The Mora Clipper Project

I started out with an idea to make a leather sheath for my Mora Clipper, but I wanted to play it safe. This style of Mora is also known as the Companion. I decided to first make a simple sheath and see how it went, followed by a more advanced sheath to test my abilities.

This is the Mora standard sheath I finally ended up with. The brown dye didn't take as well as I had hoped, mostly due to my impatience to allow the leather to fully dry before dyeing and buffing with resoline. The stitching is good, the burnishing could be a bit better, and I don't really like the overall shape. I also didn't like a standard belt loop since I was used to "clipping" the Mora to my webbing. This got me thinking...
                           

                                                  
I couldn't believe how easy it was to cut this off the original sheath and clean it up, add some paint, then affix it to the leather. I used a Chicago screw up at the top and two rivets at the bottom of the belt clip. The Firesteel loop was fun to make, and I started with a 'T' shaped piece of leather, then skyved it to fit the weld. This was turning out beautiful.

The sheath was treated with resoline on the inside with two coats, and I applied mink oil to the exterior for the finish. Notice how the design was improved over the standard brown with an extension at the top which covers more of the handle. The Firesteel fits securely, and it doesn't wobble. I can pull the Firesteel out and place it back easily, too. I even made a tiny drain hole at the bottom of the sheath just for kicks.

And, here are the two sheaths together for comparison. I definitely like the black Mora sheath better. This is a very nice, solid design --especially for a beginner like myself. Check out my Youtube channel for more details.

The Cold Steel Sheath Project: Making A Custom Leather Sheath for an Axe.

This was a fun project. It all began with a blade, an axe in this case, and a need for a sheath. I had originally modified the Cold Steel Trail Boss by making the axe paint-free, giving it a natural look.

I also wanted to wrap the haft up near the axe so I can make a comfortable grip when I use it for close-up work. This wrap also protects the haft in case I miss my mark on a full swing.




I started the sheath with some vegetable tanned leather, and traced my pattern onto it. Next, I checked the fit to ensure the design would secure the axe. After final sizing and trimming, I added a coat of Tan Kote to the underside of the leather, and dried it, then wet the leather and beveled the edges. I cut the weld and afixed it with some contact cement. I dyed the leather and dried it again, then set off to drill and punch holes for rivets and stitching.

I wanted the sheath to look clean but also match the leather lacing I used on the haft. I punched holes for lacing in the sheath, you can see it on the bottom edge. After a good application of Fiebing's Mink Oil, the leather looks superb. This sheath really came out nice. Check out the video I will post below for more details.

I walk you through most of the process in the video, showing you the stages taken to make this sheath for the Cold Steel Trail Boss axe.