, but it is best to stick to a stitch length of 0.5 cm.

Put the case on wooden board so that the skin does not slip, and punch holes with a wheel or an awl. Take your time. If necessary, use a small hammer.

After making the holes on the top of the knife sheath, lift up the top edge and do the same on the bottom. The holes must match. It is better not to punch both combined edges of the cover at once, so that the upper holes do not become outrageously large. Make sure that the holes for your stitching do not “dance” and that they go in a straight line.

Belt loop

14. It is better to sew the belt loop before you start sewing the edges of the cover. Fold the loop strip to a size that suits your needs. Consider that it is not too long and not short, so that the knife can be easily pulled out of the sheath and the handle of the knife in the sheath does not cause inconvenience when worn.

4-6 exactly matching holes in the upper part of the flap and on the case body itself are enough for the belt loop to hold firmly on the trouser belt. Take a strong, coarse thread and sew it as you see in the photo. Secure the end of the thread with an inconspicuous and strong knot and cut close to the edge.

Knife sheath seam

15. We will use the single needle method, since our seam is not long. It is quite decorative and quite durable. Take very strong threads - it can be a strong gray thread, or a synthetic thread that is no less strong. First, pull the thread from below into one hole and make a stitch, as in the photo, to the very end of the seam. Then go in the opposite direction, making exactly the same stitches.

The result is a dense, durable and beautiful finishing stitch that will decorate a leather knife case no worse than if you bought it from a classy furrier. Make sure that the end of the thread is firmly secured. To do this, pass it into the middle of the thread itself, tighten it, then secure it with layers of leather and pass it through the very middle of the thread several times. Cut the thread close to the skin. But make sure that your knot does not unravel.

Admire the result. If you did everything carefully, then the look of your leather knife sheath will be completely professional.

Sheathe your knife and be proud of yourself. The knife should fit slightly tight into your new case. Over time, it will fit into the sheath more freely.

needed for safe transportation or storage. They must securely fix the knife, protect it from external influences, and have a good suspension for scabbard mounts. If you are making a knife, you should definitely think about knife sheath, unless of course this knife is a kitchen knife.
As a rule, they do leather sheath or wooden scabbard. In this article I will tell you, how to make a knife sheath from wood.

For my knife I decided to do wooden scabbard. Wooden scabbard will ensure the safest transportation of the knife. And I will wear this knife.

Making a scabbard I started in parallel with knife making. Once the knife was assembled and prepared for impregnation, it was time to making a scabbard. To begin with, I sketched out a sketch so that I had an idea in advance of what might turn out. Idea with wooden scabbard I was satisfied, and I started making the sheath.

For the sheath, I took a board 500mm long, 70mm wide and 15mm thick and sawed it into two halves.

He placed a knife between them and outlined the diameter of the mouth on the end. I measured the depth of the knife handle into the sheath. Using a Dremel and a milling cutter, I selected a recess in the sheath for the handle. He inserted the knife and outlined the outline of the blade.

I did the same with the second half of the plank. While the halves have rectangular shape, easy to match for a more precise fit. Then, using a Dremel and sandpaper, I chose a place for the blade along the contour. In this way, I ensured that the knife fits freely into the sheath without play.

After that, I shaped the future sheath in accordance with the contours of the knife. To do this I used a saw, knife and file.

To securely fasten the scabbard halves, I used wooden pins. To accurately install the pins, you can take a sheet of thick paper, place it between the halves of the sheath, and cut it along the contour. On the sheet, mark the location of the pins and transfer them to each of the halves, prick them with an awl. I drilled holes for the pins with a diameter of 1.5 mm and a depth of about 4 mm.

Before seating on the pins, I checked that the halves fit tightly. Where necessary, I removed the excess with a long, wide file. After adjusting the halves, we had to slightly deepen the place for the blade.

After sitting on the pins, without glue yet, I gave the scabbard its final shape.

When halves knife sheath adjusted, you can proceed to the gluing process. To do this, we set the pins on epoxy, coat both halves with resin and clamp them with a press. I also carefully coated the mouth with resin. Dry epoxy will ensure a tight fit of the handle to the mouth knife sheath.
Leave it in this form for a day. After the epoxy has completely dried, clean off the excess resin.

For a leather hanger, I cut a strip around the perimeter seat on a scabbard. In this case, you need to do it with a reserve, taking into account the shrinkage of the skin. And two stripes: for the loop that will fasten the strap to the sheath and for the loop, scabbard mounts to the belt.

I unravel a round piece of leather onto a cord for a lanyard.

I soak the leather blanks overnight in warm water with PVA glue.

In the morning, I squeeze out excess water from the leather for the belt on the sheath. I cut it at the bend, wrap it around the sheath, fix it under a press and leave it to dry.

I fold the straps for the loops, one in half, the other with an overlap, put them under the press and leave them to dry as well. I hang the lanyard strap with a weight for traction.

Once dry, the leather holds its shape and is ready for stitching. The strap on the scabbard is joined end-to-end and stitched together with leather applied to the seam. I marked the seam holes at equal distances. Shilom pierced them from both sides. I sewed with two needles facing each other. Before finishing the seam I made several loops in the opposite direction.

Before impregnation, I polish the sheath. I soak it in linseed oil for a day.

After the drying oil has dried, you can assemble the sheath. I pre-soak the skin so that it swells and stretch it wet over wooden scabbard. After drying, the leather fits tightly to the sheath.

Belt scabbard mounts I fasten it to the belt with rivets, and connect it to a metal ring with a strap on the sheath.

I impregnate the leather with colorless shoe wax based on bees. After absorption, I soak it a couple more times. I impregnate the wood of the scabbard with a mixture of wax, rosin and turpentine.

The result can be seen in the photo.

Everything new is well forgotten old. I would like to introduce readers to a very old technology making practical and at the same time cute sheaths. I had to modernize it slightly so as not to make glue from fish or birch bark, but to use the “Moment” that is available to everyone.

I don’t accept the assertion that in the old days everything was done roughly. The necessities of life, which primarily include a knife, have been made from time immemorial to be of good quality, decorated with protective script. A foot sword, a knife was placed in the cradle of newborns so that the children would grow up stately and strong, like a blade. And the weapon, which modern experts call cold, our ancestors called WHITE, that is, pure, noble.

