What I Learned From Trying to Make Sword Scabbards
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ม.ค. 2021
- Sometimes you can learn more from a (partially) failed project than a successful one, so perhaps some of you may find this useful. If nothing else it can give you an idea of why well-made, tightly fitted scabbards cost what they do...
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Since I just typed a long reply to a guy accusing me of "fanboy bullshit", might as well pin it since you might find specific examples helpful. These are mostly high-end sword makers, with a few mid-range examples as well:
Lockwood Type XVI longsword without scabbard - $1150
Lockwood Type XVI longsword with scabbard - $1700
Castle Keep sword without scabbard - £1100 and up
Castle Keep sword with scabbard - £1950 and up
Longship Armoury swords - no scabbard included
Angus Trim swords - no scabbard included
Arms & Armor - no scabbard included (with a few exceptions)
Baltimore Knife & Sword - no scabbard included
Del Tin - no scabbard included
Lukas Maestle-Goer - no scabbard included, unless purchased with the sword
Valiant Armoury does offers swords with scabbard for around $1200-1300. However, although I like their swords and have nothing bad to say about their quality, they do not reach the standards of $1200-1300 swords from Albion or Lockwood. They're great but I can still tell the difference.
And here is a price estimate from the website of Fable Blades:
"Swords: As a ballpark guide most of my swords range between $4,000 and $8,000 USD (6-12K Au$) before adding scabbard work, which usually ranges from $1,000 to $5000 USD, depending on inclusions."
Whether you realize it or not, you do pay extra for a scabbard. If it's included in a moderate price, that tells you that corners were cut somewhere compared to a sword for the same price that does not come with a scabbard. This does not mean that budget or mid-range swords at affordable prices that come with scabbards can't be good. Of course there is good quality in that category. But can it live up to high end stuff? Of course not.
Long story short, if you want a scabbard with an Albion sword, be prepared to add about $500 to the price.
Literally had to scroll down to the last comment to find the dude, along with a couple of more weirdos. Someone doesn't understand that it doesn't matter if you're right, if you're an asshole about it that's the only thing that people will pick up from you lol
Anyone know if someone offers good quality sword blades, fittings and parts for you to assemble/fit yourself?
Hey Skal... Dye the leather BEFORE you glue up... Wood glue wont take leather dye the same as bare leather...
I'm the guy, and "accusing" is kind of a heavy exaggeration...
In addition to what I already replied, I wanted to point out that on the Castle Keep website they offer to make custom scabbard from 300£, and on those 300£ since it's custom they're probably a lot going into reading the customer inquiry, asking him question, making a design, checking with the customer if it's really what he want, taking into account some customer would retract by that point and then making the scabbard in only one single exemplary and then throw away the design since it's custom and only for one customer.
So a standardized basic design for a sword you produce in a reasonable quantity, certainly not 500$.
make a scabbard from tape and cardboard like you would if you were to make a wooden scabbard and then make wooden box to slide the cardboard scabbard into it... basically the tape cardboard scabbard is being hidden by a wooden case and it looks like a real scabbard and functions well
King Arthur: “Does my new sword come with a free scabbard?”
Merlin: “Your new scabbard comes with a free sword.”
TBH, Arthur's scabbard had the magic ability to stop your wounds from losing blood, which would effectively make you able to shrug off 5.56 like a boss, since loss of blood is the leading cause of fatality in gun wounds.
My joke was going to be, "the scabbard costs more than the sword because the sword can only cut through anything but the scabbard makes you invincible". Your joke is so similar, though.
Also if Excalibur's scabbard makes Arthur invincible and Percival has a ring that makes him invincible, why do the rest of them even bother being knights.
Ranstone that's most true of lower powered rounds. Rifle rounds pulverize organs from the sheer shock of that much energy and can result in one shot drops at close range. Just see what happened when St. Kyle vs antifa felons in Kenosha.
@@edgarburlyman738 Because just 2 people would take FOREVER to cut through an entire army or take control of a city/castle.
@@ctrlaltdebug it is also only true for rounds that leave nice clean wound cavities.
And this folks is why Tod of Tod's Workshop charges so much for a scabbard
Exactly. He does top-notch work.
I wonder if one of the main reasons he even learned how to make them is because he's so deeply proficient with making knives in particular, and it makes more sense economically to learn how to make scabbards to go with those knives and daggers? I suspect there's a lot of bladesmiths elsewhere who can't justify taking the time out of making what they're good at making to learn how to make scabbards well. People don't seem to enjoy paying as much for scabbards as they're worth, they are more willing to pay that extra money for the tool or weapon itself.
@@neruneri Think it goes with his sword making both for high end custom work but mainly as he is a sword smith prop maker for film and TV. He has been the sword guy for decades, most recently for The Witcher etc, so he makes the sword and scabbard(s) for the shows. He’s been doing it for as long as I’ve known him, over 20 years. I used to bump into him at shows when I worked for another prop maker in the 90’s. Last year when at a show chatting with a very old friend who made the armour for that show he saw him in the crowd and brought him over and I had a great insider over view of their work.
