Henry Rifle Forums

Ordered a high carbon Roselli ‘ripper’ blade from Lamnia and being too hot to do anything else today I handled it with a piece of curly maple that I cut on the Empire about 10 years ago. Used Watco wiping stain followed by linseed oil. JB Weld was used for the adhesive to glue the tang in the handle. It turned out pretty well I think...now to make a sheath from some scrap leather. It will be a neck knife suitable for lots of tasks I reckon.

Yes, TNman, you "handled" the project quite well.

I especially like the curly maple wood with the more heftier, almost-round handle shape. Similar to my Yakut/Evenki, and this shape really fits well in the palm of hand. After you "scrap" together a leather sheath, let's see pics of your combo, please.

Thanks for the post.
PT7

Thanks for the kind words...all custom knife makers need not worry...lol. The handle was split from a larger piece with a hatchet and rough shaped...it actually has a sort of trapezoidal cross section with the wider part toward the bottom...this seemed to fit well in the hand so it was left that way. Plus it involved a lot less sanding and shaping without a belt sander and it is semi unique no doubt. It is sort of a rounded edge semi blocky semi trapezoidal handle...redneck rustic and custom to say the least....lol. But as you say it has a ‘fuller’ handle like your Yakut and some of my other using knives. When the scabbard is finished I will post a picture.....leather workers be forewarned!

Ok the backwoods redneck sheath is complete with neck lanyard. An old belt was all that could be found and it wasn’t really wide enough...and had been thinking about an aluminum blade guard inside the sheath for safety reasons and decided why not just make the body of the sheath out of aluminum? So the folded aluminum sheath is pop riveted to the leather belt backer and all seems to work well. The paracord has a slider knot so the neck loop can be readily adjusted for wear/removal. I’m going to paint a stylized US flag on the aluminum sheath...what do y’all think?

Nice work. That should serve you well and look great decorated. Thanks.

Different. First time I've seen that kind of sheath configuration.

My knee-jerk is I wonder about metal on metal, how the sheath might "touch" the blade with in/out movements? Scratches? Dulling of the blade edge? Again it's simply a knee jerk thot.

As I've read different posts on BladeForums by the sheath-maker folk there, there is not a lot of discussion about aluminum sheaths. I did read an older thread where the OP questioned even if a Kydex sheath might dull a knife blade. First comment that if it did, the blade composition might not be top-quality steel. Second comment was interesting. A Kydex sheath is supposed to "suspend the knife within the sheath." This is how the commenter explained this: "A properly made kydex sheath should only contact the handle for retention and suspend the blade inside. Shouldn't touch the edge at all."

Next my knee-jerk Q would be this: If a Kydex sheath, which is not metal, provides for blade protection in this way, might it not also be needed to protect a blade from any type of metal sheet?

I'm certain, TNman, that your knowledge of knives and sheaths far surpasses mine. I've never made a sheath, but kind of know a little about the quality of leather. One thing I liked about the recently acquired sheath that came with my Siberian Yakut, is that in the lower portion of the sheath (toward the drainage slot) there is a wooden insert. Put the knife in, and this is to protect both the blade, and the sheath being cut by the blade. Seems to make sense to me. If there were some time of "protection" against the aluminum, that would also make sense to me.

Seems like I have too much free time for rambling this quiet afternoon! Like the looks of your project, TNman. To think a project through and bring it about is really cool! Anyway, you did ask us, "what do y’all think?" So that's my knee-jerk thot....hope it was a least a little entertaining!
PT7

Yeah PT I was thinking about the potential issues you mentioned and I’m sure you know more about sheaths than I. This Roselli blade is ~58-60 hardness and an occasion contact with the aluminum isn’t going to present much of a problem imo. The blade, at least the edge, is basically suspended in the sheath; the non sharpened back of the blade is the primary contact along with the wood handle. The Scandinavian grind results in a thicker blade except right at the edge of course. I’m careful when inserting/removing not to drag the edge along the aluminum fold; I could retrofit a piece of wood or soft material to capture and stabilize the point but at this point it’s not needed imo. For an edc around the Empire it will be fine imo...skinned a squirrel with it this am in fact...first blood...

Ok...felt like and probably looks like I was back in the 1st grade...but it has character! Lol..even if it’s bad as Little Bill opined to JJ Beauchamp in the Clint Eastwood classic ‘Unforgiven’...one of the best Westerns of all time...that’s a Ruger SR 22, my constant companion and snake killer on the Empire....

Good job!

Cate