Before starting to describe the technology, I dare to express some disagreement with Mr. Meshcheryakov (article “Making leather sheaths”, “Prorez” No. 3, 2008). When tanning leather in modern production use potassium dichromate - chromium - K 2 Cr 2 O 7. Apparently, this salt of hexavalent chromium is mentioned in the article. But Chrompik, in my opinion, does not have any effect harmful effects on steel. I occasionally use it to blue carbon steels a rich brown color and have yet to notice that the surface of the blade is covered with shells or, worse, reduced cutting properties steel. The danger for steel, even conditionally stainless steel (there is no such thing as stainless steel), is represented by residual ferric chloride - iron (III) chloride 6-aqueous - FeCl 3. H 20, used, like chrome peak, by furriers when tanning leather. In addition, PVA glue (polyvinyl acetate), to which manufacturers add dibutyl phthalate - dibutyl ester of 0-phthalic acid - C 6 H 4 (SOOC 4 H 9) 2, which enhances the adhesive properties, does not have the best effect on blade steel. Evaporation of dibutyl phthalate, even in microdoses, can weaken the bond of those two grains that provide a razor sharpening of the blade. And here, no matter how much you scrape out the dried PVA from the seams, it’s all the same.

Now you can move on to the sheath manufacturing technology.

All your costs are the cost of half a tube of Moment glue (since a little less than half the tube will be used) and several hours of hard work. Well, it’s not a pity, because you’re trying for your loved one. Here's what else you need. Leather - the tops of old boots, worn-out items of clothing, an out-of-fashion handbag... whatever! One plank from a shipping box, of which backyard any supermarket is immeasurable. A simple set of tools available in any home. The most important thing is your imagination coupled with your desire for the highest.

First, you need to level the planes of the board with sandpaper placed on flat surface, and then, applying the knife blade, mark the dimensions (photo 1a).

Using a scalpel or knife, we cut the lines and select unnecessary wood with a semicircular cutter or knife to a depth equal to 2/3 of the thickness of the blade on both halves. This depth is due to the need to glue suede into the samples and then adjust the sheath to the blade.

We mark, cut out and glue the suede into the selections (photo 1b).

Under no circumstances should the side surfaces of the blade come into contact with the wood. Otherwise, well-polished steel will be scratched and lose its mirror-like shine. At the ends of the blanks, a selection is also made under the bend of the suede, in order to avoid tearing off the latter when inserting the blade.

Now you should adjust the sheath to the thickness of the blade. Fold the halves of the workpiece without glue and insert the blade. If it dangles - and it will dangle - then file or sandpaper contacting surfaces. When you achieve a tight, but not tight insertion and removal of the blade, glue these halves together with “Moment”.

It doesn’t matter how long the bonded surfaces are under pressure, the compression force is important. The stronger the better. Therefore, it is enough to crimp the parts with pliers (photo 1c).

The next stage is the “design” of the sheath (giving it the desired shape). I try to do this in the traditional way, namely, with the knife that I wear. All irregularities after the knife must be smoothed with a flat file and sanded with sandpaper. “Lingerie” is ready. Next comes the “decoration” or, to put it modern language, "decoration". This is where your sense of beauty and imagination are needed.

On "underwear" with a simple pencil draw the lines of the future relief (photo 2a).

In this case, we designate a “shield” in which the drawing, your initials, or whatever comes to mind will be located. The Slavic runic script is closer to my spirit, but I had to make a “Jolly Roger” and even an emblem football club. As they say, who cares what.

Using a round file, we deepen the lines along the entire surface of the sheath, that is, on both sides (photo 2b).

Place a piece of paper on the “underwear” and use your fingernail thumb right hand we push through the boundaries of the “shield”. Then we enter the selected picture into it. We glue the design onto the suede and cut it out along the contour with scissors and a scalpel (photo Zv).

We glue the cut out pattern onto the “shield” of the sheath. “Lingerie” is almost ready to meet the skin. Some volume is missing. In photo 3g you can see how the lines should be trimmed to create the impression of one line “diving” under another.

Surely someone will find such a simple operation difficult to perform. It’s okay, try to make a “Svarog’s Ladder” as a starter, from the “couldn’t be simpler” category, but looking nice (photo 4a-d).

Let's start marking the skin.

We will need the following parts: the end, a trench coat for hanging on the belt, the “shirt” of the sheath itself, and tassels-dangles. We apply the end of the “linen” to the skin and trace it with a fountain pen, then mark a slot for the blade along the imprint.

We cut out the trench coat with a size of 180x56 mm and mark the longitudinal axis. The trench coat must be glued so that it is double-layered and reinforced with Moment glue. We prepare the “shirt”. We place the sheath on the leather and trace it with a fountain pen. Roll the sheath over the butt and trace the other side. We mark the line of the end (5 mm below the bottom edge of the end of the “linen”) and, stepping back 100 mm from it, cut off the edge of the pattern. By the way, it can be done in the form of a wave.

I usually leave 20 mm for the seams on the sides, just in case (photo 4a). We also mark and cut out blanks of two tassels with dimensions 65x55 mm and cord strips 200x5 mm. We “shred” the rectangles of the tassels, not reaching the edge by 10 mm, and using the “Moment” we twist them into tassels. Cut out and glue the end of the scabbard (photo 4b).

We sew the glued trench coat to the “shirt” and make a glued fold (photo 4c). We glue the “linen” of the butt tightly, without gaps.

We place each side tightly on the “Moment” - this is very important. We also carefully coat the allowances with glue and crimp tightly. In principle, such an assembly does not require mandatory firmware. But we are trying for ourselves, our family. For fair skin, I prefer to take a thread a few shades darker for a more glamorous look. After stitching, we retreat from the stitching 4 mm and cut off the allowances. Using the noose principle, we hang tassel pendants, but this time it’s not really about decoration or decor.

If necessary, they can be used to wipe off a dirty blade - this is precisely why they were first hanged. When the brushes become dirty, they can be replaced with new ones.

Again we use the nail of the thumb of the right hand - we push through the relief of the sheath. That's all (photo 4d).

