myArmoury.com - What is the state of the scabbard market?

Posts: 91 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Thu 01 Jan, 2015 11:07 am

Terry Thompson wrote:

I've made a few wooden cores from the bending method. ...
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The swords in this photo are all hanging by their crosshilts, and the scabbard cores are just being suspended by friction on the blade.
[ Linked Image ]

-Terry

Terry,

Thanks for the detailed description of how you do the bent-slat method.

In your photo I see what looks like an Albion Vassal. On a single-edged sword such as that, where the back edge does not taper (is essentially of a flat, square cross-section for most of its length), does the bent-slat method still work?

The way I picture it, this method would work best with a blade that tapers off symmetrically from its midline to both edges. I would just like to clarify if you had to do something different with the Vassal, as I have two single-edged blades I would like to make scabbards for.

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Henrik Granlid

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Posts: 103 Location: Sweden

Thu 01 Jan, 2015 11:47 am

How much extra width should be taken into account when cutting the shape for the bent slat method? I can get some extremely thinn slats from a local modeling shop (for wings on wooden airplanes).

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Terry Thompson

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Posts: 165 Location: Suburbs of Wash D.C.

Thu 01 Jan, 2015 5:42 pm

Glen S. Ramsay wrote:

Terry,

Thanks for the detailed description of how you do the bent-slat method.

In your photo I see what looks like an Albion Vassal. On a single-edged sword such as that, where the back edge does not taper (is essentially of a flat, square cross-section for most of its length), does the bent-slat method still work?

The way I picture it, this method would work best with a blade that tapers off symmetrically from its midline to both edges. I would just like to clarify if you had to do something different with the Vassal, as I have two single-edged blades I would like to make scabbards for.

I have to make a correction from above. I checked all of my wood slats. I made all of the scabbard blanks from 1/8" poplar, except the Poitiers which I made from 1/16". After sanding applications, they will get down to about 3/32" before lacquering.

Glen, good catch with the vassal. I did add a filler "spine" to the back side of the scabbard. I traced the scabbard blank and created a 1/8" wide pattern following the silhouette. I cut that narrow paper pattern into three equal lengths, and I trimmed the narrow patterns out of more craft wood:
For the third closest to the mouth: 1/4" thick
The middle: 1/8" thick
The closest to the tip: 1/16" thick

I glued those each in place along the spine edge of one scabbard blanks, prior to soaking in hot water (I think I used contact cement or GOOP). Then I carefully hand-sanded each section to taper down to the adjacent section, to create a constant taper all the way down the length of the back edge.
Then I did the soaking and clamping as with the other swords.

To answer Henrik's question. I added 1/8" along the edges when I did mine. Because you're tracing around the blade when making the pattern, you get about a 1/16" additional just by process, which is usually enough to compensate for the bend. The 1/8" is mainly for the adhesive to glue to the two sides together.
I would not use modeling woods like basswood or balsa. The first scabbards trials I ever attempted were with basswood and balsa. Not only was it expensive, but they are much too soft and in the case of balsa, too brittle.

As I mentioned above, you can get Poplar wood much cheaper from places like D&D Hardwoods. As of writing this; 1/8" thick x 3" wide slats are $0.84 a linear foot. So a scabbard for a 36" blade will cost you about $5.00 + shipping for the wood. Yellow tulip poplar is very tight grained, carves and sands easily, and glues up well.

This thread inspired me to start covering them in leather and making sword belts for them. Nothing fancy, but they're coming out okay.
-Terry

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Glen S. Ramsay

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Posts: 91 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Thu 01 Jan, 2015 7:15 pm

Terry Thompson wrote:

I did add a filler "spine" to the back side of the scabbard. I traced the scabbard blank and created a 1/8" wide pattern following the silhouette. I cut that narrow paper pattern into three equal lengths, and I trimmed the narrow patterns out of more craft wood:
For the third closest to the mouth: 1/4" thick
The middle: 1/8" thick
The closest to the tip: 1/16" thick

I glued those each in place along the spine edge of one scabbard blanks, prior to soaking in hot water (I think I used contact cement or GOOP). Then I carefully hand-sanded each section to taper down to the adjacent section, to create a constant taper all the way down the length of the back edge.
Then I did the soaking and clamping as with the other swords.

