trutexan36 Report post Posted July 18, 2011 Hey guys I have been reading on this site for awhile, never actually in the Braiding forum. I have been tooling leather for a little over a year, belts, wallets and now I am toying with the ideal of knife sheaths. I've seen some people wearing knife sheaths made of braided rawhide and I want to try my hand at making it. Can anyone help with tips, tricks, what braids I need to use and how to make the sheath hold it's shape? Thanks guys.. Also here are some pictures to show what I am talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trutexan36 Report post Posted July 19, 2011 No body has any ideas? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawhide1 Report post Posted July 19, 2011 I have a idea but I don't know if it's right. If I was to do it I would take a thin piece of leather probably skirting. Maybe a once or two so it's not to bulky. I would basically make a sheath for the knife with the leather. Except I would skive the edges all the way down and glue them together. So it would be seamless. I would then cover it with a long pineapple knot. It looks like one of the sheaths has a gaucho interweave(V's running around) so you could go that route. It's just a different way of braiding the turks head. That is just how I would try it. It may or may not work. Grants encyclopedia of rawhide and leather braiding will have the knots plus many more. He has a smaller book(cheaper) I can't remember the name that may get you through it. While the pineapple knot isn't to hard to learn okay it may be kinda of hard. Learning to expand it can make you pull your hair out. I would also just use one string some folks like to use multistring knots I prefer one string unless it's a real long knot. Enough rambling!! Good luck and feel free to ask more questions if I haven't cornfused you enough!! Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trutexan36 Report post Posted July 19, 2011 Mike, thanks for the response. I saw Grants encyclopedia today for $50 so I had to pass it up. I am going to try and do a little internet searching and see if I can come up with it any cheaper. I bought some of the plastic thread that everyone plays with as kids to try my hand at this without wasting $25 dollar rawhide. I will post pictures as I make progress and hopefully soon will be able to post a final product! Thanks again! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CharlieR Report post Posted July 19, 2011 There are some superior braiders on here...give them a little time to find the thread and I'm sure you will get more responses.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aggiebraider Report post Posted July 20, 2011 So, I myself have a sheath like this that I bought (I know its sacrilegious for a braider to actually buy a braided piece) but I liked it and couldnt figure out how to do it so I got one. It is a 6 strand gaucho button (not sure # of bights or parts as this will change depending on the size of the knife). The only thing I dont like about the gaucho is that since the parts go horizontally rather than vertically like in a herringbone, there is a springy action to the sheath. Now that does make it nice when you go to take it out, you can push up on the bottom of the sheath and it forces the knife up a little to make for easier retrieval, but it doesnt look very nice. I tried to make one a year or so ago and it didnt turn out well lol. At the time i didnt know how to make a multi string button and tried it with one strand and due to the strange shape of the knife it was really difficult and i stopped after about an hour lol. If I were going to make one, I would cover your knife in serran wrap or something else to protect it and give you a little extra space so its not a completely tight fit. Then I would do an 8 strand multi string button directly over the knife. This is really difficult because you dont really have a way to actually hold the knife securely while still giving you room to braid over it. Well at least I dont have a way. Then once your foundation is down, just fill in the gaps with interweaves. The real trick comes into making the belt loop. You need to have something secure that isnt going to stretch and wont come out. I dont think splicing one in would be very effective unless maybe you super glued the pieces in once they were spliced, but i wouldnt do that. I would probably make a strap, put a PK knot at each end and then attach a ring knot at the top and bottom of the strap around both the strap and the sheath. I havent seen one done that way, but not saying it hasnt been done already. You could also tie the knot on something else like a dowel and then tighten it on the knife to get the necessary shape and form, but sizing it correctly when its loose on a dowel can be really difficult and its hard to make a knot cover a larger area once its already tied. I commend you for finding a project to start on, but I can tell you from past experiences, these are really difficult to make (which is why not even many braiders make them), and to start to learn how to braid on something like this will most likely just frustrate you. Not to discourage you one bit, take that as more of a warning. As you will see if you still decide to try your hand at braiding, it can be extremely frustrating to learn, but will be very rewarding once you feel you have a handle on it. Hope this helps, CW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawhide1 Report post Posted July 21, 2011 I've been thinking about that damn sheath now for a couple of days. LOL Now I've got to try and make one. I'll try and take pictures along the way just in case it works out. With trying to get kids ready for the county fair and other orders it may be a week or two. If anyone else has any other ideas pass them along. