Braided Leather knife lanyard

[Schwert]

As some of you may know I am an amateur leather braider. I generally like my knives to have a short leash of some sort depending on its style and purpose.

This is short 6-plait kangaroo braid mini-tutorial. Nothing really radically different than the long neck cord that I recently did for my Ingram SLK, except this is a single diamond braid which is a bit more tedious to do than the 4-seam work of the neck cord. Every strand goes under one over one on both sides. For a short lanyard this is a bit more artful than the quicker 4-seam work.

Getting started. This is a Loveless Designed, Lone Wolf City Knife (a real nice knife BTW). Three ~12 inch 1/8" handcut kangaroo strings were cut, greased and stretched. I use a lard/soap grease I made following instructions from David Morgan's book, but saddle soap also works. Some sort of grease makes braiding easier and more uniform, but the strings can be braided dry if you take care to pull them up.

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife1.jpg

Beauty eh?

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife2.jpg

Thread the 3 strings, flesh side all together through the lanyard hole and begin one course of flat 6-plait braid. This takes some adjusting to get the strings to nicely come around the butt of the knife. I usually fool around here for quite a while trying out different starting patterns to make the transition as smooth as possible.

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife3.jpg

Immediately go into 6-plait single diamond braid. Outmost string on right taken BEHIND the braid, under the top string, over the middle string, under the bottom string. Repeat by bringing the left top string BEHIND the braid and under/over/under. Braid for a bit then, go back and with a blunt awl start at the knife butt and tighten and neaten all the strings.

You can clip the braid or I just let it unwind a bit while I am trying to get the beginning just the way I want it. Strings should all pull up tight and uniform when you are done sorting. This photo was taken just before I went back to tighten and straighten the whole thing. While doing this I just leave the braid hanging and it tends to unbraid for a round or two. My goal at this point, not far from the knife butt is to get a solid round braid with as good a start as possible.

Then just braid as long as you want, keeping it tight and uniform as you go. The real secret is to start solid and then keep it solid. Going back into the braid can be done, but is best avoided.

This was done for about 2" for this little knife.

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife4.jpg

Clip or lash the braid and begin the first step of termination. This is a wall knot. Each strand is flipped over its neighbor. This is the Girl Scout braid many learned in 4 strings as kids. Make sure all is set and uniform for the next step.

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife5.jpg

Crown this wall knot by taking each of the strings around its neighbors leg and then up into the middle of the knot. Looks like a crown eh?

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife6.jpg

Slowly and carefully tighten each of the strings all the way back into the braid. Make sure all the braid is tight and then carefully pull the whole thing snug....not too tight just snug.

This one in the image is ready for the awl final tightning. As I tighten I roll the braid and knot quickly between my hands....this evens the braid, reduces stress in certain areas and usually loosens the knot. Keep working it until it is solid and neat.

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife7.jpg

I use a wax based finish coat (Filson wax, a beeswax/oil mix) and final roll, stretch, roll, squeeze, then trim the fringe. Done

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife8.jpg

[leon-1]

Nice tutorial Schwert :-D

[ESpy]

Great stuff - unfortunately, you've just cost me money. Gave in and bought the book :-D Now to wait the Amazon "8-9 days".

Having absent-mindedly cut about 10m of 1/16" lace, I thought I'd try a 4 strand in the round... I've got about 3' done so far!

I've seen something around about bevelling laces - does that help the pattern lie a bit flatter, and are those depicted bevelled?

[Schwert]

These braids are not pared (beveled). If you pare the corners the braid will end up being a bit more round, but it is too much of a pain for me to do and the end result (IMO) not worth the effort. I have spoiled much lace in my time trying to pare. Short snips like this one I could do, but a long lace it is too risky for me to go slicing off corners.

David Morgan would totally and completely disagree however. So my recommendation is to give it a go and see if it makes the sort of difference you can see or feel and then choose.

