After the trouble with stretching the facing over the side pockets on the last sheath, I contacted Tandy Leather about what kind of hide would work better for this purpose. They recommended either a
milled shoulder or
sheepskin, with the caveat that neither of these would firm up when wet-molded. At the time I went to place my order, the sheepskin was sold out, so I ordered the milled shoulder. In the meantime I made an entire new core and side pockets. I attached the side pockets this time with pitch glue, though that may have been a poor choice because it's very hard and brittle. Otherwise, I proceeded in the same manner as before, up through the initial wet molding of the facing.
The milled shoulder did indeed stretch more, leaving little slack above the side pockets. However, the same quality also allowed it to mold to every uneven spot on the side pockets, giving the scabbard an overall lumpy appearance.
In preparation for the final application, I shaved down the lumpiest parts somewhat.
Because the folks at Tandy expected the milled leather to remain soft after molding, which it did, they suggested installing an extra belt loop under the facing. I used a short strip of thin but firm veg-tan with the ends and edges (outside of the middle section that was to actually go over a belt) tapered down to reduce the appearance of unsightly ridges. Since stitching would be at risk of damage from the blade and rivets would risk damage
to the blade, and both would be difficult to achieve, I glued the belt loop with contact cement.
A 1-inch belt blank with burnished edges inserted under the wet facing and belt loop to ensure that it would remain open after molding.
Lesson learned, this time I didn't use any glue; the facing is held on only by its own tight fit over the core. I also didn't try to pre-lace the facing before the final fitting.
I finished with some Fiebings Pro Dye and a couple applications of acrylic Leather Sheen (my bottle of Resolene is missing). I worked the dye and finish as far in as possible so as not to leave patches of undyed leather visible.
Current state of completion, with some Fiebings Pro Dye and a couple applications of acrylic Leather Sheen. At this point the set is useable, provided I have a belt that can carry it. I though it would be necessary to add a metal throat to prevent the pins on the knife and fork from marring the facing, but for whatever reason they actually stand off a few millimeters. However, I haven't seen a 17th-century hunting trousse without scabbard fittings, which always seem to have been either silver or steel. I will have to give careful consideration on how to make them, since steel would be the best choice in this case but I have never made steel fittings, and my attempts at soldering steel have been much less successful than brass.
The other issue at the moment is that it's been very difficult to sheathe and unsheathe the by-knife, at least the final inch of it, which is necessary to also be able to sheathe the cleaver. I haven't oiled or waxed the leather yet; hopefully it'll be easier once that's done.
Another thing that went wrong in the intervening months is that minute amounts of red rust have appeared both on the blade (while I was molding the leather) and in crevices of the fittings, particularly where the nagel is set into its groove. I applied Ospho with an Q-tip, and once it was well-dried, worked epoxy into the deep crevices, wiping off as much as possible from the more accessible surfaces before re-polishing them. Time will tell whether these efforts provide effective protection.
