Scabbard "Fit"
Recently I received a scabbard for my Knight that was one of the items John Cowart put up for sale here at myArmoury. What I'd like to know is how tightly a sword is supposed to fit into a scabbard? My Knight slides in and out easily all the way along its length save for the top inch or two. This top inch or so slides in easily enough, but it's incredibly difficult to remove the sword from the scabbard once it has been pushed all the way into the scabbard. Put it this way- I can turn the scabbard upside down so that the pommel and hilt of my Knight are pointing towards the floor and shake the scabbard up and down and my Knight still won't come out. I have a feeling that this is not normal, but I wanted other people's opinions first.

Also, assuming that the scabbard does fit tightly, what should I do? A member of my family suggested leaving the Knight in the scabbard for a day or so, and then sliding it in and out numerous times with the idea that the Knight would become easier to remove. I have considered sanding the scabbard, but I don't want to irrevocably remove bits of the scabbard if there is a better solution to the problem.
Re: Scabbard "Fit"
Craig Peters wrote:
Recently I received a scabbard for my Knight that was one of the items John Cowart put up for sale here at myArmoury. What I'd like to know is how tightly a sword is supposed to fit into a scabbard? My Knight slides in and out easily all the way along its length save for the top inch or two. This top inch or so slides in easily enough, but it's incredibly difficult to remove the sword from the scabbard once it has been pushed all the way into the scabbard. Put it this way- I can turn the scabbard upside down so that the pommel and hilt of my Knight are pointing towards the floor and shake the scabbard up and down and my Knight still won't come out. I have a feeling that this is not normal, but I wanted other people's opinions first.


That sounds a little tight. That core was a tad oversnug anyway - I intentionally carved it to be - but it sounds like the core has swelled with humidity changes. This isn't uncommon at all. (And yes, the inside and outside of the core were coated to resist this, but it happens anyway.) As a rule, you don't want the sword to be "sloppy" in the scabbard, but you shouldn't have to yank like mad to get it out. It should drop in to about the last 1/2 inch to 1 inch, then snug up. You should be able to turn it upside down and the sword should resist dropping out or stay put.

Craig Peters wrote:
Also, assuming that the scabbard does fit tightly, what should I do? A member of my family suggested leaving the Knight in the scabbard for a day or so, and then sliding it in and out numerous times with the idea that the Knight would become easier to remove. I have considered sanding the scabbard, but I don't want to irrevocably remove bits of the scabbard if there is a better solution to the problem.

Working the scabbard with the sword isn't a bad call. When I encounter this issue, I lightly coat the blade with breakfree, mineral oil, or gun oil, and work it a bit. I can't remember where the sword gets "hung". If it's at the mouth, you could potentially file or sand out a tiny bit and it would free it up. If it's at the tip or along the whole blade, simply working it in is the best option. Coat the blade, insert and withdraw, and look at the streaking. You'll be able to see where the core contacts the blade.

Hope you enjoy it, Craig! I'm not sure if it was ever posted, but this is the final outcome of my post about making a scabbard for my Knight posted over a year ago, I think. A lot's happened since then... At any rate, I gave it to John, who did some of the work himself - he made the chape, if I recall correctly, as well as some of the finishing leatherwork.
I think this is the way it should be. You probally have to figure out a technique to draw the sword fast enough for your needs. When I was an active Iaidoka we where tought different states of agression, the first being laying the left hand on the saya (scabbard) and the second level of agression was to press the sword out one inch with the thumb. This making the sword loose in the saya and hence ready to draw. I figure there could be some technique simillar to this for a western sword although not as ritualised as the Japaneese way.
Aaron;

Glad to see you posting again. :cool: I guessing you are much too busy to do it very often since you joined Albion.

One thing with scabbard fit is that it seems to change with use: A perfectly fitted scabbard becoming a little loose with lots of use and a slightly over tight scabbard can become a self-fixing problem as it wears looser.

I think one should expect to have to periodically do some maintenance work on a scabbard if / when it gets loose.

