Courboulie sheath

[jonesjp@surry.net]

I have been wanting to make a sheath like this for while. This is practce for a good knife
I do like the product.

 

[Martin Swinkels]

wauw..

do you have a 'before' pic?
how long did you have it in contact with the water? or steam?
does it fit a knife?
is it very breakable/brittle?

I'm very interested in this also.
Please keep us informed about your progress!!

Thanks mate!!

martin
:thumbup:

 

[DC KNIVES]

Ahh, the infamous "elephant scrotum " technique. Sorry couldn't help myself.The actual technique is called Cuir Boulli, and judging from your results I would say you probably had the leather too wet and way too hot. This technique works well when each step is followed.Chuck Burrows uses this method sometimes and has it down to a science. Hopefully he will chime in.Keep trying though because when done well it looks good.Dave

 

[jonesjp@surry.net]

The leatther I started with is pretty lightweight elk skin. This was made from a small scrap of it, and fits a "knife" I made by remounting a blade from a broken el-cheapo buck clone. The knife isn't much, but I feel better with it in a sheath.

The leather is much less brittle than I expected, still retaining some pliability. I doubt it is very breathable. I think that done better it would make a very good sheath.

I tried this to try it. I did not use a thermometer on the wax, but melted a small slab of candle wax in a shallow pan, then removed it from the heat. The edges were beginning to re-solidify when I placed the leather in. I was very surprised at the relatively violent reaction. The leather came out at a temp. low enough for me to work with by hand.

This isn't something I am proud of as craft, just an experiment. I was looking for how much shrinkage to expect, how brittle it would be, etc. I've encountered the technique primarily in making armor.

Thank you both for the feedback.

 

[Martin Swinkels]

I also gave it a try once.
I submerged the sheath in a pan of boiling water for like 8-10 seconds. In the water it started to discolour and curl at the edges, which continued as I took it out. It became a miniature of what it was. Almost black, and hard as wood.
It was very brittle, but very tough to break. I could easily stand on it, but when I jumped on it, it broke

It was the basic pouch that comes with a 4 inch Swamprat knife..
(JRE? Sharpshooter?)

next time I will soak the sheath in cold water first, before I'll throw it in the pan, see what will happen.

I'm dreaming of a differential heattreated sheath with a hard cup around the guard, and a somewhat more flexible sleeve.

Thanks mate!

 

[jonesjp@surry.net]

here is a picture of the leather I started with. I hope you can see the texture on the leather. Is this what you were referring to as "elephant scrotum"?

 

[DC KNIVES]

I have seen regular veg-tan shrivel up like that when over heated, now that I see what you used I see why yours ended up looking like that. Really not the best leather for sheathmaking.It's great for linings but that's about it for sheaths.Start out with some good veg-tan shoulder and then try your technique if you want.I'm sure the results will be better.Dave

 

[jonesjp@surry.net]

Thank you, Dave. I ordered some veg tan to work with. I can understand (and enjoyed) the elephnt scrotum comment. Might make a good marketing tool on Ebay

Thanks for looking; I do appreciate your suggestions.

 

[Wild Rose]

No need for boiling anything........

How to Harden Leather