Of course, David can pare lace almost as quick as I can grease it so experience counts for a load.....and my experience level with paring is not increasing.

You will not be sorry for the money spent on the book....best one out there for learning IMO. And if the bug bites you the money will really start flowing for leather, some tools.....everthing gets a lanyard :roll:

[tenbears10]

Peter

I've asked the same question about triming the leather. It looks good even without doing it but it looks professional if you cut the corners off. You can either trim the top 2 corners or 2 opposite ones depending on the style of braid. I haven't bothered and it looks good. I don't think Randy has bevelled the ones in the pics either.

Bill

[Ed]

Thats an excellent tutorial Schwert :biggthump That would make a good piece for the main website ;-)

Ed

[ESpy]

Tools schmools... I have to stay away from the Tandy catalogue - too many things to try. I started out by buying the hand stitching kit, and I've upgraded most of the tools that were supplied. I'd also forgotten I still had a reel of bevelled lace sat in the bottom of the leathwork toolbox. The great thing about leatherwork is you don't actually *need* many tools to get going - the hand stitching kit and a Stanley knife will get most things done. Of course, groovers, lace cutters, rivet sets (hmph - one for every different rivet, it feels like) and so on can get expensive.

I really like the idea of putting braids onto lanyard holes, particularly with pouch sheathed knives. Now I need to get the hang of the knots.

[BorderReiver]

[quote="ESpy"]Great stuff - unfortunately, you've just cost me money. Gave in and bought the book :-D Now to wait the Amazon "8-9 days".

Book :?:

[ESpy]

Book! :-D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0870335448

[bushwacker bob]

great tutorial! had to try it so I cut my thong from a thin bit of leather and produced a 6 string flat plat,now ive got to try the braiding but i'll have to buy some braiding thong as I'm sure it will be easier with uniform strings :lol:

[BorderReiver]

Book! :-D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0870335448

Thankyou Peter :-P

[Schwert]

Thats an excellent tutorial Schwert :biggthump That would make a good piece for the main website ;-)

Ed

Please feel free to add this to the main site or let me know how to assist. I can rework as needed to make it more suitable. It would be good to add the books etc.

Braiding really does require minimal kit, but like all my "projects" getting just the right stuff is all part of the fun.

An awl, some strings, some grease, and a decent sharp knife are about the only needs. I find a clamp of some sort gives me the ability to braid in all sorts of places but I would be perfectly happy with that as the complete kit.

Another book worth considering for tons of knots and other fancy stuff is:

Bruce Grant's "Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding"

http://www.davidmorgan.com/images/product/1209_detail.jpg

This is about $30 and I would definately recommend looking in your library first as it is a comprehensive but very difficult book.

Morgan's books and this are my only reference books and will provide me a lifetime of things to marvel at.

This is what I would like to be able to do......This is my David Morgan 10 foot kangaroo bullwhip.....amazing workmanship.

http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/schwert/Hawkthree.jpg

[Schwert]

I did another braid last night and just published a two-part tutorial over at JM's magazine.

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_Russell1.jpg

This one is another of my "standard" patterns for larger sheath knives.

http://outdoors-magazine.com/s_article.php?id_article=159

http://outdoors-magazine.com/s_article.php?id_article=160

[Buckshot]

Thanks Schwert, :You_Rock_ this is great and well timed.

I've been wondering what to do about my neck sheath.
I get fed up wtih it when it falls forward as I bend down.

I think perhaps if I do the 8 braid through the bottom hole and crown that off it will be able to be threaded under my belt which should be enough to stop my knife falling forward but easy enough to move round/ pull out from under the belt when I want acces to my knife.

I practiced with some string over the weekend, after a couple of goes my braiding was looking less like a pigs dinner and more passable.

Now I just need to get hold of some decent leather, any ideas for a UK based dealer ?

Cheer

Mark

[ESpy]

I now have my copy of David Morgan's book... Eek, I think.

I note that his braiding soap is lard, water and soap - and yet only a few paragraphs later, he cautions against using animal fats as they will go rancid. Huh?

