How to make a knife case with your own hands?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Many hunters know that putting away a knife is much more difficult than drawing it. Therefore, most of them are very responsible in choosing scabbards. However, some beginners don't know how to choose the right knife sheath.

Brief historical background

The history of scabbard making began in the 13th century. At that time, they were popular not only among men, but also among women. Already in those distant times, a universal knife was used with equal success both for cooking and for hunting. In addition, it was considered an essential attribute of the equipment of valiant warriors.

In that era, leather knife cases were especially popular. The inner side of such sheaths was called the mezra, and the outer side was considered the front. To enhance the water-repellent properties, the surface of the dressed leather was covered with a special protective layer consisting of oil and fats. Before making a knife case, our distant ancestors chose a piece of calfskin, the thickness of which was only two millimeters. During archaeological excavations, scientists managed to find scabbards made of cowhide, goat and sheep skin.

What to look for when buying?

When choosing a sheath for a knife, you need to pay special attention to the material from which it is made. After all, the life of the scabbard depends on its quality. You should not discount how convenient the instance you like is. Ideally, the knife should be easy to remove from the sheath. The mouth of the scabbard should not be too narrow, not too wide.

When buying a sheath for a knife, you should pay attention to what and how it is attached to. It should not have complex locks and fasteners. High-quality scabbards are made not only from leather, but also from wood covered with this same leather. In the selection process, it is recommended to take into account the type of knife that will be stored in them. Leather sheaths are ideal for small hunting knives, and wooden sheaths for large hunting knives.

How to make a sheath for medium and large hunting knives?

Unfortunately, not all stores can find a suitable case. For those who didn't make it, don't fret. After all, you can make a case for a knife with your own hands. To do this, you need to stock up in advance with a piece of thick felt, a leather belt, layered plywood, epoxy resin with a hardener, lavsan threads, emery and a file.

From layered plywood, two plates should be cut, the shape of which is identical to the blade of a knife. The size of the resulting blanks should slightly exceed the size of the blade itself. The surface of both plates must be treated with epoxy resin withhardener. From above it is necessary to glue the pre-cut felt. After the glue has completely dried, you can cut off the excess felt. Then you need to take both blanks and attach them to each other so that the felt part is inside. Next, with the help of epoxy resin, a loop of a leather belt is glued. The scabbard plates are treated with epoxy resin and immediately wrapped tightly with lavsan threads. After waiting for the glue to grab the threads and plywood, you can apply a fresh layer of resin and wind another layer of thread. To achieve greater strength, it is recommended to make at least four such layers.

After the resin is completely cured, you can start turning the scabbard. You can give them the desired shape with a file and sandpaper. In order for the finished product to take on an aesthetic appearance, it should be dyed or wrapped with braid.

How to make your own PVC knife case?

For the production of such scabbards, you need to stock up on a sharp knife, an industrial hair dryer and a piece of PVC pipe, widely used in plumbing. The latter can be purchased at any hardware store. It will take no more than half an hour to make such a scabbard.

First of all, you need to cut a piece of pipe to the desired length. Having made a longitudinal incision on the pipe, it must be softened with an industrial hair dryer. After that, the malleable plastic can be folded into a scabbard. The excess is trimmed with a sharp knife.

After that, you need to put the knife into the case and heat the plastic around the handle again. In softened material, you can easily make a convenient recess for the handle. To fasten the sheath, it is necessary to make several holes along the seam line for screw connections or rivets. At the final stage, you need to make a belt mount. It is advisable to cut it from a piece of genuine leather. The eyelet for the belt is attached to the scabbard with rivets.