Here is a link to a topic I started a while back that might be useful to review and see if they are other suggestions about how to fix the opposite problem of looseness: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...e+scabbard

I used the leather lace glued in the corners of a loose scabbard and it worked: One may have to re-do this periodically as the repair also wears down a bit.

( Note: Look for the post by Eric McHugh towards the end of the linked topic for details about how to use the leather lace. )
Nice to see you posting again, Aaron! Hope all is well and work is as fun as I imagine it is!
Re: Scabbard "Fit"
Hi Craig,

Craig Peters wrote:
Recently I received a scabbard for my Knight that was one of the items John Cowart put up for sale here at myArmoury. What I'd like to know is how tightly a sword is supposed to fit into a scabbard? My Knight slides in and out easily all the way along its length save for the top inch or two. This top inch or so slides in easily enough, but it's incredibly difficult to remove the sword from the scabbard once it has been pushed all the way into the scabbard. Put it this way- I can turn the scabbard upside down so that the pommel and hilt of my Knight are pointing towards the floor and shake the scabbard up and down and my Knight still won't come out. I have a feeling that this is not normal, but I wanted other people's opinions first.

Also, assuming that the scabbard does fit tightly, what should I do? A member of my family suggested leaving the Knight in the scabbard for a day or so, and then sliding it in and out numerous times with the idea that the Knight would become easier to remove. I have considered sanding the scabbard, but I don't want to irrevocably remove bits of the scabbard if there is a better solution to the problem.


Has this scabbard spent much time with a sword in it? When I first built the scabbard for my knight it was very tight, exactly as you describe - the last couple of inches went in fine but required a good yank to get the sword out. 6 months of having the sword stored in it later and it is a lot looser than it was. The sword still stays put if I hold it upside-down but a good shake will dislodge it, when previously it had no effect. Now the "draw weight" is just about right.

A week or so ago I oiled the sword with a little mineral oil, which I do every so often, and when I drew it this week it was suddenly much easier to draw. Enough so that I started worrying about the fit getting too lose. I figure what happened is that I got a little sloppy with the mineral oil and, as Aaron suggested, this hasn't affected the fit, but it's lubricated the bearing surfaces of the wood more than they were.
Re: Scabbard "Fit"
Al Muckart wrote:
Has this scabbard spent much time with a sword in it?


With my sword? No. With John's? I can't say- you'd have to ask him, or maybe Aaron. Suffice to say it is not a brand new scabbard, but just how long it has spent with a sword inside it I can't really say.
Re: Scabbard "Fit"
Craig Peters wrote:
Al Muckart wrote:
Has this scabbard spent much time with a sword in it?


With my sword? No. With John's? I can't say- you'd have to ask him, or maybe Aaron. Suffice to say it is not a brand new scabbard, but just how long it has spent with a sword inside it I can't really say.


Probably not much. I think he displayed them separately.
Re: Scabbard "Fit"
Aaron Schnatterly wrote:

Hope you enjoy it, Craig! I'm not sure if it was ever posted, but this is the final outcome of my post about making a scabbard for my Knight posted over a year ago, I think. A lot's happened since then... At any rate, I gave it to John, who did some of the work himself - he made the chape, if I recall correctly, as well as some of the finishing leatherwork.


Craig, do you have pictures of it? That was the thread that got me building a scabbard for my knight and I'd love to see pictures of how it turned out in the end, especially given the quality of Aaron's subsequent work.
Craig!
If i was you i will give it an year with the sword in it before i will make any changes on it,
wood need's time, my scabbards was like that to in the beginning to and i did nothing to it,
it's works fine today and use your sword as usual. :)

:eek: Aaron! :D
Wow! Good luck with your Käresta :D
Craig Peters wrote:
Al,

As per your request, here are some photos of the scabbard:


Very nice. Thank you for posting those.

The differential profile taper of that core gives it's tip a much more refined look than mine, which has a linear taper.

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