Challenging Knife sheath Build

[Vikefan]

Here is my most recent project I just finished yesterday, and I have two more just like it to build.  This is and has been the most challenging knife sheath I have ever had to make.  I am making these for my Chiropractor, who saw the Russel Green River Knife blanks I put handles on and had made sheath for.  He is a moose hunter and bought three knife blanks and decided to put horn/antler handles on his.  This was his first build and the handles are quite thick which was the main part of my design challenge.  

Here's what I came up with to try to secure the knife into the sheath for transport in a pack..  The knife blade right now fits very snug in the sheath without the draw string thong I added to the front.

Please take a look at the pictures and feel free to offer any advise you may have.  The antler is at least an inch thick or more on each side of the blade, and it is rough and not even to boot. 

Thank you,

Vikefan

 

[bikermutt07]

Great job on the sheath. It seems that chiropractor created a lot of design problems for you by not thinning that thing down. 

[dougfergy]

Man, that's some nice work!  Curvy knife and lumpy handle and you pulled it off.  Ingenious leather latch too.  I can hear myself trying to talk the owner into letting me thin the scales down some but hey, he's a hands guy being a chiro so he's probably got big hands.  Are those corby scews?

Nice job!

[Vikefan]

He sure did, and when I saw it I told him, on his next builds, he might want to thin the antlers down to make it easier on me.  Ultimately it's up to him.

Thank you for your responses to my post, your words were encouraging and kind.

I believe that they are rivets, not corby screws (I don't believe I know what those are).

Vikefan

Edited July 17, 2019 by Vikefan
Needed to answer a question

[dougfergy]

I am afraid of posting a copyrighted photo of them from the web.  If you google search "corby bolts" and click on images at the top, you'll see several versions.  They are brass or stainless or silver male/female shoulder bolts that screw into each other and take a special shoulder bit to drill part way into scales so that the screw part goes all the way through and the shoulder part only goes down maybe 1/8" or so leaving the slotted exterior for you to sand off when finishing your handles.  Wait a minute, I have some examples:

Here the corby's are screwed on and epoxied, with the scales ready for grinding off.

Finished off!

[Vikefan]

Thank you for explaining them to me.  That knife looks very cool!  Awesome work!

 

[dougfergy]

8 minutes ago, Vikefan said:

Thank you for explaining them to me.  That knife looks very cool!  Awesome work!

 

Thanks!  I made that for someone I worked with years ago.  He picked it out along with a peanut folder, both for Christmas gifts.  Both of them tiny.  The peanut was a major pain to build, like a ship in a bottle!

and pink scales to boot!  You know a peanut is a tiny knife (photo is quite blown up) and I went through maybe 10 pieces of handle material before I got two of them to fit.  One tiny mistake sanding and you've taken too much off and chunk them and start over.  I think I charged him 50 bucks for the knife and I had like 500 bucks worth of time in it!

Edited July 17, 2019 by dougfergy
Forgot to say thank you

[dougfergy]

I like the finish on your sheath too.  Is that Neatsfoot oil?

[SShepherd]

A suggestion on the handle-
use a countersink on the holes, just to knock the top edge off. They'll be more comfortable and will be less prone to chipping

[Vikefan]

The finish I used was Angeles Acrylic Finisher (SATIN).  I gave it two coats.  It has a good finish and it's not too shiny.

Vikefan