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted July 21, 2011 in bruce grants encyclopedia there is a picture of an eyeglass case...it is covered with an elongated turkshead knot...i would guess you need to do something like that over a molded form of leather or rawhide. there are a few other braids and knots in that book that could be used to make those types of cases...well worth purchasing...it is 20 dollars on amazon.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trutexan36 Report post Posted July 22, 2011 Hey guys, Sorry I haven't replied. I've been making some other sheath while I ponder on this one a bit more lol. CW, thank you for the detailed description, I am going to study the knots that you mention more before I attempt this. I also noticed you were a fellow Aggie! We may have to meet up sometime and talk about leather!! Mike, I haven't stopped thinking about this sheath since I first saw one LOL, I hope one day, with the collective opinions of this forum I will be able to braid my own!! When you get around to it post the pictures of what you have come up with! Tracy, I went and looked at a few pages in the book and the closest thing I could come up with was Plate 136 or 137. Do you think either of these would work? Thanks again! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted July 22, 2011 I miss having Ron Edwards around. His books are just amazing. This might help ya'll out a bit. Ron Edwards Knife Knot. See attached images; Have fun... B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted July 22, 2011 i think the one in plate 137 would work very well, because it would also give you a covered bottom end of the sheath. the other one would work as well but would not cover the bottom as well. also check out plate 86...the lone star braid...it would cover the bottom of the sheath and gives a pattern thats a texas favorite...there are numerous other braids which would work as well.....i love this book. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trutexan36 Report post Posted July 25, 2011 Sorry been out of town and disconnected from the internet for the weekend lol! I will start work on this project soon and post photos as I go along!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CWR Report post Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) I have made several of these. I use the same multi string knot that I use to do a nose button on a bosal. I braid them over a piece of sucker rod a little bigger than the knife diameter. This makes it easier to get off the mandrel. The first ones I made I braided over wood or wood and leather and it's hard to get the rawhide to slide off without messing up the button. Just start your knot a little longer than you want the sheath to be and braid down to the end of the mandrel. The knot will naturally close up around the end. I end all the strings that split the paralells at the bottom. After you pull it off the mandrel push them bottom up into the sheath just a little to make the bottom flat. The belt loop is a simple four strand flat braid. Put your knifwe init while it is still damp and it will take the knife shape. You can braid them with a gaucho or herring bone braid. CW Edited July 25, 2011 by CWR Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
troy Report post Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) I miss having Ron Edwards around. His books are just amazing. This might help ya'll out a bit. Ron Edwards Knife Knot. See attached images; Have fun... B... In referance to the patterns by ron, the first sheath on this thread - http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=33393 - is made from this knot - it does produce a hole at the narrow end but as long as the knots longer then the blade it works fine - wish I could give dimensions but probably gave it away ages ago. The patrons and whip braiders of the australian whipmakers association seem to be the best at coming up with great knots and solution for covering round objects etc - apart fro ron look out for a guy called bedford belford, he's a genious. Edited July 27, 2011 by troy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesRoss Report post Posted February 6, 2013 Would anyone be interested in emailing me a copy of the Ron Edwards knife knot plates. The text is to blurry for me to read in the pictures already posted. Thanks! JR Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sissy Ledlow Report post Posted February 11, 2014 The question I have is how to make this scabbard without the knife you are making it for. My husband has bought these for our sons and I think I know the way to get the strings on, only I want to use rawhide. Rawhide is difficult to figure out, and I haven't accomplished it yet. With 5 grandchildren I really want to figure out the knife scabbard. I am 64 years old and have had a stroke plus have M.S. and breast cancer so time is an issue. Anyone who can give me advice on working with rawhide I would really appreciate it. Also, building the scabbard without the knife. Thanks for taking the time to read. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tex181 Report post Posted October 5, 2014 Sissy To braid the scabbard cut a pvc pipe about 10 ins. long. This will give you something to hold on to and room to braid. You can hold in a vise in order to use both hands. Make the scabbard a bit longer than how you want it to cover the knife, to allow for the shrinkage and around the end of the knife, when you go back and tighten the braid. To give the scabbard its form, cut and shape a 1X4 board to the size of the knife being cover. Giving the braid a good temper, slip the braid over the knife form and rub toward the top. Then let it dry over night. Ex. Case Trapper - 1X2 in. pvc pipe Case Soddbuster - 1X2 in. pvc pipe Case Old Timer - 3X4 in. pvc pipe I use 1X8 rawhide single. Multistring (I used 6 string when I started) may be better for you to start of with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