As for using saddle soap as an alternative, do you thin it down with water or just use it as is?

[Schwert]

I have no good recommendations for leather in the UK, but tenbears is doing some work now and may have posted his source for machine cut leather.

As for David's animal fat note, I will have to take a look at that but my guess he is refering to leather treatments used after braiding, as I know he uses the lard/soap braiding grease. I made my batch in 2000 and I can tell you it is not rancid at all. My only problem is I put it in a tin coffee can and the can rusted all around the edges....I just scoop grease from the center of the can and Bob's Your Uncle.

Good luck all......I have an old tutorial over at the old CKD (cannot remember the new name)...It is essentially the same lanyard as the new one at JM's but with a different view...and using 2 color braid. (There are also a couple of mistakes in the tutorial....as there is one in Part 1 of the new one....minor, but bothers me, I may edit it later).

http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11384&highlight=braid

I would just use saddle soap as is. If a bit too dry add just a touch of water. Saddle soap tends to dry a bit fast for use as braiding soap but just add some more as you go if you find the lace sort of not wanting to snug up with each tug. The lard/soap is really an excellent mix. I do think it makes the leather turn a red/brown over time though (see whip photo above for final color). Probably due to the high pH of the ivory combined with normal oxidation. Very pleasing to my eye and I have many braided articles that are just as good now as when I finished them many years ago.

[Schwert]

Buckshot,

I purposely braided my neck cord tails extra long to tuck under my belt. This is a very good way of keeping a neck knife under control. My design has two tails that I can spread apart and tuck, this keeps the sheath close, flat and it cannot swing.

Adding one tail to the bottom of the sheath should work nearly or as well. I think this sort of design makes up for some neck knife carry problems.

I normally carry this under my vest and tuck the tails about 10 cm to the side of my gig line.

http://outdoors.free.fr/images/Schwert_SLKdone5.jpg

The other nice thing about the tucked tail is that a snug knife can be drawn one-handed from the sheath as the tension from the lower tails assists. Overall my long tails with flat braid behind the neck seems to have solved many of the problems I found with neck carry.

[ESpy]

CKDs new name is KnifeNetworks;

Pearce-Tandy in Northampton are now selling roo skins at £8.50/sq ft (sure I posted this somewhere before? Possibly BB, and possibly misread the last time), they also sell pre-bevelled lace;

I've just completed project 1 from David Morgan's book, the oh-so-complicated key lanyard in 4 strand with back braiding :D I'm not sure the drying time of the saddle soap was a problem for this project, but anything larger could be. Oh, and I used Leather Shene rather than shellac (the shame, the shame)

[Schwert]

I have never done the shellac treatment at the end...Sure to get me banished from braiding school (if anti-paring has not already), but I like the feel of the leather without the shellac.

The whole problem with posting these braiding tutorials and getting more folks trying it is that it will soon be common knowledge that it is dead simple...glad project one went well, but once you are rolling it just seems to work. Adding strings to the set is just about as simple for the main braid, I find the terminations a bit more of a challenge though.

Excellent, and glad you posted a place for materials.

[ESpy]

Well, the 4 strand I find fairly easy, I suspect that I'll find the 8 strand somewhat more intricate. Also, I suspect a lot of the work is in the transitions - it is all well and good being able to braid the stuff, but starting & stopping are kind of important. A bit like flying in that sense.

[bushwacker bob]

Your right Peter,The actual braiding is quite easy,starting and stopping are the hard bits. I found that leather laces are just tooo thick for a neat braid :sulkoff:

[Buckshot]

My neck sheath is an under the armpit type so I wont need as much braiding hanging down to reach my belt which is good, I doubt if I could do that much braiding without it looking like a pigs ear Schwert. :wow1:

It currently hangs from an old video camera neck strap about 1.5 inchs wide which I find is comfortable, if not good looking. Do you have any tutorials on flat weaving so I can replace it ?