Why did I lean on “Moment”? Didn't you guess?

The wooden part of the sheath is almost completely (and with skill, 100%) protected from moisture. Even if the sheath with the knife inserted falls into water for a couple of minutes, nothing will swell. Check it out.

In conclusion, some tips for knife users:
1. When long-term storage The sheath and knife must be kept separate from each other.
2. Lubricate the blade and everything before storing metal parts Vaseline.
3. The ideal skin care product is a silicone protective cream.

Respect your knife. Someday he will save your life.

Oleg and Yana Rudik Photo: Yana Rudik

A good knife is necessary for every hunter, fisherman and tourist. It is very important that the sharp blade is reliably protected in the field. Every self-respecting hunter has several protective covers, and many hunters prefer to make a knife sheath with their own hands from leather. The ability to work with leather is always useful to a real man, so today in the article we decided to tell you how to make a sheath out of leather with your own hands so that it is comfortable, practical and beautiful.

How to sew a leather sheath with your own hands?

Making a knife case from leather with your own hands is not at all difficult, the main thing is to understand the basic principles of operation. When performing all manipulations, show due diligence and accuracy so that the result pleases you.

Let's divide the whole process into several stages:

1. Preparatory, which includes preparing materials and tools, as well as making a template.
2. Making a pattern from leather.
3. Skin formation.
4. Preparing for firmware.
5. Fixing the sheath mount.
6. Product firmware.

Let's look at each stage in more detail.

Tools and materials for making sheaths

If you have old boots, then their tops can be used to sew a leather sheath with your own hands.

Important! The piece of material must be thick enough and durable.

In addition to leather, for work you will need following materials and tools:

• A piece of thick felt impregnated with epoxy resin, or a strip of plastic the size of the blade (2 mm thick) for making an insert.
• Two half rings: one large, one small (for attaching the sheath to the belt).
• Thin cardboard or thick paper for the pattern.
• Scissors.
• Scotch.
• A sharp knife (scalpel) for cutting out a pattern.
• An awl with a hook at the end or a thick leather needle.
• Strong thread.
• Metal ruler.
• A tool for piercing holes in the skin (you can also use improvised means).
• Stationery clips (clothespins).
• A simple pencil or marker.
• Sandpaper for processing cuts.

How to make a template?

To make a template, prepare a piece of thin cardboard (thick paper).

Step by step instructions:

• Fold a piece of paper in half.
• Place a knife on the paper.
• Trace the outline of the knife, leaving a distance of 8-10 cm wide on the blade side (seam allowance).
• Cut the template so that you only duplicate the outline of the blade. There should be one outline of the handle. IN real life this contour will play the role of a loop for fastening with a half ring.

Important! The width of the template handle should match the prepared half ring.

• Try the template on the knife and make sure everything is done correctly. The knife should fit freely into the template without falling out.
• If you are happy with everything, then fold the template in half and cut off all excess. The fastening points must be level.
• Tape the template around the edges. Place the knife inside the template, move it around to make sure that the blade does not get stuck anywhere and nothing interferes with its movement.

Leather blank

Now it’s time to make a pattern from leather so that you end up with a sheath for a good quality knife:

• Draw the pattern along the contour from the wrong side. If you are not limited by the length of a piece of leather, then make a pattern with a margin to cut off everything unnecessary in the future.

Important! Leave “ears” along the edges of the sheath, which will later serve as a place for the buttons. The prepared area for the buttons should be such that there is still 1-2 mm of skin left around the bauble button.

• On internal corners(where the base of the sheath meets the belt mount) make 2 holes. This is necessary so that during use the leather does not tear at the corners.

Important! To make holes, use a special or improvised tool in the form of a hollow tube of the required diameter.

• Cut out the pattern with a sharp knife. It is better to make a straight cut with a cutter using a metal ruler. Before cutting out the pattern, secure it well in the holder.

Important! You can cut the pattern with a special rotary leather knife, razor or surgical scalpel. Sharp and precise actions will eliminate unevenness and stretching of the workpiece and make the cut perfectly even.

Skin formation

In order for the case to take the shape of a knife, it is necessary to add volume to the workpiece. Use the same knife as a form, proceeding as follows:

• Take soft cling film and wrap it in several layers around the blade and handle of the knife. The cutter will become a little thicker, but the shape should be maintained.
• Heat water in a low bowl, put into it that part of the workpiece, which, in fact, is a sheath. The part of the leather blank with the future fastener does not need to be wetted. After a few minutes, the skin, lowered into water, will begin to bubble. This air penetrates the pores of the skin.
• After 20 minutes, remove the workpiece from the water using oven mitts and place it on a kitchen towel.
• Blot excess water with a towel, place a knife wrapped in cling film into the wet workpiece.
• Secure the edges of the workpiece with paper clips (clothespins) as close to each other as possible.
• Using your hands, press the wet leather against the blade and handle to form a sheath in the shape of the knife.

Important! While the workpiece is drying, check several times to see how well the shape is maintained. If necessary, correct the shape by wetting the skin and pressing with your fingers those places where the material does not lie according to your plan.

• Leave the workpiece in the clamps overnight.
• After the cover is completely dry, remove the clips.

Preparing for firmware

Before sewing a leather sheath, you need to do a final trim and prepare a groove for the seam. If you have a special rotary knife, this will make the task easier. If there is no such tool, then use the tool you used to cut the leather:

• Carefully cut off two layers of the edges of the workpiece. A lot of effort will be required, since you need to cut off two layers of dried and hardened skin. Sand the uneven cut of the leather with sandpaper.
• Carefully make a groove on the cover. It is best to use a special tool for this purpose, for example, a semicircular leather chisel with a guide. A homemade chisel made from a needle from a medical syringe will also work.
• Mark the groove with a special marking wheel or pencil line. Using a wheel or awl, manually mark the stitching. Choose the stitch pitch yourself - it is best to stick to a stitch length of 0.5 cm.
• Place the knife sheath on wooden surface(board), punch holes with an awl. Use a hammer if necessary.
• After making holes on the top of the cover, lift up the top edge and make holes on the bottom. The holes must match.

