Deer Hide Knife Sheath

by Susan Labiste

Here is a simple knife sheath for a stone blade knife. It is almost too simple, but maybe that is the whole point. Stone knives don’t have to be hafted. The haft hides part of the blade. If you want a practical solution to keeping the blade protected, and your hand protected, here is an idea for you.

This sheath is made of hair-on brain tanned leather. It was a scrap left over from a hide I tanned and cut into a vest for my husband. It is just folded into a cone shape and sewed to fit half of the blade. This was not fancy sewing, you just need to tack it together along the flat face of the knife so it doesn’t abrade the sewing thread when it is sheathed and unsheathed. I did all the sewing with the knife in the sheath.

I made the little blade from obsidian gathered at Davis Creek, California. It is pretty sharp, so I wanted the sheath to protect hands as well as the blade.

The great part about this sheath is the way it peels back like a banana. When the hide is folded back to reveal the blade, it creates a comfortable handle.

After use, the blade can be removed from the sheath to be washed or the stone can be resharpened by flaking the edge. Then it can be returned to its sheath where it is protected from impact by the thick deer hair cover.

E-mail your comments to "Susan Labiste" at labiste_s@sbcglobal.net

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