I was wondering about laces, glad you said Bob, I'll look for something else now.

Cheers

Mark

[ESpy]

I'm currently using "Superior Leather Lace 1/8", code number 500505 - Pearce-Tandy again. I think it cost £23 for a 50yd roll, and it lies nice and flat (the bevels probably help). I've got some calf skins I've been practicing lace cutting on, but I don't think they've got the strength, although they look nice.

[Buckshot]

Are all leather laces cut square ?
I've just been into my local farmer's store, they've got some but they're about 1/8th inch square.
Is this normal and does it matter for braiding ?

Cheers

Mark

[ESpy]

I think 1/8" square could be somewhat bulky. The stuff I've got is probably about 1/16 by 1/8.

1/8" square is what I cut as thonging...

[Buckshot]

1/8" square is what I cut as thonging...

:icon_eek: I've seen some small thongs in my time but that's gotta hurt :yikes:

Is Pearce Tandy the supplier?
Where are they?
Have they got a web site etc

Cheers

Mark

[ESpy]

;) Handy stuff, however - I'm trying it out as a bowdrill string. Not very slippy.

Pearce-Tandy *sort of* have a website...
http://www.pearcetandy.com

They're in Northampton, and are very helpful. The only downside is that if you buy anything like spirit-based dyes, it has to go by courier instead of parcel farce.

[Buckshot]

Thanks ESpy, I'll give them a call next week.

Cheers

Mark

[Schwert]

I do not have a complete flat braid tutorial but I do have a brief that may help. This is the start. I really do not even have to think about these braids as I do them, the strings simply must follow the pattern of under one over one. I tend to braid both outer strings at the same time. Making a long strap is quick, easy, and looks great. For cross-body carry strap I would simply braid flat all the way to the sheath and then do a flat double join in a Vee shape. Attaching the sheath is going to be the art...removable, permanent whatever.

http://outdoors.free.fr/images/Schwert_6Flat.jpg

Flat is very easy to do in many strings, this image is in 6 strings but going up to 12 or even 16 for a nice cross body strap would be my preference. This 6 plait is just over 1 cm wide when stretched, so add strings to get up to the width you want. You can also start wide at the shoulder and drop strings as you braid to taper the strap. Say start with 16, drop to 12, then drop to 8. You can do a over 2 under 2 pattern the whole way if you stay divisible by 4 or the more dense but tedious single diamond over 1 under 1. This would look great and carry well I think.

The rest of this is here, but I go to round braid mostly for this neck cord.

http://outdoors-magazine.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=643&sid=16d82c205f01d6e1fe872591f4 9666e1

Again I point you to David Morgan's book as the starting point.

1/8" square thong is not very easy to use for braid. It is very bulky and balky to braid. My lace is 1/8" wide but only about 1mm thick. You can use this square thong as a core to 8-plait and up round braid if you want more diameter.

For a wide strap 1/4" wide lace could be used in a flat braid to good effect as long as you can figure out a way to terminate it at the sheath.

[Schwert]

The one thing I have always thought about was using a neck cord for a bow string on a firedrill. I think these kangaroo thongs would work very well in that role, but like many other things I have never tried them.

With a neck carry knife using a round thong you have a built in piece of durable and non-slippery cord. Braiding flat for behind the neck may be something to avoid in shorter strings if this secondary purpose was important.

Sometime, I am going to do a simple 4-plait round thong about 3" long with simple termination knots and build myself a firedrill......sometime. :icon_sad:

[bushwacker bob]

I'll have to re check the thread on finishing knots.mine was tied with the infamous 'sows ear'. the farmers laces you mentioned Buckshot must be like the stuff I'm struggling with.They're suede and have no shinny side.It makes it harder!
:***: ing persevere :?:

[Buckshot]

BB, I was just thinking the same thing about finishing knots.

How can I get the braid to start and finish on the sheath I have ?
It's a Woodlore knife so the sheath is well known.