@@neruneri The original historical items were made with a complete division of labor. The blacksmith forged, polished and sharpened. Some people did work on the hilt, jewelers decorated the hilt, made engravings.
The carpenters made the scabbard.
Each operation was done by a separate person within the guild.
And this is beneficial both in the Middle Ages and now.
@@marcusmt4746 Those artisans were generally in the same area of the town's marketplace as well. The scabbard maker would likely make saddles, horse tack, saddlebags, maybe even travel trunks. Have any of you seen the tv show The Repair Shop on Netflix? Wood wrights, leather smiths, watch makers, jewelers and other expert artisans all under one roof! It's an exceptional show and shows off how crafts folk worked together historically and still do today :)
This reminds me of the story about a kid who gets caught trying to steal a vest from a tailor store. When asked why he stole it the kid says that he couldnt afford it and that the vest couldn't be worth the price it was being sold for. So the tailor decides to make the kid create an exact duplicat of the vest he tried to steal so the kid can learn, stitch by stitch, why the vest was as expensive as it was. Sometimes you just can't understand the complexity and value of something until you try to make it yourself.
True.
@@mrbaileys4371 Wait, if he's a master craftsman how does he not know how to stitch a vest?
it depends sometimes where things are just mass produced such as iPhones they are way overpriced for what it takes to make them but in the case of the story you told this is vest is a product made by an individual who is not selling way overpriced cause he has competition so it varies.
@@aldente3868 plot hole
@@NumbDogma69185 Exactly. 😁
Leaving in mistakes and showing failures is one of the main things that makes Adam Savage's build videos so good, it's important to show the failures or else anyone who tries to get into making for themselves is going to get disheartened and give up at the first major failure instead of iterating and adapting their designs.
Yes!
Its the "Human Element". In a similar vein it is one of the key drivers behind the popularit of Taras Kul, "Crazy Russian Hacker". We like to know our favorite creators are human. Constant perfection and success gets boring after a while. Its why Monster Garage made such a big deal of the challenges they failed, because that failure was fun to watch.
Mistakes are awesome, it's by far the easiest way to learn
The man who never made a mistake never made anything.
You are right I should show my kydex F$@& ups 😂🤙🏼
I never knew it was so hard to find suitable things other than people to stick swords in
I mean, if people are the only available materials.
Well, you gotta do what you gotta do.
*Stabs person*
*The iron in the blood shall sharpen my blade*
@@sirapple2406 How about a scabbard made of people?
😱 lol
Dark humor
Yet approved darkness
@@janbernad4729 I feel like that would not be very good for the longterm integrity of the blade. Human tissue contains a good amount of water, which will increase the risk of rust forming on your blade. Additionally there are areas with widely differing pH-values inside the human body, depending on where you actually try to store your blade, it might come into contatc with acidic or basic substances of varying composition, which will compromise your blade.
As someone who makes furniture for a living, I can tell you that it is a good idea to make sure the wood is dried well before processing it. Take for instance a piece of Oak fresh off the tree and dry it completely and it will contract about 12,2%
Well that's true for furniture. The difference here is that a sword is moved around alot. Furniture not so much.
Yes! And if you want to be picky, it shrinks differently in lenght, along growth rings and across growth rings... then we have the warping if thin pieces like these are joined without paying attention to that and/or pieces of different wood species that act differently (inlay...) are joined... I make traditional knives (saami type) as hobby, made my first some 40 years ago, they use very different materials, horn, bone, leather and wood to make up both handle and scabbard. I have made scabbard to a Leuku that had a blade 500mm long and roughly 4mm thick, interesting things can occur over even that short length if one is not attentive
This was the first thing that came to mind when he was talking about how the first scabbard he showed just kept getting tighter. Did he make sure the wood he used was fully seasoned or was it fresh off the lumber store shelf stuff usually used for fences and other outdoor projects where a bit of swelling and shrinkage isn't much of an issue?
That's why it's best for wood to sit for a few years before using it if it's newly processed, but that's a lot to ask of people sometimes
As a side note, don't use oak for a scabbard unless you put a liner in it.
The working of the wood is this extreme because you use pine. Generally, scabbards tend to be made out of a hardwood or wood that has a tight grain. But never use oak tho, the acidity of the wood will mess up the blade. If I remember correctly, the scabbards of Japanese swords were made of magnolia wood, for it's hardness and lack of sap, but I could be wrong on that one. Most woodglues are quite acidic as well(construction foam not included)so I recommend just making a starch based glue out of rice or flower. However you will need to apply lacquer because water will dissolve it. Alternatively, if you can find a glue that isn't acidic and works with wood, that would be the best. Anyway, great video.
You are right. The japanese do typically use Magnolia obovata. They still do.
It is not extremly hard, but it is very easy to work with.
Europeans tended to use poplar and balsam wood, both are soft, non-resinous and tannin free.
Linden wood is great for any scabbard.
Beech wood too.
Regular PVC-based glue works well.
@@torianholt2752
Poplar is a poor wood for precise carving.