Important! Do not punch both aligned edges of the cover at once so that the holes are not too large.

• Make sure all stitch holes are in a straight line.

Fixing the scabbard mount

The sheath can be attached to the belt in several ways:

• Belt loop. It's best to sew the belt loop before you start sewing the edges of the cover. Fold the loop strip to the required size (so that the knife does not cause inconvenience when carrying). Make 4-6 exactly matching holes in the top of the valve and on the cover body itself. Take a strong thread and sew a loop.
• Half ring. Bend the fastening strip so that the belt fits and there is 1.5-2 cm left for fastening the ring and 1.5 cm for fastening to the base. Place a half ring inside the loop. To attach it, use the buttons-baubles and special tool to clamp them. To secure the mount at the base, buttons are suitable.

Knife sheath seam

Prepare a needle and very strong, strong thread. To sew a decorative stitch on a cover, use the single needle method as follows:

1. Pull the thread from the bottom into one hole and stitch to the end of the seam.
2. Work in the opposite direction, making exactly the same stitches. You should get a durable and beautiful finishing stitch.
3. Fasten the end of the thread firmly. To do this, pass it through the middle of the thread itself, tighten it and secure it between the layers of skin. Cut the thread close to the skin, making sure that the knot does not unravel.
4. Insert the knife into the sheath and admire the result.
5. Treat the finished sheath with shoe wax or shoe polish to protect the leather from drying out and give it shine.

Important! You can sew the edges of the sheath using an awl with a hook.

To finished product If you are pleased with the end result, listen to the following tips.

To make the sheath more rigid, you can insert a strip of plastic cut to the shape of the blade inside. To fold the plastic in half, heat the fold line. Plastic seal can be glued to the leather before you sew the knife sheath with thread.

The leather sheath can also be supplemented with an insert made of cotton fabric impregnated with wax. You can also use thick felt to make the liner:

1. Cut a piece of felt large enough to form the liner and saturate it epoxy glue. To do this: place the liner in a plastic bag and wait for the epoxy to begin to harden.
2. Protect the blade with masking tape and electrical tape.
3. Wrap the blade in the prepared felt bag and press lightly. You can press the ends of the liner together with clothespins.
4. After the resin has hardened, remove the blade from the liner and remove the films from it.
5. To give the liner the required shape, use a file.
6. Don't forget to drill a small hole at the toe of the blade to drain any accidentally trapped water.
7. Place the knife with the finished liner in the center of the wet workpiece and secure the structure with clamps on the side of the future seam.
8. After the leather has dried, sew the finished leather blank.

Important! Be sure to soak the knife handle with a water-repellent compound to protect the wood from moisture.

A knife is an indispensable attribute for every hunter, fisherman, tourist and mushroom picker. Therefore, many are interested in how to make a sheath for a knife - the tool must be securely fixed to reduce the risk of losing it, but at the same time, removal should take only a few moments. Experienced craftsmen can make sheaths from birch bark, leather, plastic, wood and other materials. Let's tell you in more detail how to make a knife sheath with your own hands.

Leather is one of the most popular materials in the manufacture of classic sheaths. It is the easiest to work with, so even beginners usually have no problems making a leather sheath with their own hands. You can easily adjust the sheath to a specific instrument, providing reliable fixation.

Before you start work, you need to make sure that you have the following tools and materials at hand:

• A4 sheet of paper;
• high-quality, well-made leather;
• strong threads or thin cord;
• glue for genuine leather that retains elasticity after drying;
• stationery cutter and scissors;
• scotch;
• sewing awl (with hook);
• ruler;
• pencil;
• medium grit sandpaper.

Now, let's get to work:

1. Place the knife blade on the paper and trace with a pencil - with a margin of 2-3 millimeters on each side (adjusted for the thickness of the knife).
2. Re-attach the knife to the paper and now trace the entire knife, not just the blade.
3. Cut out both “blanks” and glue with tape - check whether the knife fits into the paper sheath. If yes, move on to the next point. If not, do the previous steps again, making the necessary amendments.
4. Separate the “blanks” and attach them to the skin, then trace and cut out.
5. Place the short form in hot water(not boiling!) and hold for 5-7 minutes - the skin will become soft and elastic. Press it against the knife blade and part of the handle, then secure it with a cord or clothespins. It needs to dry into a suitable shape - this usually takes several hours or even overnight.
6. Make holes in the finished workpiece using an awl.
7. Attach the workpiece to the second one and use a pencil to mark points through the holes - make holes here too.
8. Fold the protruding part of the long piece in half, under the belt, and sew to form a loop. You can make it wide or narrow - to your taste.
9. Carefully sew the two pieces together.
10. Sand the outside seam to remove any rough edges or burrs.

The simplest leather sheath is ready! You can rightfully be proud of them, and also of the fact that you are able to make a knife sheath with your own hands.

You will need the following tools and materials:

• two boards of a suitable size for the knife;
• high-quality glue (Moment will do);
• jigsaw;
• small chisel;
• clothespins;
• thin leather or suede.

Having stocked up with everything you need, start working:

1. Place the knife on the boards and circle with an indentation of approximately 5-7 mm on each side.
2. Saw off the excess and process the outer part.
3. Place the blade on the inside of the boards and circle with an indentation of 1-1.5 mm on each side.
4. Using a chisel, remove wood to a depth of 2/3 of the thickness of the knife.
5. Cut out pieces of leather or suede to suit your shape and glue them into the recesses on the sheath.
6. Apply Moment glue around the perimeter of both parts of the sheath. Let the glue set for 5-7 minutes, then press tightly but carefully so that the wood does not crack, press them together and secure with clothespins or a cord for a day.

The wooden knife sheath is ready! If desired, you can sheathe the outside with leather - as described in the paragraph on making leather sheaths - so that you can wear them on your belt. In addition, you can apply a pattern to the wooden sheath - with carving or a regular marker, oil paints. The only thing that can limit you here is your own imagination.

How to make a sheath out of plastic

Making a knife sheath from plastic with your own hands is relatively not difficult - easier than wooden ones. But for this you need to have certain tools. To work you need:

• drill;
• saw;
• plastic pipe;
• riveter with rivets;
• sandpaper;
• belt fastener (you can just use a narrow strip of leather);
• construction hairdryer

Not everyone has this set. household. But if you have everything you need at hand, you can start making a knife sheath.

