I am toying with the idea of covering a fibreglass scabbard with a traditional leather covering to retain a more authentic appearance. The scabbard I have is the Hanwei practical Viking type and I was wondering what type of glue I might require to bond leather securely to the fibreglass ... any suggestions or tips on approaching this project would be appreciated!

Soren.

I woud use contact cement

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I'm not sure you really need glue. I covered my fibreglass scabbard for Hanwei's medievaltrainersomething with leather, to get a more authentic look too, and I didn't use any glue. Haven't had any troubles so far. Just sew the leather tightly on while it's wet, and as it dries it will tighten around the scabbard nicely.

I tend to agree that glue isn't really necessary. When I make a scabbard I put some glue (just white wood glue) on the front before I shape over any risers, but it's really just to make sure that the leather cover doesn't get out of alignment with the risers while I'm stitching. It never stays glued over the whole front of the scabbard, and I never put any on the back. If I were using a synthetic scabbard and I wanted to use glue, I think I would glue leather or cord risers to the scabbard with contact cement or epoxy, and then rely on the wood glue holding the leather to the risers, which it should do, for my purposes, just fine.

Personally, I would not use contact cement. I haven't tried it, so I can't be sure, but I tend to think it would interfere with wetforming the leather over the risers, if there are any. The wood glue pretty much won't dry until the leather does, meaning you have as much time to work as you need.

All of that being said, I'd probably just not use any.

Great suggestions gents ... you are probably right about not needing to glue but I have never tried this before so assumed it was necessary. Sewing while wet will probably do the trick but I will glue on the risers as this would obviously be required so that they keep their firm place ... excellent! I will post my results here when done .... yours looks great Harry, thank you!

Soren.

When you set your risers? Use SuperGlue (any brand). These MUST be stiff, and absolutely fixed in place... contact cement is a true weenie for this job.

Disclaimer - others will argue - fine... do as you wish. When the risers move? Well - you were warned :).

A quick question for those already experienced ... what is the best type of leather for scabbard assembly? If there is a particular grade or type I ought to be looking for, please advise.

Soren

Your a good man Peter, thank you very much ... that should help me get started or at least to know what to ask for. I can see the pros and cons of having thick vs thin ... a thinner leather might also not take dings or scratches as well, even after drying I presume ... but I am not one to abuse my gear and I like a rustic used look also. I will need to purchase some leather working tools also ... here comes some new expenses! ;-)

Soren.