@@marcusmt4746 Native species used such as White Poplar are very suitable for precise carving, as they are tight-grained and very resistant to warping and shrinking.
The reason behind a scabard being "loose" is to allow for the expansion, contraction, and possible warping of the wood core. Having a "low profile" tight scabard is a recipe for blade binding.
yea, but there is "loose" and there is loose. It still has to be fitted probably. A solution would be, to use wood, that is not hygroscopic, like European ceder. Poplar is most common, because it contains no tannin and wont react with the metal, but still is hygroscopic. A perfect solution would be thermal treated poplar, which contains no tannin and won't swell or shrink anymore.
@@mementomori4972 That, and I would consider making it fit tighter at the neck and tip and fairly loose through the middle of the blade. That keeps it from rattling around without risking it binding so much.
You can avoid some binding by having relieve cuts.
maybe, if you are using katana or some thick bladed sword, but European longsword with spring steel probably won't bent
@@alaric_3015 He's talking about the wood warping, not the metal. If your metal is warping that much, you have bigger concerns than scabbard problems...
Knifemaker here. I sheaths are harder to get perfect than knives. If made from leather. Say from a brand like Bark River often the sheath costs more than the knife it comes with.
The "too tight" -joke becomes a lot better if you know, that the German word for scabbard is "scheide" whuch is also the German word for vagina
Schlong sword go brrrrr
Well, in Latin the word for scabbard is... vagina
In Polish "pochwa" means both either.
Real knight doesn't afraid of blood on his sword.
@@Bajbajoc Just remember to clean the blood off it and you're good to go~
Too tight? You have to put it in and pull it out repeatedly!
I've made several scabbard for myself and have had requests to make them for other people. I average one failed blank to each success. Getting the fit right is very tricky and what seems to fit when clamped fails when glued. I carve mine out btw.
I found a looser fit at test clamp tightens up when glued and tightens further when the leather is wet formed, glued and sewn on and its just really tricky to get right.
I've also changed recently to using hide glue rather than PVA wood glue. PVA is uncorrectable but hide glue can be heated to unstick and fix mistakes. I think this will make a huge difference in my attrition rate.
Lining the inside seems to give a bit of wiggle room too for fit errors as the squish in the lining gives a titch of leeway but still holds snug to the blade
I've made a few scabbards and didn't have any of the difficulties you had. If you want the sword to fit, don't try to use the wood itself to do that: that's the liner's job. Just get some nice floofy wool in there -- a little at the bottom to prevent klanking and a little at the top to get a nice secure fit. With that, leather wrapping isn't a problem at all. The scabbard will contract, but the liner will take up the slack. It'll also be a suitable barrier to any wood glue, at least for a short time (they always say not to store swords in scabbards!)
The main problems I had were 1) some leather dyes are not great. They are, in fact, hot garbage. Finding this out on a completed scabbard is irritating 2) putting in any intricate detailing on on/under the leather requires a level of artistic ability that is beyond me. Plus if you want ridges or spines, you pretty much have to abandon the wrap method and switch to gluing the leather to the scabbard, otherwise you won't get the definition you're likely looking for.
thank you for advice... I was thinking about making a scabbard for my heavy longsword (weight bordering 2 handed only swords, almost to heavy to swing with one hand) cuz my leather sheath I had for it simply got damaged over time. And thanks to you I now know that I don't have to be so perfect with fitting. I can carve more space than needed and only fit it at 2 ends.
The one scabbard I tried to line (with felt) had the problem that the point of the blade always catches when I put it in. It takes several attempts to get it to go in properly. How do you keep that from happening?
@@LarryGarfieldCrell Often there will only be felt (or wool, or velvet, or whatever) only in the upper portion and very end. This way there's far less potential for catching, as you have more control early on, and the scabbard guides it at the end. Leather is also an option, as it doesn't catch as much, but usually you'll line the whole length.
felt tape is a great alternative
The advice about storage is wrong or incomplete. I know from Matt Easton that metal scabbards at least are very good for long term storage if the blade is clean and dry when it goes in so you're at least missing the qualifier "wooden."
what do you get when you mix a machinist and a carpenter? cabinets that only open in winter.
I always have to smile when people with a "metal" background get started working with wood and want to apply the same principles..
Exactly what happened to me.
I was used to working with metal and the first cabinet I made didn't open in winter.
On the other hand I am ok at making scabbards. Must have learn from my earlier failures.
I have no issue with a scabbard being sold separately... as long as one is available to fit that blade. When I do take issue is when there is no scabbard available at all. Just finding a sheath or scabbard to fit a blade purchased elsewhere can be a nightmare in itself. Bladesmiths need to make an appropriate scabbard available, even if it is a separate purchase. Thanks Skall :) Adventure on my friend, Phat
I disagree, just because you are competent at making swords doesn't guarantee that you are competent at making scabbards. It's a very different skill, and barring exceptions it would require hiring someone who has that specific skill or your bladesmiths have to take time out of their own specialized craft to learn a sidecraft. There's a reason why in the old days you often (obviously not always) had different people making bows and making arrows, and why gunsmiths don't necessarily make ammunition. They're different skills, and while some people want to learn both, for other people it doesn't make sense to go out of your specialized field.
