I’ve never cared much for noise of any sort. Things like the incessant beeping of trucks
and heavy machinery backing up drives me crazy.
Loud motorcycles, blaring music, honking horns, jackhammers and all
the other assorted assaults on the eardrums and nervous system reduce me to a
state of shock. Perhaps that’s one of
the reasons I love the woods. I enjoy
the natural sounds of birds and other animals or the breeze blowing through the
trees. Every step is measured to ensure
quiet. We never talk above a whisper and
try to keep from wearing anything that’s going to jingle or jangle or make
scraping or grating sounds. So we shy away
from plastics, metal and nylon because that sort of stuff is often noisy and besides,
rattling accouterments destroy the peace.
That’s why I prefer leather knife sheaths. Granted, I’ve made temporary sheaths out of
cardboard reinforced with duct tape and from tow straps folded over
and strengthened with a strip of leather from a welder’s apron. But those aren’t proper sheaths by any means
because the knife sheath in its ultimate form is made of top
grade leather. Pictured here are a
couple of knife sheaths I received a few days ago from a fellow out in
California named Bob Patterson. Bob and
I have corresponded now and then and like most people who visit this blog he is
a man of the woods. The folks who come
to this site are independent sorts who enjoy making their own gear and learning
as much as they can about the land surrounding them. Bob’s been making knife sheaths for a while
and he said he wanted to build a proper sheath or two for my camp choppers.
I sent him the specs and a tracing of one of my knives and about ten days
later the two sheaths arrived.
These are extremely well-made sheaths, robust and built for
heavy use. Made of top quality cowhide,
the finish is pure beeswax so the leather can be touched up as needed. Traditional in every sense of the word, these
are the kind of sheaths that add a nostalgic element to woods roaming. Bob told me he’s always enjoyed working with
leather musing that his granddad was a shoemaker and though he never met him
perhaps an affinity for leatherwork was passed down through the generations.
I decided to try out several of my knives using the two
sheaths Bob sent me. My son, Matthew,
was looking on and said, “Dad, I think this one will be just about perfect for
that little chopper you made a couple of months ago.” So Matthew dug through one of the boxes
containing some of my knives and found the chopper he was referring to and then
tried it on for fit. “This is just
right,” he said.
Near sunset we set out down a trail packing the chopper in
its sheath snug in my possibles bag. The
proper knife sheath serves two purposes: It protects the blade and it protects
the man carrying the knife. No problems
in either department and in addition it provided me with the other thing I
obsess over: It was absolutely quiet.
Above are three additional photos of other sheaths Bob made.
As we walked we discussed what knife to place in the second
sheath. Matthew said, “Dad, you know
this just gives you an excuse to make a new knife.” I smiled and replied, “I’ve got a couple of
blanks in the barn I want to show you.”
So when we got back to the house we walked over to the barn, sheath in
hand, and looked at the two blanks I’d given an initial forging a few months
back. “This one,” Matthew said. So as time permits I’ll do something that is
rarely done: I’ll build a knife for a sheath instead of the other way
around. As if I really needed an excuse
to make another knife.
I seldom endorse products but in this case I’m going to make
an exception. These are damn fine knife
sheaths and by the way, Bob is also into muzzle loading and sells all sorts of
shooting supplies. If you’d care to
contact Bob here’s the info you need:
Bob Patterson
PO Box 35646
Monte Sereno, CA 95030
Phone: 408-256-1894
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