1. Saw off a piece plastic pipe– the length should be 1-2 centimeters longer than the blade of the knife and the part of the handle that you plan to “sink” into the sheath.
2. Cut the pipe lengthwise.
3. Heat the workpiece thoroughly with a hair dryer set at 400 degrees. Remember to use protective gloves to avoid serious burns.
4. When the plastic warms up and becomes soft and pliable, insert a knife into it, exactly as far as it will go when carrying, and crimp the pipe, giving it a suitable shape.
5. Let the plastic cool and harden.
6. Cut off the excess - length and width. Use a pencil to mark the places where the rivets will be inserted - optimal distance 1-2 centimeters.
7. Carefully drill through the marked areas with a thin drill bit. If you want to get a belt loop, fold a piece of leather in half and also make a couple of holes in it to attach to the sheath with rivets.
8. Insert tacks into the holes and use a riveter to secure them in place.
9. All that remains is to paint the sheath in a suitable color. Of course, black looks the most elegant and strict. But bright colors– red, orange, blue – more noticeable. If you suddenly lose your knife and sheath in thick grass, it will be much easier to find them.

That's it. Now you know the whole procedure and, if you wish, you can easily make exactly the sheath you need.

Every survivalist, amateur active recreation, fishing, hunting or just tourism, there is a favorite working knife. It is good if the knife comes with a good magazine sheath that meets the requirements for it. What to do for those who either bought it, but without a sheath, or the sheath turned out to be a “KEtai” fiction... Of course, make a sheath for your favorite knife with your own hands. How to make a sheath from or from I already wrote, it’s time to tell you how to make simple DIY leather sheath.

I would like to point out right away that step by step instructions belongs to Viktor Vlasenko. (vlasenko.ru)
Notes or before you start making the sheath:
1. The handle of the knife must be impregnated with a water-repellent composition (the handle should not be afraid of moisture).
2. To make a leather sheath with your own hands, you need a hard liner. Alternatively, it can be made from cotton fabric impregnated with epoxy resin, molded directly onto a knife blade coated with melted stearin or paraffin using a brush. To protect the wooden handle from epoxy resin you can wrap it all, including the bolster, with masking tape (painting tape is impregnated with wax). We cut off the protruding masking tape along the outer edge of the bolster... We check that the tape fits snugly on the bolster (without gaps into which epoxy resin could get in). Next, cover the blade and area with paraffin or stearin melted in a “water bath.” masking tape at the bolster. Next, we wrap it in cotton cloth soaked in epoxy resin... The material is “soaked” in strips in epoxy and wound around the knife blade. Instead of cotton fabric, you can use a medical bandage or gauze, but in this case the liner will be more fragile. After polymerization of the epoxy resin, the liner blank is boiled in boiling water to remove stearin and mechanically processed to the required external size. A hole is made in the end of the liner to drain moisture and, if desired, several holes on the sides to facilitate drying of the skin...

We believe that we have already made the liner, selected a suitable piece of leather and are ready to begin making the sheath...

Soak the leather blank for 1 - 2 minutes in warm water. Then we place the knife with the insert on the center of the workpiece. (If you feel sorry for a piece of wood or a blade, you can wrap it in polyethylene).

Wrap the knife with the liner in wet leather and use stationery clips We fix the skin from the side of the future seam.

We leave our design in a warm place until the skin is completely dry...

After the leather has dried, we get a molded leather sheath blank with which you can now work comfortably...

Let's start sewing! We will sew with two needles. For sewing we need an awl, a pair of needles, pliers and thread.

We make a couple of holes at the end of the future sheath. We thread the thread through the second hole and make the first tie towards the end of the sheath...

We make the second tie into the old hole, but in the opposite direction...

We do the markings for the screeds slowly using an ordinary ballpoint pen and any “measuring standard”...

After marking with an awl, we outline the exact position of the future hole...

To make stitching easier, we additionally drill out the holes marked with an awl...

We make the seam using two needles... First, insert one needle with the end of the thread into the prepared hole...

Using pliers, pull the needle through the hole...

Now insert the second needle into the same hole, but from the other side...

Continuing this way we reach the last hole in our seam.

Here, before tightening the threads, we make several turns of one thread relative to the other.

After tightening, this “twist” will be inside the hole...

We make one or two ties with “layers” in the opposite direction...

We bring the threads to the “back side” of our sheath, cut them with a small margin and melt them...
We did the most labor-intensive part and as a result we got an almost finished sheath...

We take a sharp knife in our hands and cut off all the excess...

Armed with abrasive sandpaper, we bring the edge of the sheath to the final dimensions...

Now it’s the turn to make a pendant for a homemade leather sheath.

Cut out a U-shaped suspension blank from a strip of leather

We thread the two “tails” of the suspension into pre-prepared holes at its end...

We take the knife out of the sheath, insert a technological wooden insert in its place, and on the back of the sheath we mark the places for the mounting holes for the suspension...

Using sharp cutters, we cut out the marked holes for attaching the suspension...

Wood cutters are sold in many hardware stores, you can make your own...

We insert the “tails” of the suspension into the outer holes...

We stretch the “tails” of the suspension “all the way”...

We make a wire loop and use it to grab the “tail” of the suspension...

Use a wire to pull the “tail” of the suspension into the central hole...

We proceed in the same way with the second “tail” of the suspension...

We cut the “tails” of the suspension to the size we need and insert them into the remaining free holes...

As a result, we received a suspension mount only on the skin without the use of all kinds of rivets and other “foreign” parts...

Our scabbard has acquired a completely finished look...

Although the sheaths we have made can already be used to store and carry a knife, now we need to do a number of additional operations to more accurately “adjust” their size to a specific knife. First of all, this applies to the mouth of the sheath. So let's get started... Let's stock up on scraps of thick copper or aluminum wire.
Let us soak the sheath we have sewn in warm water for several minutes... Insert a knife into the wet sheath and use a wire to tighten the skin at the edge of the mouth. In order not to deform the edge of the leather in the area of ​​the seam, we will lay hard protective pads from improvised material along the seam. If you want to give the sheath a certain “artistic” quality, you can tighten it with wire in several more places...