Remember that you have to be able to economically justify taking that time and effort learning those skills. For a lot of people, I imagine it makes a lot more sense financially to stick with what they are good at and keep doing the thing they're good at doing.
@@neruneri Indeed, and even with Albions that have blanks cut with CNC, since the distal tapering, beveling, cetera is done by hand, no two blades are exactly the same, so it'll still need each scabbard to be done with the intended sword at hand.
That's why I agree with you and why you've got people like Todd whom make custom scabbards. One cannot expect a bladesmith to also do the work of a carpenter.
@@neruneri I did NOT say that bladesmiths should MAKE the scabbards, merely that they provide the opportunity to make the purchase of a scabbard to fit that specific blade. I fully hold to that statement. Adventure on, Phat
@@Mtonazzi All my favorite bladesmiths offer scabbards to fit their production run and custom pieces. It is proper form to offer scabbards, even if the smith needs to hire them made. You are welcome to disagree. However, that does not make you right. Adventure on, Phat
@@neruneri would you buy a car that needed tires that no company made?
It wouldn't matter how cool the car was, It would be worthless because it's incomplete
I did make a scabbard once, it was crappy looking but it worked, I have a ton of respect for those that make them professionally
FWIW I appreciate you sharing your "failures" like this, as I find I often learn a lot from it. I think too often people are afraid to show when something doesn't go quite right because it makes them look like they're not an expert, but the thing is, sharing the mistakes can help other people learn about them without making them themselves.
I appreciate the way of looking at failures it inspires as well: The analytical debriefing style of "What happend? What went wrong? Why?"
When you make something like this, use a wood that is not hygroscopic (like European cedar), or that was thermal treated. Those woods wont swell, when they get wet and they wont shrink, when they dry out.
I would use plywood since it's a lot cheaper and won't warp much at all. That scabbard would get a leather cover.
@@kothaelser3282 It will, over time. and it will warp especially, If you carve layers away and end up with an even number of layers on specific spots. If you put the time and effort into building something like this, you should at least use the proper materials,...and a piece of wood is not unaffordable. Plywood is good, if you work with thick pieces, but not with thin layers.
@@mementomori4972 The idea was to work with a sandwich type construction as shown in the video. You wouldn't even need to carve or sand away at the plywood.
@@kothaelser3282 It wont fit snugly, because the blade is not square bar of metal. It would be a cheap DIY solution.
I make mine with poplar...
The one dislike is the guy who tried to make a scabbard, failed, and refuses to admit it.
Or people who dislike the economic truths in the introduction. Poor sods.
Or normal people who use inventory instead of a wooden boot .
Or bots
In all Videos there are a set number of dislikes, like some people or Bots go around and spend all day disliking every video.
All 27 of them :)
(At time of typing, at least.)
its a tropical Scabbard
only works in humid conditions
Archeologists are gonna think you're a warlord with all these swords in your house.
He's not that old. There's still time.
@@nickwilliams8302 I'd happily be a mercenary of his
@@johnraltenburg9398 agreed
just imagine what they'll think if he decides to be buried with some.
@Russ Olson "clearly votive offerings, since the scabbards were deliberately constructed to make the blades impossible to draw"
This is relevant for me as I was thinking about trying to make my own scabbard for the Soldat when it comes in...
Soldat "sold what?" Dat sword, lovely name.
@@KOHoxton its german and means soldier
@@thoro1932 I like how English people try to figure out what the German word means
@@thoro1932 funny enough, in Russian too
@@OpiumusPrime French, too!
A turtle approved scabbards
Hey, is that your brother who was in Aron Ra's video?
For a turtle, you get around pretty fast.
Are you a turtle whom enjoys wearing blue?
Dude wtf!?!? You're on leftist TH-cam comments, crossdressing TH-cam comment section, and now you're on HEMA comment section?
The variety of content you invade is impressive
@@saf4433 Well, so are you and me. Are you patting yourself on the back? Lol
A "moist" working area is a nono when it comes to woodworking of this type. The shrinking, as you noticed, wil bite you in the.... well pommel. Work the wood (yes i said it) in the same humidity that you plan to use it in, at least what you will store it in.
My takeaway:
Make it out of plastic, and lie to your friends when they ask what type of wood it is.
Just tell them that the tree was made in china
I think sometimes making the scabbard is more important, intricate and difficult than the sword itself. Think about it. Quality, function and appearance wise you want it to be the swords equal. What good is a sword without a functioning scabbard? They are complementary to each other.
Excalibur's scabbard (say that 10x fast!) was worth far more than the blade!
@@Naluukti True. A pity Arthur put less value on it.
Seeing mistakes and getting the info on why etc is honestly probably more use than showing a perfect workflow.
Yeah, this us super important. An hour of a US, UK or CA based craftman will run you at least 15bucks on the CHEAPEST side.
