one of the nicest bearing blocks i ever used was a pair of limpet shells, one inside the other to minimise heat transfer. they really do work a treat.
my normal block is simply a pebble i found on a beach with a perfectly formed divot in the back of it.
the simplest metal insert for slick bearing blocks is a cap from a beer bottle. no need to go vandalising her majesty's legal tender!
the esee 5 works fine for left handed people like me. if anything, it works better left handed. it's not a massive hole, in normal use it's imperceptible.
the sheath has a widget that enables you to take it off the belt if you want. i don't bother, in practice, as i said, it's no where near as dangerous or scary as people's imagination. a couple of years ago i was helping out with a bushcraft demo at a country fair. i must have done several tens of bowdrill demos using the esee5 as a bearing block. i don't recall anyone commenting about it being dangerous or looking scary.
i know when this sort of concept first came out years and years ago, loads of folks started going mental about the idea that the micarta would spontaineously combust or de-laminate or something. no, that doesn't happen either.
cheers, and.