Any ideas, I'll look for a finishing knots thread as well.

Cheers

Mark

[ESpy]

The wall knot/crown knot combo Schwert detailed works well.

[Schwert]

I find myself using the crown and wall all the time...maybe even too much. But it is easy, durable, integral, and looks great I think.

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/Schwert_CityKnife6.jpg

Short tutorial here:

http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/viewtopic.php?t=1103

More extensive tutorial here:

http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11384&highlight=braid

I have been reading a knot book over the weekend and I think I have been calling the crown the wall and the wall the crown but together they are a crown and wall knot.... :lol:

If this terminator knot is not large enough for your lanyard terminations it can be covered with a cowboy knot woven over it. This will make a nice ball termination.

So for a handle down woodlore type sheath, I would braid a 6-plait cord just long enough to place the sheath right where I wanted it to be, and then join the braid together in 8-plait braid (drop 4 strings into middle as core), thread thisthong through the carry hole in the sheath, then do a crown and wall. The knife would never be easily removable from this though, and it is on one point of suspension which would twist probably.

If you wanted removable I would braid a loop on the sheath, and then braid a neck thong with a large terminator ball on the end then force the ball through the loop on the sheath. Of course this is hard to get both loop and ball sized properly and securely.

There are probably tons of other ways to go about this too, but I would try hard to figure out a connection that prevented the sheath from moving or twisting...I hate that.

[Buckshot]

Hmmm thanks Schwert, some good ideas there, I'll have to have a think...

I'm going to the CLA game fair next week so I'll see if I can pick up Dave Moorgan's book and maybe even some braiding leather. Otherwise I'll have to mail order them.

Cheers

Mark

[ESpy]

I'm probably going to give in gracefully and order a hide in the imminent future, then cut my own lace - if you're interested.

The place to look out for rooskin at the game fair will be the falconry display. Pricey, however.

[Buckshot]

Thanks for the heads up, is roo skin preferred by falconers too?

Cheers

Mark

[ESpy]

Often used for jesses, sometimes for hoods. Strength of jesses is for some reason deemed important when your dealing with things up to the size of a golden eagle which wants to have a strop (different sort of strop) whilst perched on the end of your arm.

Last year up in Leeds several of the falconry stands were offering decidedly small pieces for decidedly large prices ;)

[tenbears10]

Just received some hand cut roo lace from david morgan in the states. It was fairly expensive but not if you consider that it will be the total cost of the finished projects.

Anyway the service was excellent it arrived in 7 days rather than the 3-4weeks they said it might take. The quality appears excellent so far, much better than the machine cut cow lace I had before. The feel of the finished braid is much nicer as well. I would recomend getting some of this to start braiding then move on to cutting your own lace. I haven't tried paring yet for fear of destroying the expensive lace but that is the next step.

I have used a turks head knot to finish braids and as a slip knot for a whistle lanyard I did. You can find the turks head in any normal rope knot book, I've got knots and splices by jeff toghill.

Hope you get some good results.

Bill

[Buckshot]

Tenbears,

Have you got contact details for David Morgan?

I managed to get some thonging at the gamefair, but it's not roo skin.

Cheers

Mark

[Schwert]

David Morgan runs a cool company. Here is his link:

http://www.davidmorgan.com/

David Morgan
11812 North Creek Parkway N., Suite 103
Bothell, WA 98011
USA
1-800-324-4934 • Fax: 1-800-364-3961
(425) 485-2132 • Fax: (425) 486-0224


Hours
Our hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Saturday. We are closed major holidays. We can be reached by email at catalog@davidmorgan.com.

I am fortunate to live about 10 minutes from his shop. A truly great guy.

[tenbears10]

Buckshot

Looks like schwert beat me to it. He is lucky to live 10 mins from the shop because it saves the $15 we pay for shipping. Ho Humm. The lace is great I made a short lanyard last night and the result is really good.

