Bound in Dragon Scales - A Rapier Scabbard
Description
The scabbard serves to store and carry a sword when not in use. It further serves to protect the blade from water and other oxidizers, as well as protect random objects from coming into contact with the sword’s edge. The hanger is a device that fastens around the scabbard to help secure it to a sword belt.
This scabbard was made in accordance with the specific requests of its recipient. The Scabbard is covered in black leather with a diamond pattern (reminiscent of scales) with about 6 inches of metal near the mouth of the scabbard.
Supplies
3/4 inch PVC pipe
Leather
4 mm
0.8 mm
Artificial sinew
Hot glue
Preferred dye or paint
Leather dye seal
Acrylic seal
Aluminum sheet (18 gauge -20 gauge is probably best)
Two-part epoxy
Tools
Saw (hand saw and/or jig saw)
Dremel tool (with bits to cut metal and PVC)
Leather punch (leather punch stamp)
Leather sewing needle
Permanent marker
Clamps
Paint brushes
Rawhide mallet
Stout Scissors
X-acto knife or a very sharp knife
Plyers
Tin-snips or equivalent
Safety goggles
Leather gloves
Power drill
Hot glue gun
Construction
First of all, be careful when working with tools - especially sharp blades and power tools. If it can cut leather and metal, it can cut you. I know this from experience. Wear safety goggles. Wear work gloves. Be safe.
Part 1: PVC
Begin by measuring the blade of the weapon you intend to sheath. The dimensions should be:
1. The length of the blade from the tip to the guard;
2. The width of the blade at the base; and
3. (If you are using a rapier with a tip) the widest point of the tip.
Once you have these measurements, get a plastic pipe that can accommodate all of the measurements of the blade. I used a PVC pipe with a 3/4 inch diameter. However; Syloflex or some other variety could also work. Pass the blade into the pipe to make sure it will fit.
The next step is to cut the pipe to the appropriate length, which will be the sword blade’s length minus an inch or two.
Part 2: Leather
For more specific instructions on making a Mitre Cap, please see my entry called “A Rapier Scabbard with a Catch.” I’m only going over this generally here.
Make a tube out of 4 mm leather. This tube should be about two to three inches long. Basically, long enough to accommodate the remainder of the blade protruding out of the tube, plus an inch and a half extra. Wetting the leather will help shaping it into a tube. If it is being particularly troublesome, soak the leather all the way through. Punch holes along the edges to be sewn, and sew the tube up with artificial sinew.
Clamp one end of the tube, and mark it for a tapered point. Unclamp the tube and using a stought pair of scissors or a pair of tin-snips to cut away the excess leather. Re-clamp the leather. You can sew the end to help it hold the shape, but you will want to remove the stitches once the leather is dry.
Drill holes along the base of the Mitre Cap and the pipe. Sew the pipe to the Mitre Cap with artificial sinew. Glue the Mitre Cap to the pipe, making sure to cover the stiches and holes using two-part epoxy.
Once the Mitre Cap is on, you can add the risers. Or you can add the raisers first. It does not make that much difference. The recipient of this scabbard requested the space above the first raiser be about 6 inches long. So, I added the first riser about 6 inches down. The next raiser went about another 6 inches down from the first raiser. Theses raisers were made of 4 mm leather, and hot glued in place. I usually use thinner leather or twine for the raisers. However, I was not making a hanger or belt for this scabbard, so I made the raisers a bit more pronounced to help ensure the scabbard would work with the recipient’s desired gear.
Next, the cover leather will need to go on the core. I typically use 0.8 mm leather for the cover. The dimensions will need to be the outer circumference of the scabbard, by the length of the scabbard. I extended the width of the leather near the raisers to help accommodate them. Normally this would not be necessary, but (as mentioned above) the raisers were a little wider than I usually use. If the leather is a bit tight, that’s fine. Soak the leather thoroughly. Punch holes along edge to be sewn. Using artificial sinew, sew the cover leather around the core.
Part 3: Pattern
The recipient of this scabbard requested a diamond pattern, reminiscent of dragon scales as a reference to the dragon in their heraldry.
Doing this kind of diamond pattern is difficult, because it can easily become crooked. To avoid this, I spent a long time planning and prepped for the pattern. You can still see a bit on the picture below that I measured down the scabbard at 1 inch and 1/2 in intervals. From the center of the 1/2 inch intervals, measure sideways a 1/4 inch in either direction. I repeated this process until there were notches enveloping the scabbard (1 inch vertical diamonds which were 1/2 inch wide).
I then connected the dots with diagonal lines. If you followed this process, you could not be ready for carving.
Begin by wetting the leather. Using an x-acto knife, make shallow cuts along the lines. Once that is done, you will probably have to wet the leather again (it will take a while). Run a narrow, hard object through the cuts to help broaden them. I used the point of a mechanical pencil for this (with the lead retracted).
Part 4: Dying
The next phase will by dying the leather. The recipient of this scabbard wanted the scabbard to be black. So, I took a paint brush and some black leather dye, and I applied the dye in smooth, even strokes. Regardless of the dye you use, you will need to use smooth, even strokes. I applied a few coats (at least three) to ensure a uniform color, taking care to also get the dye into the crevices of the diamond pattern.
After the dye has been applied, it will need to be sealed. I first applied an acrylic leather seal for this process. Using a paint brush with soft bristles for this should be fine. During the application of the dye seal, some excess dye may wipe off. That’s ok, as long as you continue to use smooth, even brush strokes to ensure the seal does not pool on the leather. About two coats of the leather seal is probably enough.
After the leather seal has dried (preferably for 24 hours), an additional acrylic seal can be applied. This layer plays two roles – first, it helps provide additional protection; and second, the recipient requested a matte finish and this final acrylic seal gave the scabbard a more subdued appearance.
Part 5: Metal
The recipient of the scabbard requested the chape to be about six inches long. I measured out the part on a sheet of aluminum (about 18 to 20 gauge). Scord the inside of the plate to help the epoxy adhere. I then shaped it into a tube using a set of plyers wrapped in leather (to keep the metal from scaring the aluminum). Mixing a two part epoxy, I applied it to the top part of the scabbard. I then slip the aluminum top over the scabbard and claimed it in place. Once the epoxy had hardened, I hammered down the edge of the aluminim with a rawhide mallet.
For the chape, I had a bit of an extra struggle, as the outer leather was a touch too short. However, to play off the dragon motieff, I decided to add a plate under the chape, to creat a layed effect of metalic scales. After Two such plates had been cut out and appied (one for each side), I began making the actual chape. I cut the chape out of 18-20 gauge aliminum, and shapped it using the plyers wrapped in leather until it fit reasonable over the end of the scabbard. Using two part epoxy, I clammed the chape and the metal plates in place. Once the epoxy was dry, I hammed the edges down with a rawhide mallet.
Finally, I used sandpaper to polish the aluminum features and to help illiminate any scratches or scares from the making process.
If you follow these steps, you should have a scabbard reasonably simmiliar to the one I made here. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.
