Knife Sheaths... How creative do you want to get?
There are about as many ways to make a knife sheath as there are styles of knives out there. I don't limit myself to one style.
Most often I will need your knife, or at the least, several pictures that include the knife next to a ruler and the thickness of the blade. It is much preferable to have the knife in hand when making a sheath. If you send a knife, wrap and package it carefully before shipping. Two knives have been lost in the mail that were sent to me because they cut their way out of the package. Tape is also your friend on the outside of the box.
If you elect to have me make the sheath using photos of the knife next to a ruler, there is a LARGE extra charge for this. I don't like charging extra for that, but it takes nearly twice as long to make the sheath this way and some retention systems can not be made without the knife in hand.
Pin Lock
A knife with a choil, even a large enough sharpening notch can use this method. A pin passes through the front of the sheath and into the leather in the back of the sheath. When in place, the choil or sharpening notch catches on the pin and the knife can not be removed from the sheath. I did not come up with this design. Some years ago a customer sent a photo of one, originally done by Kenny Rowe of Rowes Leather. I learned Kenny Rowe came up with this in 2021 (that is when I learned he was the genious who came up with it, not when he came up with it.). They can be done with a snap on the side of the sheath, or a hidden snap with metal sandwhiched in the strap.
Thumb-Break Style Knife Sheath
Knives that have hollow pins in the handles can have sheaths made with a thumb-break style retention. This is where the back of the sheath comes up just past the first hollow pin in the handle, and a copper or other metal rod is placed so that it fits into the hole. You push the top of the sheath away to release the knife.
Lanyard Post retention
A Sam Brown post is put on the back of the knife sheath. If you use a lanyard on your knife, you simply tie a knot in the lanyard so that the first section of the lanyard goes snugly around the post.
Saya/Frog Knife Sheath
I make a Japanese style leather saya with a frog that holds the saya. This can be done in different ways depending on the size of the knife.
Modular Knife Sheaths (Sheath and Fold Over Loop. click here for more info
Probably the best system. It can be done several ways but the main way is make the basic sheath with screw attachments in the back that allow a lot of options for how you want to carry the knife. It comes standard with an adjustable fold over sweat guard/loop but this can be changed to whatever system you would like i.e. cross draw instead of sweat guard, or dangler, or whatever. This is the way to go if like to change up how you carry.
The "Taco" or pouch sheath often used for puukko style knives.
Some knives just seem to fit this style sheath well. I line all of these so they do not stretch over time and continue to hold the knife securely over years of use.
Magnetic Retention​
This uses an extremely strong magnet in the sheath with a thin layer of layer so that it does not scratch the blade. For smaller knives, the back of the sheath can have an anti-slip material sewn to the back so that a second rare earth magnet can be used to attach it to a jacket or shirt.
Here you can see the knife stuck to the back of the sheath through thick leather... imagine how it holds the knife in the sheath! click here for video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cqPJRK9MmTo
Loki Strap
Carry that knife on your chest... or shoulder... or whatever. The modular style sheath can attach securely anywhere on the strap.