Did you enjoy the Fair, I was there Sat and had a good time. Saw the 'light my fire' stand which had some nice Gransfors and tents but didn't part with the cash, end of the month and all. Don't think Stuart was there and in fact offended the other guys by asking if they were him, oops.

Schwert

David Morgans stuff is great isn't it I would love to go to the shop and stock up. The roo leather is so soft and workable I will use it from no on.

Bill

[Schwert]

His handcut is primo lace. I have used it for many years and think it is definately worth the cost.

His machine cut from Packer Leather, Australia is also quite nice. A bit less supple, and requires a heavy hand with the braiding grease, but I just started using it and find it good at about 1/4 the cost.

I will still use the handcut for most projects though.

David's product line is unique and interesting. His braidware is absolutely top notch. I have one of his 10 foot bullwhips and it is a treasure. Filson, British moleskins, celtic jewlery, Akubra hats....all the good stuff.

[Buckshot]

That's great, thanks guys.
I haven't had much spare time recently so I haven't braided anything yet.

I'll have a look at the David Morgan web site and see what I can get.

Tenbears, yes I enjoyed the fair but really needed at least two days to see all there was to offer.

I looked for Kellam Knives in the list of stand holders but couldn't see them. I presumed Stuart didn't go because of that.
If I'd known his company went I'd have made a piont of looking in.
Perhaps next time...

I wonder if he's going to the Midland Game fair :?: ....


Cheers

Mark

[bushwacker bob]

I was given some proper braiding thong by Espy! :You_Rock_
consequently I am now braiding with great success.
Taught myself a new skill,thanks Schwert and thanks Peter(Espy) :super:

[ESpy]

Glad that's made things easier! I've just got some rooskin in, so now I'll have to see how easily I can cut decent lengths of thonging from that...

[Buckshot]

I've just done my first project :?: not totally happy with the result, I think I'll do a couple of other things and then have another go.

Still it's all about practice eh?

Cheers

Mark

[Schwert]

My first projects were not the best either, but after a few goes things just start to get easier. Any pictures?

[tenbears10]

Keep going Buckshot. It took me several go's to get a decent finish on the braid but with schwerts knot tutorial they are looking better each time I do a project. It is just a case of fine tuning the basics.

I still need to crack a 6 plat round braid, now that 4 is going well. I've looked at some of the big projects in david morgans book but not yet. The whistle lanyard he suggests worked great though.

Stick with it anyway

Bill

[Buckshot]

Schwert, I'm not sure about the pic at the moment because I'm not too proud of it.
I stuggled with the wall and crown knot and can't seem to get the strands to come out properly. I think I'm going to bind the ends together and then put a cover knot on it.

I got David Morgan's book, it's good. I was planning on having a go at the sixteen strand flat to hang my woodlore from but I think I'll do a few other projects first...

Thanks everybody for all your help, it's something I've been meaning to do for a while but didn't know where to start :You_Rock_

Cheers

Mark

[Buckshot]

Last night I decided to do another project, a lanyard for my beaters horn.
It's based on project 2 from the Dave Morgan book but instead of having two ends I've woven one back in to form a fixed loop like the end of project 1.
I'm going to post a couple of pictures of both in the gallery if I can figure out how to do it.

See what you think...

Cheers

Mark

[tenbears10]

Make sure you do post the pics Mark and let me know how the loop bit goes. I haven't tried that yet, had a look and bottled out of it.

Bill

[tenbears10]

Just seen the pics and they look great. Well done. The loop bits are really good, I will have to have another go. Any tips?