Lets say the scabard only takes 5 hours to produce... then thats about 75 usd in time ALONE. Add materials, and other inherent costs and you already have 100-120 bucks.
But craftmans usually charge much more for their time, 20, 30, 40, 50 usd an hour (remember, they are trained specialized workers)
So lets say 25 usd an hour * some 5 hours of work, thats 125 in time alone. Add some materials and so on... 170-190 usd.
Now, in india a DAY's work is on average 5usd. So lets say the craftman charges even more... 7 usd a day... or around less than 1 usd an hour. Maybe around 70 cents an hour. So, with some materials and a day's work, a scabbard is maybe 20-30 bucks.
Oh, materials are also cheaper, so even less money.
Buy and import your scabbard from India with a contract.
Problem solved.
That's what free trade and capitalism is for.
Getting such leather is actually quite easy - either go to the next cobbler (there are still many around in most countries) or order it online.
I have so far made a few sheaths for knives for friends and family. The first 2 were too tight with no extra layers so the knife cut through the thread quickly. next was with an inlay of wood and then followed by 3-layer leather. Didn't take that long to learn how to get it to fit and now i can reliably make a sheath just from 2 layers of leather that also hold the knife snuggly. So it is not that hard to make a basic sheath.
A Sword scabbard is on my project list and despite that just being a hobby and with very little space, equipment or experience i am confident that with ~150$ in total i can make a decent fitting one that will last for many years of use. With some time and practice, like 4-5 scabbards, i think i could get it to the point were i could sell them and the cost (without work time) would be like 50$. Not sure how long it would take to make one. The stitching takes forever.
And for wood-working:
You should have the wood either be dried to the correct level and then quickly use it (quite hard if you do not do that professionally) or let it acclimate in the climate/room it is going to be used.
A good trick, which I also saw Shad use, is to make the scabbard a little bigger and then line with felt or fabric to eliminate the rattle.
Seems like you'd need to be careful w/that, though, as any moisture could lead to a rusty blade, even humidity in some cases. You might be able to soak it in thick oil or something.
@@pete3011 but if the glued fabric was allowed to dry when the scabbard is still open in pieces, the humidity should be evaporated... No?
@@KickyFut No, sometimes ambient humidity can be absorbed. I'm basing this off people...like me... storing guns in cloth lined cases and them coming out rusty, you're told not to do that-though humidity shouldn't be a problem for shorter periods, obviously.
There are some modern solutions that might work, like silicone impregnation, like they do w/gun socks.
@@pete3011 oh, I wasn't thinking Elmer's, but one of the thicker gel types or a glue gun... Good to know, as this is all theory on my part. I don't even have a metal sword yet!
PVA wood glue has water based solvent so carbon steel blade in scabbard while it dries will cause rusting.
You could make a loose scabbard and epoxy some rare magnets inside and the sword won't rattle or fall out.
Those failed project will pretty much serve as experience for the next ones.
A prime example why failures are awesome and useful to share.
As the little green master ones said , ''The greatest teacher, failure is'' .
Too tight, high moisture levels and tearing the leather off...
Yes Skall...
I love these sorts of videos. It makes it easier for amateurs like me to learn
THIS video is exactly the type of useful info I love from Skall.
I recommend using PVC and a heat gun to make the core of the scabbard from their trim away the excess and cover with leather.
100%.
Or use polypropylene sheets and do it the same way he did it with wood.
If you ever try this, make sure it's NOT the hot water piping. It's heat treated to avoid melting, but it's unworkable and bad for steel because of this.
@@Ranstone For Germany at least, that would be PP (Polypropylene), so the OP was correct to direct one to PVC. But be sure to work it in a well ventilated area, or even better outside. Those thermoplasts can outgas some nasty stuff when heated sufficiently.
3:55 I got genuinely excited to see a sword that I own lol
Such a thin tight fit isn't easy so I am genuinely impressed. The first scabbard I made was a nightmare of an experience and ended with it cracking at the seam. The second one came out better but it's pretty chunky. Haven't added leather and honestly I'm thinking of painting and just adding metal fittings. One thing I did find is sealing the wood with outdoor wood sealers, the kind for exterior doors and wooden decks, really helped with the humidity. Problem. Sorry long post but I like seeing other people make things it's a huge source of inspiration and it can give one ideas one wouldn't think of doing by themselves. Keep up the amazing work skal. Can't wait for the next one.
Very educational. And yes, sitting down to craft the most basic looking thing often reveals how not so basic it really is.
"At this price, the food should come with packaging to keep it fresh longer"
"...left a sword in there overnight and it immediately rust despite being oiled..." Welcome to South East Texas Skall
For me this was actually the most interesting and useful of recent videos :D. Thanks Skall!
Love the warts and all approach this channel has taken since the beginning. Never change, Skall.
I have made wooden scabbards before, and never had this contraction issue. A thing that may solve it is 1: leaving the wood in a dry place for a few weeks to cure and 2: making the scabbards have more room than the sword, forming the scabbard around a wooden insert in the shape of the sword. I personally used the medieval chiseling method for making scabbards, and live in a place where there usually is between 90 and 99% humidity, and never had any issues.