Leave the sheath in this state until the leather is completely dry. When the skin dries, it becomes stretched and inner surface the sheath will exactly follow the shape of the knife handle...

After drying the leather and removing the wire ties, we will obtain a ready-made, but not yet impregnated sheath... If desired, before impregnation, a homemade leather sheath can be decorated with artistic ornaments using different technologies from surface carving to embossing with painting...

Let's stop at the very simple version sheath without additional decorations. To water-repellently impregnate the sheath, we will need wax-based shoe polish. It's better to use "KIWI" suitable color, but you can soak the leather with any product containing wax or paraffin, although in the case of the latter the sheath will turn out to be rigid... Using shoe polish will not only protect the sheath from moisture, but will also make the skin soft, which helps the sheath fit more delicately and tightly around the knife handle. To avoid staining the wood of the knife handle during the impregnation of the leather, place the knife in a plastic bag...

We insert the knife in polyethylene into the sheath and begin to apply the cream to the skin of the sheath...

Having applied a layer of cream to the surface of the skin, let it absorb, then apply it again, let it absorb again... After some time, rub the sheath with a cloth until it shines...
If, when wiping the surface of the skin with a clean cloth, it does not stain, then we consider that all the cream has been absorbed and can be removed protective film from the knife... It is also useful to additionally soak the skin of the sheath from the inside in the area of ​​​​their mouth...

Treating the scabbard suspension with cream also helps to increase its elasticity...

All that remains is to be happy for us, since we have made with our own hands a comfortable, reliable and beautiful sheath for our favorite camping knife.

PySy:
1. After piercing the holes, you can cut a groove along the entire seam so that the thread is recessed into the skin, but this is most likely for aesthetes. Firstly, this seam in such a sheath lies in a recess and access to it is limited (that is, if you run your finger along the seam you simply won’t feel it, and secondly, when stitching with a nylon thread with a good tension in unwaxed leather, the thread itself cuts in quite well into the skin and no longer requires additional protection... Then, when soaked, the skin swells and completely hides the seam...
2. To protect the threads from cutting, you can use an additional leather spacer along the seam. If you put a normal insert under the blade, then there is no need for a strip of leather under the seam - this is unnecessary, because threads are cut mainly in the area where Cutting Edge the blade is in the sheath, but cutting the threads in the hilt area requires some effort...
If you make a sheath without an insert, then a strip of leather saves you from cutting the thread and its use is justified, but with long blades and soft leather, the skin itself is often cut on the side in the area of ​​the blade, when the knife is sharp and it is inserted into the sheath with some rotation of the handle relative to the seam... Conclusion is clear - for a soft sheath it is necessary to make a hard liner... Well, as for the leather spacer - this is optional... If the sheath is made without a liner, then the use of a leather spacer to protect the seam from cutting is a necessary attribute.

In stores there are now a lot of knives for hunters. My eyes widen. However, in my opinion, all this splendor and diversity is mainly intended for fans, collectors and, let’s not be honest, for ignorant people. To work in the forest or taiga, there is no need at all to purchase an expensive blade of some famous brand, decorated with engraving or “Damascus”. Ours, domestic, or even homemade is enough. After all, when hunting, you need a knife not to show off in front of your comrades (although many people really like this!), but to chop branches to install a hut, cut bread for dinner, or, if you’re lucky, butcher the hunted animal. That's probably all its functions. Moreover, you can’t take several knives for hunting, and the more you get used to one, the more convenient it becomes for you. Various conversations about the shape and thickness of the blade using almost mathematical calculations as proof of their correctness, about methods of sharpening, about the shape and material of the handle are largely from the evil one. Suffice it to recall at least the “fierce” discussion about the “Russian Skinner”. Think about the phrase itself - Russian skinner! To me it just sounds crazy. A peeling, flaying knife of a special shape is needed only by a meat processing plant worker. After all, even a commercial hunter can skin at most 10-12 moose per season. This is the maximum! So if the one who works near the carcass of the beast as a “Russian skinner” overtakes his partner by ten minutes, what will this change?

Every region, almost every locality in our country has its own forms of hunting knives, developed over centuries. A Yakut will not be able to handle an Altai knife correctly and vice versa. There are also average ones, suitable for any hunter. The main thing is that the knife is comfortable, fits well in the hand and does not tire the owner. And how good it is can only be found out in practice, having skinned more than one elk or deer. So we can only talk about the quality of a knife from the point of view, it seems to me, of the quality of the main material of the knife - steel.

I have owned many knives in my hunting life. However, somehow they didn’t take root with me. I just lost three knives. The first was an excellent fishing knife, which I bought in Irkutsk at a consumer cooperative store back in my student years. The blade was excellent, but I didn’t like the handle, so I installed another one, my own. I also made a wooden scabbard for it. In Gorny Altai, at a ford across Chulyshman, a knife jumped out of its sheath and fell into the water. The water was high and muddy after the rains, so I didn’t even try to look for him. He has been lying there for more than half a century, “waiting for me.”

Of course, I was sad, but not for long, because the forester of the Altai Nature Reserve Adykaev made me a real Altai knife. Only the Adykaevs, father and son, made such knives. So they said: “He has a good knife, from Adykaev.” They said that the eldest was famous for making handicraft rifles. The barrel was cut on a primitive machine. His entire economy is for the manufacture of these rifled guns, kyrlu in Altai, there was in the village: a machine for cutting the bore, an anvil, and a bellows for blowing coals. There are no Adykaevs now, but the shape of the Adykaev knife has been preserved. The blade was forged from a spring and pointed to the toe, like an awl; the handle was made of boon horn, a Siberian ibex, and the scabbard was made of cedar, bound with copper.

Three months later I lost this knife on a winter horse trail.

There were several more knives. I ruined two of them by throwing them at the wall of the barn. The metal was not tempered properly after hardening, so it broke between the blade and the handle. That's science! Don't do nonsense, don't spoil a good knife!