Bill

[Buckshot]

Cheers TB, :super: can we see any of your projects then? :?:

I must admit I was a little worried about the loop but I read the book a couple of times, still didn't understand it properly so just went ahead anyway and found it wasn't half as difficult as it is to read it. I think the most important thing is to not kink the braid when you bring it round, otherwise it'll never sit properly.
I may put a sliding cover knot on it yet, just for decoration but I must admit, I'm pleased with the outcome. :o):

Not totally convinced about the wall and crown knot on the sheath still. I think I'll have another go and change the design a bit. I'm thinking of having another tassle hanging down from the top of the back of the sheath. The reason is when I wear it baldrick style (is that the correct term - under the left armpit, like a shoulder holster?) the sheath covers my belt, which means the braid has to bend up to tuck into my belt to stop the knife from falling forward - which was the original reason for doing it in the first place. I think a hidden braid doing the same job would be less stressfull on the leather and look better. It would be part of the much larger project of replacing the strap so wont be for a while yet. I need to get reasonable with the techniques yet, I want to go from about a 12 strand round briad to a 16 flat plat and back again. Plus work out a way to fix it all to the sheath. :shock:
As I'm writing this, I wonder if it would be possible to do a larger version of a cover knot around the sheath, only with more passes and perhaps thicker lace....Hmmmm.
Otherwise I was thinking of doing a flat plat sideways and taking round the sides to the back, jioning it and then from there turning it through 90 degrees and straight up into the neck strap. What do you think... :?:

Cheers

Mark

[tenbears10]

Not totally convinced about the wall and crown knot on the sheath still. I think I'll have another go and change the design a bit. I'm thinking of having another tassle hanging down from the top of the back of the sheath. The reason is when I wear it baldrick style (is that the correct term - under the left armpit, like a shoulder holster?) the sheath covers my belt, which means the braid has to bend up to tuck into my belt to stop the knife from falling forward - which was the original reason for doing it in the first place. I think a hidden braid doing the same job would be less stressfull on the leather and look better. It would be part of the much larger project of replacing the strap so wont be for a while yet. I need to get reasonable with the techniques yet, I want to go from about a 12 strand round briad to a 16 flat plat and back again. Plus work out a way to fix it all to the sheath. :shock:
As I'm writing this, I wonder if it would be possible to do a larger version of a cover knot around the sheath, only with more passes and perhaps thicker lace....Hmmmm.
Otherwise I was thinking of doing a flat plat sideways and taking round the sides to the back, jioning it and then from there turning it through 90 degrees and straight up into the neck strap. What do you think... :?:

Cheers

Mark

I will try and post some pics of my recent stuff.

I'm not sure I get exactly what you mean but have you seen Schwert's neck cord on his SLK. It is the one round his neck eairler in this post or search and you will find the thread where he explains the whole thing. I think his is the best for a neck sheath. A flat section behind your neck or over your shoulder then round braid for the main part of the cord.

Bill

[Buckshot]

Kind of hard to explain, I have a woodlore knife and sheath with only the one anchoring point for the strap so I need to create another. I thought that by wrapping a plat round the sheath I could interweave and pull it tight, then bring all the laces out the top to start the strap.
Probably no better explained than before :shock:

Probably the best thing would be for me to do it and then show you :yikes: - it just might take a while...

Cheers

Mark

[Toddy]

I'm looking for the pattern for the no sew, folded and woven leather knife sheath. I've got some really heavy birch bark I fancy having a try with.
Can anyone recall where I ought to find it?

Came across this thread in my search :cool: Isn't the workmanship excellent ? :D


Cheers,
Toddy

[fred gordon]

Toddy.
I suspect that the Birch bark sheath thread I started today might work with the correct leather. There is no sewing at all in it, it's just folding. :)

[Toddy]

I saw yours Fred; nice, very nice. :D

It was your post that put me in mind of the one I'm thinking of. I have a sheet of birch bark instead of the usual strips that we normally manage to obtain and I kept meaning to try the pattern out. I've got a new knife so it seems a good time.....if only I can find the pattern :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Mary

[bushyboo]

Hi toddy
try this for leather
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/content/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=107

[Toddy]

That's the one! :D :You_Rock_
Many thanks,

Cheers,
Toddy

[Klenchblaize]

TOP tutorial!

Well done.

Something else I’ll have to find time to have a go at. :banghead:

Thanks & :beerchug:

Klench