The most likely reason he had the contraction problem is, as he stated in the video, the different humidity percent. He moved it from: very humid - humid - quite dry. The large difference was probably a factor to why it contracted so much😕
I personally would recommend drying wood anywhere from 8 months to a year (depending on humidity, impossible to dry properly in coastal areas) after soaking it in mineral oil. Unless you buy kiln dried wood, the wood isn't gonna be properly dry. I only have experience with quince wood though (make very good bows).
"there is such a thing as too tight" like a pommel, it must fit rightly.
Love how you break this stuff down, very reasonable and fair!
Love that you are not afraid to show your errors. I stream my knifemaking and i make lots of misstakes lol. Like the man says, there is more to learn from failure then there is from succes
Scabbrds were and are difficult to make well. My dad was quite good at making scabbards.
Life lesson of the day :
If you expect quality, be prepared to pay up. You are a fool to expect they won't cut corners if you intent to buy "quality" stuff for cheap.
I'm thankful for you putting this out here.
I made myself a couple of leather sheath for my fixed knives and were very happy with how they turned out, wanted try to learn making scabbards as well but it require a lot more tools especially for the wood core part, have to agree with Skall it's not a easy task to do
3:45 - This completely unnecessary joke is funnier when you know what the latin word for "scabbard" is.
In german the word is 'Scheide' which is a scabard for your sword and a 'scabard for your gladius' ;)
@@Seelenschmiede In other languages too.
@@Seelenschmiede I should add that the same is true for "sheath": You'll always end up with a "Scheide" 🤣
I always found it ironic that with so many British sword makers the one called Albion is from the US.
If Albion Blades is based in the US, someone should make like "Washington Eagle Scabbards" and base it in Glastonbury.
@@functionatthejunction 'Mericutlass. We're making 'Mericutlasses.
Some time ago, I made a scabbard and lined the inside with flannelette (an old shirt ). I applied a bit of silicon oil to help with rust proofing. It has been working well. High end medieval scabbards were lined with lambs wool. Lining a scabbard will stop it rattling while allowing some room for the wood shrink / expand as it will naturally do. It is thought it may also help keep the sword rust free as it gets a wipe over from the lambs wool every time it is drawn.
My entire experience of making a sheath was in.... the 80's I wanna say? My tacknife sheath was super bulky and I'm from a very hot place: no heavy duty clothes to disapear the sheath into, and I needed the knife almost daily, so I made myself a soft sheath from old jeans.
To prevent the blade cutting thru the denim I put 5mm x 5mm pine peices up the "front" I guess and sewed them in, so the blade edge never touched anything but wood but when the knife was out the sheath could fold/twist/roll as if fully fabric. Wore that in my shorts for a decade nearly and no-one noticed it around the place, least the coppers never did.
Novice collectors and non-craftsmen: "Scabbards are incredibly easy to make, just carve out some wood and there you go!"
People who actually made scabbards: "You have no idea how incorrect that is."
Just realized guns are easier to make than scabbards...
Basically any woodworking project...!
@@Naluukti yeah, if you screw up once, you gotta start pretty much from scratch depending on how much you start with.
@@Ranstone no. Maybe if you are "building" an 80% lower AR but that's about the same as "building" a PC. You're not actually making anything, you're putting shit together that you purchased. Watch capandball's video on the pedersoli factory that makes reproduction black powder firearms. Or actually go about and completely make a repeating firearm from scratch. The technical ability needed is immense.
@@lmaolmoo4147 i give you the handgonne (yes this one is a smaller version, but same basic principle applies)
th-cam.com/video/e2arBtuyLb4/w-d-xo.html
Okay, I don't usually go for "first comment" but this time when I opened my subscriptions page, this video was there, published 6 seconds ago.
I have never seen that short a time, and I take it as a cosmic sign that me checking my subscriptions and this video being published almost simultaneously means I have a moral duty to inform everyone of this. Rejoice!
We learn something new everyday. Keep up the great work and Thank You for all that you do.
I always find to be a much braver thing to admit to a failure than any type of success... bravo sir bravo 👏👏👏
So there is a demand for custom scabbards for Albion swords this is intresting. With mordern devices imagine the types of prints you can apply on your scarbbards. All the cool designs or pictures..
Oh god
I have made many wooden and leather covered wood scabbards, they are a lot of work, sharp tools are essential, A good table saw allows you to cut the scabbard halves from the same piece of hardwood (only hardwood). you can also use a router to hollow it out, but it will always come down to sharp chisels and gouges. Wet, stretch and stitch leather over the wood to finish. I like gorilla glue to put the scabbard halves together.
I have only made a couple swords, but I've done dozens of scabbards.
I always use poplar for mine. Low tannen, light but tough.
And yes, they are a lot of work and easy to ruin at every step along the way
I really appreciate you making this, your home made experiments are probably exactly the kind of thing people did back in the day
I miss your workshop so much. It was so fun watching you build things, and seeing your prototypes and improvements over time.
