Lots of Medieval Knives and Sheaths

[AlexOstacchini]

 

Hi all

Something a bit different to the Western stuff I normally post here, and quite photo intensive i'm afraid... This is a batch of late medieval knives and sheaths, which as a very general outline date between 1300-1500 depending on the piece. 

The sheaths for these are all 2mm veg tan, with a back central seam and tooling inspired by originals. The main source of reference was 'knives and scabbards', which catalogues pieces found in the Thames. The two larger knives have double layered scabbards, which is a necessity as the hunting set is multi pocketed with effectively three sheaths bundled together, and the larger messer has an integrated belt. None of them have belt loops in the modern sense, but are instead suspended by hanging thongs, which are laced through slits in the back and seems to be the universal carrying method for this kind of knife. 

I had to go against all of my instincts with the tooling on these in an attempt for authenticity, so nothing is measured or plotted out in the way I would do a modern belt, and likewise the dyeing is much more straightforward, without the antiquing effects that would be used now. 

I have focused mainly on the sheaths here as this is a leatherwork forum afterall, but for anyone interested in the knives themselves they are all hand forged from 1080 or 1075 carbon steel, with either brass or steel bolsters and handles made from various native woods, which include yew, laburnum, walnut and apple. 

I hope you like them!

Alex

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by AlexOstacchini

[fredk]

Those are mighty beautiful - an understatement. That is sure one amount of work there. The photography of them is excellent too, highlighting and showing off the stamping very well indeed.

I have that book and your scabbards/sheaths really bring the archaeologists drawings (and remains pieces) to life

One question: can I please see some of the seams on the back, just to see how you tackled them.

As an aside: I was able to see and handle some leather work from a Spanish Armada ship and found that the stamping was very shallow, even for allowing 400 years of age

[YinTx]

YinTx

[DJole]

ooh, those are SO nicely done! 
No photos of the backs, though? pretty please?

[Scoutmom103]

Wow.  Those are beautiful both the sheaths and the knives.  Thank you for sharing them.

 

[AlexOstacchini]

Thanks all

8 hours ago, fredk said:

One question: can I please see some of the seams on the back, just to see how you tackled them.

 

3 hours ago, DJole said:

No photos of the backs, though? pretty please?

Woops, not sure how I missed this out, here you go.

 

8 hours ago, fredk said:

As an aside: I was able to see and handle some leather work from a Spanish Armada ship and found that the stamping was very shallow, even for allowing 400 years of age

Thanks for the kind words, that wasn't the Girona by any chance? I only ask I as see you are from Northern Ireland- I was working in Belfast for a time last year and managed to visit the Ulster Museum while I was there, so may have seen some of the exact pieces you mean. Interesting about the depth of the tooling. With these I cut in the designs and opened them out with a modelling spoon, but I think with a lot of the real ones the patterns are simply drawn on with some blunt pointed tool without cutting into the surface of the leather. I have tried this but never with good results, so need a bit more practice I think. 

Early days for me with knife making and In retrospect they are a little broad bladed for eating knives of this period, so the proportions will be tweaked for the next lot. 

cheers!

Alex

[fredk]

a. thanks for those pictures. I like how you look after the details, as on the sheath in the last photo with the double twist to the hanging thong

b.

7 minutes ago, AlexOstacchini said:

. . .  that wasn't the Girona by any chance? I only ask I as see you are from Northern Ireland- I was working in Belfast for a time last year and managed to visit the Ulster Museum while I was there, so may have seen some of the exact pieces you mean.

afair the pieces were mostly from La Trinidad Valencera. There were some survivors of this ship and the local legends are that these men bartered their goods for food and safe passage. What I saw included a Missal book cover, a few cases for instruments, long gone, and a few other scraps of leather. Allowing for the 400 years, the leather was quite thin. I reckon it would have originally been about 2 to 3mm thick, about the same as you used. I saw these things in 1988, long before I took up leatherwork, at a special Spanish Armada Anniversary event. Whilst everyone else was looking at the Girona jewels, and the guns, I'm looking at wee scraps of leather! 

c. 

16 minutes ago, AlexOstacchini said:

. . .  Interesting about the depth of the tooling. With these I cut in the designs and opened them out with a modelling spoon, but I think with a lot of the real ones the patterns are simply drawn on with some blunt pointed tool without cutting into the surface of the leather. I have tried this but never with good results, so need a bit more practice I think. 

 I think you are correct on that, that the design was just pressed into the leather with a tool, but certainly a 'back grounder' stamp type tool was used as well. 

d.

14 minutes ago, AlexOstacchini said:

Early days for me with knife making and In retrospect they are a little broad bladed for eating knives of this period, so the proportions will be tweaked for the next lot. 

ach, they're no so bad. At least your steel is better than the samples tested in that book. And you've not gone for the 'fantasy' medieval look on your knives. That really makes me ........

[DaveP]

WOW !! Those are great !! I like them all !! Great job !!

[chuck123wapati]

Made my day ! beautiful workmanship on both the knives and the sheaths. Very interesting the way you / they put the seams down the center of the back. 

[kasota oak]

Very nice work!!  Seams down the back are standard for Scandinavian puukko and leukus.  Did you use/make sheath liners?