Can I make a scabbard out of this?

[Dwight]

While it would not be period correct, . . . you could lace it.  Using a round punch, . . . and a single line, lazy stitch, . . . it should look pretty good, especially if you used round leather lace.

Just make sure if you do that, . . . your welts are plenty wide enough to have the hole punched through them and still hold, . . . I'd suggest a 1/2 in wide welt all the way around.

Personally, . . . I'd just go ahead and stitch it, . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[fredk]

Historically; sword scabbards were not made of wood and covered in leather, very few were, most were just thick leather

From studying actual scabbards for both swords and daggers found in London and Dublin digs there can been seen evidence that a scabbard/sheath was folded over, sewn with flesh to flesh joint then put on the blade and twisted round until the seam was along the back centre of the blade; thus no need for welts. The sewn seam was trimmed down and sometimes hammered flatter.

I refer you to archeology dig records publications from the Museum of London and National Museum of Dublin

A cardboard or thick paper pattern is a must for this project I think.

 

 

Edited February 21, 2017 by fredk

[DJole]

On 2/21/2017 at 4:59 AM, ravenwing110 said:

Thank you so much, everyone! This is exactly what I needed.

I wasn't thinking of dyeing it, but my frog is black, so maybe I will. Go big or go home, right?

Is there another option besides hand stitching? It never occurred to me that there would be another way.

You might be able to get a helpful shoe repair person with a hefty machine to stitch it for you, depending on the thickness of the leather, rather than hand stitch it.
You don't have to dye it if you don't want to -- you should realize, however, that treating your leather to protect it will change the color somewhat. That's what leather scraps from the same piece of leather are good for. 

[DJole]

On 2/21/2017 at 7:12 AM, fredk said:

Historically; sword scabbards were not made of wood and covered in leather, very few were, most were just thick leather

From studying actual scabbards for both swords and daggers found in London and Dublin digs there can been seen evidence that a scabbard/sheath was folded over, sewn with flesh to flesh joint then put on the blade and twisted round until the seam was along the back centre of the blade; thus no need for welts. The sewn seam was trimmed down and sometimes hammered flatter.

I refer you to archeology dig records publications from the Museum of London and National Museum of Dublin

A cardboard or thick paper pattern is a must for this project I think.

 

 

I stand corrected -- apparently the number of surviving scabbards (a rare find, I believe) that are leather is greater than the wooden scabbards. I wonder also if it's a difference in earlier vs. later medieval swords, or even location?
Wood would have been cheaper and more plentiful than leather back in medieval Europe, but if you had a sword back then, leather would not be a problem for your budget.