And so, in the early 70s, I bought a “hunting trade knife” in a hunting store in Moscow for 6 rubles 50 kopecks. Maybe you remember - with a plastic gray handle through which passed a shank with a screw thread at the end.

I then worked in the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve. In the neighboring, non-reserved territory, we hunted moose. There is nothing to do on such a hunt without a good knife. I removed the plastic handle and replaced it with a birch bark handle. Then he ground off the pointed part of the butt, which was apparently intended by the developer for fleshing skins. I also made a scabbard of my own design, but more on that below.

We have somehow become accustomed to constantly criticizing everything that is ours, Russian, especially Soviet. But in vain! With this knife (the steel is very good!) I skinned more than one elk in Pechora, and each time the sharpening was enough for the entire time of skinning the carcass. This knife served me on Pechora for eight years. Having already returned to Moscow from the north, I also did a decent job with this knife on hunts near Moscow, but left it in the forest, forgot it near a stump, while cutting up a wild boar. And now I remember this place in the Klin district outside the village of Miklyaevo. It was a pity, of course! However, in the late 80s we managed to buy a couple more of the same ones and make handles from birch root. One of the knives was good, shaved, as the fishermen say - from the word shave. You can actually shave with such a knife if, after sharpening and aiming with a fine whetstone, you still direct it on the belt. Although it is not at all necessary to do this to cut up prey. It’s even better, in my opinion, not to edit - the smallest burrs remaining on the knife blade after sharpening better “bite” into the skin, tendons and muscles, and therefore cut well.

In order to sharpen a knife that has become dull during cutting, carry a small whetstone with you. Diamond is especially good. A few movements - and the knife is again like a razor. It is necessary to sharpen in the direction from the handle to the toe and from the butt to the blade. They straighten the scythe in hayfields in the same way. This way you will not disturb the sharpening angle. In general, when hunting for elk, we managed without any whetstones. You scratch the blade of the knife along the barrel of the carbine and cut it again.

I haven’t gone on game hunts for a long time, but my knife is always sharp—I like to sharpen pencils with it.

To avoid getting hurt with a sharp knife, learn to cut, plane, and stab with a movement away from you. This should become a habit.

Handle same important detail knife, like a blade. You won't find any kind of shapes - with cutouts for the fingers, and with a bend in the tail, and with a guard. I like it straight, thick enough and without any decorations or tricks. My knife, for example, has a blade length of 12 cm, a handle of 11 cm, and a girth of 12 cm. These are the optimal dimensions for my hand.

In general, in my opinion, the handle should be 3-3.5 cm longer than the width of the palm, and its thickness should be such that the ends of the second to fifth fingers, when you take the knife in your hand, do not touch the base of the thumb, and the ends of the index and thumb, on the contrary , would overlap each other a little. But this, I repeat, is my personal opinion.

I also tried to forge a knife myself under the guidance of a good blacksmith, but nothing worked. I don't know how to work with metal, but I love wood. Therefore, on ready-made knives (purchased or made by someone), I always put a handle, as they say in Pechora, “homemade.” It can be made from any piece of wood, but will it be beautiful? I tried different wood: walnut, mahogany, oak - but I was convinced that there is nothing more beautiful than a handle made of native birch, but specially processed. You just need to know where to take the workpiece from in the barrel. There are three such places.

Firstly, a growth on the butt part at the very roots, called caporoot, or with a brush. It is pierced by dormant buds and on the cross section a surprisingly beautiful ring-shaped pattern appears, like that of a Karelian birch (in the picture on the left). Secondly, simple cap. This is a curled growth on the trunk of a birch, not necessarily at the root. There are almost never dormant buds in it, but the structure of the wood is beautiful, with an iridescent twist. Thirdly, the inner part of the trunk, where the large branch extends from the very core. The layers in it are beautifully intertwined and give an original pattern (in the picture on the right). However, all these advantages appear only after appropriate processing of the wood: etching with stain, boiling in plain water, or, best of all, in linseed oil. After all these manipulations, the wood, of course, must be thoroughly polished.

The wood from these places on the birch trunk is also good because the layers there are very small, and it itself is dense, but with a fine tool and with skillful hands You can create a beautiful thing out of it.

The workpiece must first be thoroughly dried (maybe for a whole year!) in the shade. Only after this can processing begin.

When the workpiece is roughly hewn and trimmed, it is, of course, connected to the knife blade. I recognize only one way of doing this. Blade must have a continuation in the form of a shank longer than the future handle, and the end of the shank must have a thread for a fastening nut. Firstly, in this case you can, if you want, change the handle and, secondly, avoid cross rivets, which are difficult to install, and do not always hold well, and do not add beauty.

To place the blank of the future handle on the shank, it must be drilled through long drill, the diameter of which is equal to the thickness of the shank and, of course, longer than it. Drilling does not require any high-precision turning or drilling machines. The drill is fixed in the chuck of the electric drill, and the drill itself is firmly pressed with a clamp to a workbench or table in a horizontal position. The only thing that needs to be done as accurately as possible is to align the drill horizontally with the plane of the table.

It is best to drill a hole in a workpiece by sliding it onto a rotating drill, having first adjusted it to the required height using some spacers. To prevent the workpiece from wobbling and moving in a straight line, secure the guide bar to the table with a clamp or nails. You should not put too much pressure on the workpiece to speed up the drilling process, otherwise your hand may fall off and fall on the rotating chuck, and this is already dangerous to health. In general, you should not drill a hole in one pass. It is better to do this in several stages, removing the drill from time to time and checking the correct operation.

You will have to drill at least two holes for small angle to each other, and then bring the hole to the desired shape with a long thin chisel.

Having placed the handle blank on the shank and firmly secured it with a nut, we bring it to the shape we need, processing it successively with large and small rasps, coarse, fine and polishing sandpaper. Before each stage of processing with sandpaper, the surface of the wood must be wiped with a damp cloth and allowed to dry. Scuffs and unnecessary fibers will fluff up and will be gradually removed, and the surface of the handle will become perfectly smooth.

Before processing, the handle blank can be boiled for several hours in boiling water and then allowed to dry thoroughly. Its color will change (it will become darker), and it will be easier to process.