"it takes too much time to do by hand" is kinda moot excuse these days when CnC mills, laser cutting and 3D printing is a thing.
Collab with Todds workshop. He makes scabbards for Albion
During my reenactment days I made a few scabbards for my Czech Swords and Chinese daggers. There are some points to consider, some of them you addressed here.
1) Never _ever_ let uncured wood glue get in contact with the blade. You can polish the blade regularly but the stains will keep coming back practically forever.
2) Provide enough room for the blade when fitting the wooden core. 2 or 3 mm of cardboard on each side of the blade will do the trick. Do _not_ glue the core yet.
3) Give the wooden core a furry lining. Rabbit skin, goat skin or cow skin will all do the job. In a pinch you could even hunt down Polyethylenes and use Teddybear skin. Make sure the thickness of the skin roughly matches the thickness of the above mentioned card board. The hairs should face the tip of the blade so you can insert the blade smoothly.
4) When all this is done and the furry-wooden core is glued together here comes the best part: Fill in a reasonable amount of Ballistol or any other weapon oil and you will never have to take care of a rusting blade any more. It will _never_ be rattling and the fur will prevent the blade from slipping out of the scabbard.
Only after the core is fully functional, rounded and sanded, you can cover it with leather and finish it to your liking.
Love the vids! Keep up the great work!
If you buy a gun, in most cases you don‘t get a fitting holster either.
And after you buy one finding one that fits isn't easy either. "Made for.." means not yours.
Except you can buy a 150 dollar gun and it will 99.999999% not explode into a million pieces or fly off the handle and kill the neighbourhood stray.
@@Bourikii2992 But it could be less reliable, especially if you cheap out on ammo. But who am i to talk, I need to spend more than a 1 grand just to get the license to buy a gun...
A fail is just...
First
Attempt
In
Learning
That's inspirational !
Thank you for great info. Enjoy your vids
Thanks for sharing ... very interesting video!
I'd rather have a cheap leather scabbard than no scabbard.
Pure leather is not great on a blade, tanine is fairly corrosive, which is also why you should avoid woods containing it, such as oak.
@@radiatedronnie2855 how bad is vegetable tan leather? I'm still new to leather making, and I've put veg tan leather for sheaths and they don't seem to xorode the blade.
@@sebmuckerheide1133 I don't know. Try something that's not too acidic. I vegetable tanned works great,
Alternate title for the first 2 minutes: Sword hipster tries to defend a company for selling a product worth 5 months of labour without a case for said product.
Yep, a little too long.
Massive help. Im so glad i watcged this first. Ive done alot of kydex work but never leather or wood
Very helpful...!!! Would love more content like this
I think this is great content. Even for those who are aware of the expansion and contraction of wood, or how bad it can be, this is still great information. My dad does mainly wood work combined with some other stuff, and his workshop has very stable temperatures and is very dry. It's something I have learned through him, but I would never have actually seen how much a scabbard might contract without you posting this video. Again, very useful, great content.
This is fantastic very informative thank you!
I began to make wood and leather scabbards for my reenactment blades last year, from since I've made (as an amateur) a couple of them and I learned a few things:
- Plywood, seems to be less subject to humidity than regular wood (plus in my case it's always been leather covered, so the looks is not key factor).
- Painting both the inside and the outside of the wooden part with wood stain also helps with humidity isolation.
- I make scabbards almost in the same way Skallagrim did, with a wooden negative profile of the blade sandwitched between the two faces. In order to manage the distal taper I use several layers of glued paper that progressively thickens from the debole towards the forte.
- When gluing the parts, I like to leave the blade inside wrapped in greaseproof paper (here in Italy we call it oven paper, I don't know the exact name in English but it's a kind of paper used in cooking to prevent the food from sticking while in the oven), I found it's really good preventing the glue from sticking to the blade. However I don't leave the blade inside the scabbard while drying, I just fix the parts with tiny needles that I remove afterwards.
- In my humble opinion, I would use less glue and much more pliers (basically I'd cover the entire perimeter of the scabbard with pliers, leaving a few millimeter between them, even clothespins works if they are a lot).
- The leather should always be wet during the stitching. I don't have experience with stitching along the edge, I always cross-stitched on the back face.
Hope sharing my personal experience helps someone :)
Not sure which Italian word got mistranslated to "pliers" (a tool, not a material).
@@johndododoe1411 You're right, I translated the word out of memory and it was wrong.
I meant some sort of clamps.
Really useful video, sharing potential problems one can encounter is invaluable regardless of the project. I've only ever made synthetic and leather sheathes (for knives) and no tutorials/self-teaching courses mentioned things that could go wrong, which made me waste a lot of material, it's similar with wooden scabbard ones, they make it look ridiculously simple, if labour intensive, and if I tried making one without your video I'd probably end up exactly where you are (now I can find a different way to screw up :D)
That Works recently released a video of Ilya’s most recent katana build and he goes into great detail on how the scabbard was made. The point you mention about the open bottom is actually valid. In a katana scabbard (Saya) there is a small channel cut a couple of inches below the tip exactly for excess moisture to gather. The scabbard is also not flush to the blade, there’s a fair bit of wiggle room. It pinches the blade at the hilt and at the tip because of the wood reacting with the steel. There is also a metal or horn material at the opening to protect the hand from the blade if you do a draw cut.
