Not so long ago I was assigned to create a knife sheath for a Takeshi Saji blade. Naturally, I was very intrigued and wanted to undertake the challenge.
Not ever having made a sheath before, I went to YouTube to find a video I could watch, take notes on and help to gain a better understanding. Thankfully, I came across one of Philip Jury's videos, the wonderful man behind the Leather Craft Masterclass.
He kindly uploaded a video on YouTube regarding creating a Leather Knife Slip which was extremely informative and helpful. It gave the fundementals for creating a pattern for the blade, containing a welt and excess to trim the edge.
For this pattern however, I didn’t just want a friction fit. I needed to have a secure fixture that wouldn’t damage the blade, after being inserted into the sheath.
After tracing around the White Turquoise Nakiri blade, measuring the thickness of the spine and choosing the right weight of Leather, I just had to follow the steps in Phil’s video. I add my own snap closure by measuring the placement of how high I wanted it on the sheath and adding 1cm for the blade thickness.
After one failed attempt from a blade slip, here is the finished sheath.
I’m happy I used 4mm spacing and not 3mm for the stitching. It saves time and suits the proportions of the sheath better. Also happy to use a 1.3mm vegetable tanned shoulder from Italy, as this will garner a richer, darker look from the patina. Overall the piece came out looking very agile, sharp and clean.
After one failed attempt from a blade slip, here is the finished sheath.
I’m happy I used 4mm spacing and not 3mm for the stitching. It saves time and suits the proportions of the sheath better. Also happy to use a 1.3mm vegetable tanned shoulder from Italy, as this will garner a richer, darker look from the patina. Overall the piece came out looking very agile, sharp and clean.
I look forward to producing more sheaths for such high end blades.