Finishing is often completed by varnishing. All the wood will, of course, play, and the grain of the wood will show up well. However, I do not recommend doing this. The varnished handle will slide in your hand and keep it cool. I don't like it. Try boiling the workpiece in linseed oil - the result will exceed all your expectations.

It is best to do this in the open air, because the burning and fumes, of course, will be unpleasant for your family.

In a metal container, e.g. tin can, you need to pour enough linseed oil so that the workpiece floats freely in it without touching the walls and bottom. The jar must be heated in a sand bath. This is how real Turkish coffee is brewed, if anyone knows. This can be done over a fire, but the fire should never touch the jar. It only heats the sand, in which there is a jar with linseed oil and a wooden blank.

When the oil heats up and boils, the heat must be reduced and maintained so that the oil barely simmers. The workpiece is immersed in boiling oil with a stick from time to time. At this time, air bubbles will intensively escape from the ends of the workpiece. This boiling oil fills the pores of the wood. This can go on for two or three hours, or even more. Make sure that your piece of wood does not burn, and that the boiling is very low all the time. After drying the handle for two weeks, you can put it on the knife and, if necessary, process it further. It is much easier to do this after boiling the wood in linseed oil, and the wood itself acquires a beautiful deep color, its structure is revealed, and it feels harder and heavier to the touch.

At the front end, instead of a guard, I placed metal plate and a leather (2-3 mm) gasket, and then pressed the handle to the blade with a special nut.

It makes sense to wipe the handle from time to time with an oil compound that is used to treat rifle stocks.

I like the knives' handles, made of birch bark. Sometimes they are made with layers of skin. It seems to me that anyone can make one. Only the knife must have a shank and a fastening nut.

Birch bark, 2-3 mm thick, is first boiled in water for two hours to make it soft, and then thoroughly dried. Then the sheet is cut into rectangles measuring approximately 3x5 cm. It must be borne in mind that these pieces of birch bark will be placed on the shank of the knife so that the layers in them (adjacent) are directed perpendicular to each other, that is, each next one will need to be rotated 90 degrees relative to previous one.

In the center of each rectangle of birch bark, a hole is cut out with a sharp knife or chisel, approximately corresponding to the cross-section of the place in the shank where this rectangle will fit. So you will not have to cut the holes in advance, but only before putting the piece on the shank.

The knife should be clamped vertically in a vice with the shank up. In order not to spoil the blade, you need to insert a piece of 6-8 mm plywood between it and the jaws of the vice. First of all, you should put a metal plate, a “guard”, on the shank without a stop. After this, you can begin to gradually build up the handle, firmly pressing each piece against the previous one. We must not forget that the layers in adjacent pieces must be perpendicular. It is advised to coat them with glue, but I didn’t do that, although, in general, it won’t hurt. Only the glue must be waterproof and dry quickly.

We press the last birch bark with a nut through a metal plate of the appropriate shape. The threaded part of the shank should be quite long. The fact is that when screwing the nut, we compress the entire set on the handle, and it shortens a little. As a result, you have to unscrew the nut several times, install an additional birch bark, then a metal plate and tighten the nut again.

When the nut is completely screwed in, they begin finishing, giving the handle the desired shape. You need to cut off the excess birch bark with a very sharp knife and file, and then clean it with fine sandpaper. If you use a rough rasp, you can easily crumble pieces of birch bark and all your work will go down the drain. And then - no varnishes, oils or other “finishing” materials.

IN sheath hunting knife should be held only by friction of the handle on their upper edge and sit deep enough. The handle is recessed by at least two-thirds of its length. The buttons and Velcro seem to hold well, but they may fail - good knife will be lost forever. There is no need at all to pull out a knife at lightning speed to hit, for example, an attacking bear. I assure you that you will never have to do this once in your entire life. Even if you are on a bear hunt. An accurate shot is much more accurate than a blow with a knife. The bear acts with its paws and terrible claws so quickly that it is simply impossible for a person to get ahead of it. Colorful stories about the heroic deeds of Siberian bear hunters, such as tossing a hat and ripping open the belly of a rearing bear, are either inventions or embellishments of actually occurring cases. In any case, I have never met a person who killed a bear with a knife. I'm not talking about the slingshot - that's a completely different matter.

For the knife handles I made myself, I had to develop my own sheath design, which consists of several parts. Firstly, case 5, cut from two pieces of wood and glued together. Its length, naturally, is equal to the length of the blade, which inside the case should move freely, without jamming.

I cut out three blanks 1, 2 and 3 from thin leather. In the figure they are shown from the inside, back side. Their dimensions must correspond to the dimensions of the knife, so I do not indicate the exact ones. For example, the width of the bottom part of part 1 should be such that it covers the wooden case, and there is still approximately 7-8 mm left on each side for stitching. Its height is equal to the length of the knife minus 1/3 of the length of the handle.

First, I sew part 3 (the loop for attaching the sheath to the waist belt), folded almost in half, to part 1, and then thread it through the slot on part 2, which I sew to part 1 in the lower and upper parts. I put case 5 in its place (you can glue with PVA glue) and wrap top part part 2 so that its edge rests against the shoulder of the case.

When the seam approaches the bend and expansion, which are clearly visible in the figure, part 4 must be inserted into this place. This is a piece of felt about 1 cm thick. The remaining dimensions are in place. He is like a fuse. When you put the knife in or out of the sheath, this piece of felt will prevent you from cutting the leather and threads of the sheath.

When sewing together the parts of the sheath, you should tighten the thread tightly, after inserting the knife into the sheath. Then you will not be mistaken in the size of the inlet hole. However, on the last stitches at the very edge of the sheath, it is better to remove the knife, making the hole a little smaller so that the handle fits tightly. The triple layer of leather holds the handle perfectly, preventing the knife from falling out. If the fastening becomes a little loose (this has not happened to my scabbard in more than two decades), there is always the option of tightening the edges a little.

You need to pierce the holes for the draught with a not very thick, but very sharp triangular awl. It is still quite difficult to pierce three layers of leather, a felt pad and three more layers of leather. You can help yourself with a hand vise or pliers. Try to ensure that the stitches (they can be made quite large) are the same length and follow the same line, then the product will have, as they say, a presentation.