Might some of ya experenced sheath makers work up a "how to" n tell us how ya make one of those fancy silver tipped sheaths with the silver around the top where the knife slids in. I think they are beautiful n fancy to carry in the right circomstances. Just never tried working with metal n leather like that at the same time. How do you attach it? how do ya figure out how long to cut it before ya bend it around. do ya use some sort a forms, ya know-all the regular nosey questions ;-)Thanks much ahead a time fer all yer expertise n time helping the rest of us, YMHS Birdman
silvertipped sheath-how too?
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Bruce evans show how to make a metal sheath here - the basics are the same for making just a partial sheath with throat and tip only...
http://beknivessite2.homestead.com/nssheath.html
a bit more info here http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/829129
This is not a simple procedure and one needs to be VERY good at high heat soldering. German silver aka nickel silver is the most difficult of the common metals used on period sheaths to work with due to it's hardness even when annealed - brass, copper, and Sterling Silver are much easier to work with.
To do it "right" it's best to make a set of dies (for one off pieces hard wood dies will work fine) and use a simple press to form them with.
FWIW - I've made several over the last forty years of making knives and sheaths professionaly and dislike them with a passion - it's more akin to making jewelry than making knives or sheaths. The throat is comparatively easy, but the tips are a bear since one usually has compound curves to deal with. Still all in all when done they do look good and if you're up to the challenge go for it.
a bit more info here http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/829129
This is not a simple procedure and one needs to be VERY good at high heat soldering. German silver aka nickel silver is the most difficult of the common metals used on period sheaths to work with due to it's hardness even when annealed - brass, copper, and Sterling Silver are much easier to work with.
To do it "right" it's best to make a set of dies (for one off pieces hard wood dies will work fine) and use a simple press to form them with.
FWIW - I've made several over the last forty years of making knives and sheaths professionaly and dislike them with a passion - it's more akin to making jewelry than making knives or sheaths. The throat is comparatively easy, but the tips are a bear since one usually has compound curves to deal with. Still all in all when done they do look good and if you're up to the challenge go for it.
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Chuck , coming from an artist of your caliber saying they are tuff , really says something. This may be one of those things I'll shy away from n let the pro's take care of. Thanks for the info n sites to check out. Ymhs Birdman
Didn't mean to dissuade folks to not try but the fact is without some white smith skills, working one up is going to be tough and frustrating.....
FWIW - I had a couple friends who are experienced silver smiths work on one and they both told me it was probably the hardest thing they had ever tackled partly due to the use of the quite thin metal to do it right.
FWIW - I had a couple friends who are experienced silver smiths work on one and they both told me it was probably the hardest thing they had ever tackled partly due to the use of the quite thin metal to do it right.
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I agree with Chuck. I did my first tip last year of nickel silver. It was not a fun project, and was a battle start to finish, but the end result was not bad. I am in no hurry to do another, but will probably have to sooner or later.
Twice boom
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Very Nice Wick. :hatsoff:
Twice.
Twice.
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I think this might help
http://www.calocustomknives.com/docs/tutorial7.htm
This guy makes some AWESOME stuff.
http://www.calocustomknives.com/docs/tutorial7.htm
This guy makes some AWESOME stuff.
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Now this ol boy(me) ain't the brightest bulb in the scoreboard but when chuck n Wick both say its a mind bender to do. Wellllll I'm headen fer the high n uncut at a real steady quickstep pace LOL. Although it might still interest a few iffen you fellas might scribe a few lines down for us about how ya went about making them. I know I'm still interested in the part about how ya attached the metal to the leather, just can't seem to wrap my head around a way to do it so it all stays together n don't fall apart first time ya use it.I guess I won't actually make one but reading about how it might be done could still be interesting to a bunch of us that post n some a them shadow lurkers.
The metal parts on originals were attached with small pins going into the edges of the sheath from the backside. The pins could be exposed or made of the same material and filed flush so you can't see them.
Being a suspenders and belt kind of guy I both glue and pin them.
Being a suspenders and belt kind of guy I both glue and pin them.
hoochiepapa
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Gorgeous, Wick!! I might have to try my hand at that. Would it be easier to overlap the joint and try to file it smooth? :idunno:
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You would file through before you got it cleaned up enough for a minimal soldier line. Solder lines are almost invisible when freshly polished, but after time goes by, they show.It really has to be a butt joint to look right and neat. If you are doing primitive type work, maybe so. I have done that on collars for a primitive representation, and thats fine, but for a quality sheath, butt joints, as close as you can fit them.
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