Lubrinijan guard cap Model z Roku 1947

My replica of a Lubrinijan čepice lívanec issued from shortly after World War II.  The peaked cap was adopted by Lubrinijan guards and Provincian vigils in the 1830s, and instantly became a favorite because, unlike the shako that it replaced, its low crown didn't give away the soldier's location and wasn't easily knocked off when struggling through dense foliage.  Although issued caps were wool before WWII, soldiers often wore leather ones instead because of their greater durability and ability to be rainproofed.  The Lubrinijan Guard was completely destroyed during the war.  While rebuilding it afterward, dictator General Bogdan promulgated a new uniform with a leather cap, which, apart from being all-black, was identical to its Provincian equivalent.

Closeup of the fleur de lis button used on uniforms on both sides of the border at Carlo's Tavern since long before the two countries were formally separated.  Bogdan, an outsider himself, understood the importance of maintaining a veneer of tradition as Lubrinija's ruler; thus the Guard uniforms included many nods to those used before the war.

I made this one with a slightly modified fisherman's cap pattern (cutting down the crown top by about 1/4 inch all around and the top edges of the crown sides by the same amount, using the back crown side pattern for both the back and front, and increasing the height of the band to 2 full inches to make up for the leather being less flexible than fabric).  The visor is one from my limited remaining stock of old blacksmith side from Crazy Crow (I recently bought some new pieces, but they're much more flexible and grainy and seem to be chrome-tanned).  The slide is from Buckleguy, the buttons from Benno's Buttons (I suspect they may have been cast in the same molds that the originals used because they're amazingly similar), secured with 24ga stainless steel wire to prevent rust (the copper wire I've used in previous projects, while easier to work with, also produced verdigris that stained anything it touched), the chin cord is a 1/2-inch Realeather chrome-tanned strip, the inside of the band is 2-inch lightweight polypropylene, the front of the inside of the band is lined with hot-glued polarfleece, and all the stitching is done with black artificial sinew.

German hunting trousse, part XIII

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.