Thanks for the clarification, Terry! Your results look great, by the way! If you have any pictures of the scabbards you've added leather to, please post them...

-Glen

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Henrik Granlid

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Posts: 103 Location: Sweden

Fri 02 Jan, 2015 7:06 am

Thank you Terry!

It's actually a very thinn plywood if I recall correctly from an old, way too broad non-glued scabbard thingamajig I did for a Pavel Moc. It's sold now, but it was a bit of a learning experience at least.

The main issue with poplar is that I'd absolutely love to get slats like that, but there are no woodyards anywhere in the vicinity that sells anything other than pine planks or pine plywood as well as mdf, one of the downsides of living in Sweden. I'd love to get my hands on some lindenwood otherwise, but again, all pine.

Would a thinn enouh plank work for shaping?

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Terry Thompson

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Posts: 165 Location: Suburbs of Wash D.C.

Fri 02 Jan, 2015 8:27 am

Sorry. I failed to notice you were over-seas. I've a stack of 1/8" American tulip polar slats I could give you for free (+ship), but it looks like some countries are very particular about raw wood being shipped about, due to possible pest infestation. Customs could possibly seize it.
You might have to ask wood workers local to you and see if there is a species of wood that is similar to the more southerly deciduous aspen and poplars in Europe.
I'm asking around now to see if anyone I know has been able to ship dimensional lumber to Europe.
-Terry

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Terry Thompson

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Posts: 165 Location: Suburbs of Wash D.C.

Fri 02 Jan, 2015 8:55 am

Here are the first 4 scabbards so far. Poitiers (dk Brown), Sovereign (oxblood), Sempach (black), and Factory X Short Sword (light brown). I probably should have put another coat of oxblood on the sovereign, but I ran out. And I'm not really happy with the light brown going with the tan grip of the Factory X. But they're all waxed and polished now.

I have a couple more leather covers to make, and then I have to figure on what to do for chapes and a locket for the sovereign. I've had very poor results trying to shape nickel silver for dagger chapes.

[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]

Each of these took about half a day or so to cut, punch, stitch and stain. As I mentioned before, nothing fancy.
-Terry

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Henrik Granlid

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Posts: 103 Location: Sweden

Fri 02 Jan, 2015 9:23 am

I'll just kwep searching locally, shipping would be a nightmare and I don't quite have project resources at the moment due to a busted up laptop devouring the armouring budget for most of spring. But thank you for the offer :)

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Harry Marinakis

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Posts: 818

Sat 03 Jan, 2015 7:44 am

Dean F. Marino wrote:

I THINK you were trying to contrast the general process of hollowing out wood vs the process of BENDING wood.

Exactly

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Glen S. Ramsay

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Posts: 91 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Mon 05 Jan, 2015 7:36 pm

Terry Thompson wrote:

Here are the first 4 scabbards so far. Poitiers (dk Brown), Sovereign (oxblood), Sempach (black), and Factory X Short Sword (light brown). I probably should have put another coat of oxblood on the sovereign, but I ran out. And I'm not really happy with the light brown going with the tan grip of the Factory X. But they're all waxed and polished now.

I have a couple more leather covers to make, and then I have to figure on what to do for chapes and a locket for the sovereign. I've had very poor results trying to shape nickel silver for dagger chapes.

[ Linked Image ]
[ Linked Image ]

Each of these took about half a day or so to cut, punch, stitch and stain. As I mentioned before, nothing fancy.
-Terry

Nice work, Terry! I really like the mottled look you achieved with your staining on both brown scabbards. They look great!

Glen

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Mark T

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Posts: 1,058

Thu 08 Jan, 2015 4:31 pm

Getting back to the original topic, Josh Davis' work is also great.

Ryan Bandics of Boar's Tooth Knives also looks like he's doing some fine work. I don't have a scabbard by him, but think I might have to commission one soon!: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1522749984664855.1073741828.1522675171339003&type=1

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