Humidity also greatly affects the wood, especially if it’s cheap ply or MDF etc, as the glue hydrates the wood and then contracts when it dries, it makes the wood bend. A better way to apply the glue is to do a light brush on both contacts (in theory it will contract on both contacts, helping to cancel out) and compress together. I’ve also heard that some scabbards were lined with cloth or silk to help protect the blade from moisture but I can’t confirm this.
Excited. Much excite.
I love your videos Skall. I am with you since the very beginning. I love how you are not afraid to show your failure, so others can learn. Just a suggestion. Since I am making knives and sometimes wooden sheaths for knives. By no means, I am pretending to know how to make a sword scabbard. But generally speaking,before you will use any kind of wood for handle or sheaths the wood must be 3-5 years old since it was cut and be left in a dry environment during that time. Also after the wood has matured it is a very good idea to put the wood in the oven so it will dry up even more before making it into anything. Plus when you take it out of the oven it really soaks any type of treatment you put to the wood and make it more impervious to the elements. Sometimes even blowtorching it lyrics and sanding it works well sometimes!
Very helpful, thank you!
I made a wood scabbard for a knife of mine (lost the old leather one in the ether of time and probably my messy cellar). What worked for me pretty well were two things.
1) I made the entry way of the scabbard rather tight for the spot of the knife that sits there when it is fully inside.
2) I used a thin leather strap on the edge walls to have some sort of filler material which can grab the knife when inside (although this might not be ideal as the knife will always have contact at the edge when moving in and out).
Thank you for this video.
I learned a lot, actually!
It did not originally occur to me just how much effort went into this particular art.
Thank you for educating me.
Very interesting subject. Thank you. ^^
Very nice to see you on a table saw and gluing with clamps. Well done brother I'm impressed.
So excited to click on this video! I have been wanting to make a scabbard for my Albion Ringeck for over a year, and I'm hoping to pick up an Albion Knight at some point as well. I bought the wood, cut it to shape, began to Dremel it out and just got frustrated. I never even decided how/if I want to wrap it or stain it or what.
I respect that you show your mistakes and trial and error
Thanks for the tips! I am currently planning to make a couple of scabbards. I've read that the traditional viking scabbard had from inside to outside, layers of wool, wood, wool, and leather. I hope that the wool felt layers will help keep the compression from causing issues, but I'll learn from your mistakes, and leave a little more room for contraction than I would have prior to watching this. Especially so, since I am planning to stem bend the wood around half the cross-section.
This videos is really helpful with smiting and informing me on this i didn't know befor
A router is a scabbard makers best friend. Trace the outline of you blade on the wood, set the depth to the maximum thickness of the blade and start removing material. Another tip, heavily oil the inside of the scabbard with mineral oil before assembly. This will help prevent rust from forming on the blade. Also if you are going to cover the scabbard with leather or twine, just use wood staples to hold it together. They work well and won't be an eyesore if it's covered
@Skallagrim. If you don't have access to woods that are not hygroscopic (won't shrink and swell), use woods, that are as dry, as they could possibly be (a very old piece, that was laying around somewhere for years) Those woods won't shrink as much (but they can swell). If you seal the end grain of the wood, It will react allot less to humidity changes in the air. If you don't have access to woods, that contain no tannin (like poplar), you can use a liner (thin suede leather, which you can oil after gluing it in place) to prevent a reaction with the metal of the blade (rust).
As someone who plans to eventually make a sheath or scabbard of some kind for a few single-handed axes, this was very informative. Thank you.
I have a bastard sword I made that I’ve been really wanting to make a scabbard for but haven’t quite figured out how to tackle it this video has kind of helped me
Thank you for sharing your work, your mistakes, and your thoughts.
And let the scabbard maker who has NEVER messed up throw the first stone!
Just got a Kern from Albion and it's a beauty. I finally understand what you meant by high quality historical recreations feel different, it's so light I thought it was stolen out of the box when it arrived because it felt empty. Compared to the Diphos there's practically no stress on the wrist and it's so nimble in the hand.
I like videos like these! There's a lot to learn from your videos since you actually have experience with the topic
When i was in highschool I would take the cardboard from soda boxes and duct tape to make sheaths for knives that didn't have anything for a sheath already. They look terrible but they work for moving and storage which is most of the time the main use of a sheath anyway.
I made a scabbard carved in two halves from poplar (For a Dirk, not a sword), fit to the blade with a bit of masking tape over it to leave space.
Didn't glue it together, did lacing over it with coreless paracord in a kinda herringbone pattern. Snug enough it can be held upside down without falling out, but not difficult to draw.
Not sure if it would work as well for a sword, but I'm certain it would be a tremendous amount of work.