UBB.threads Forums General Interest Restoration, Conservation, and Maintenance Forum Broken Leather Scabbard

I've got an original scabbard that came with my US m1917 knuckle knife. The leather is broken as you can see in the pics. What would be the best type of glue to use and should I try to reinforce the scabbard interior and if yes, with what? Thanks.
MAZZ

2

Getting the broken ends to align and hold could be a problem. Oddly, many adhesives don't seem to want to "stick" to leather. I would get some new leather to line the inside of the scabbard, either throughout or for the broken areas. I would get the thickest leather I could find that will not interfere with the blade going in and out of the scabbard, yet still be pliable. Using an adhesive, I would line the scabbard in stages, gluing as I went. This will be time consuming and tedious. I would glue the lining to the interior and glue the broken ends, letting each stage dry before continuing. An alternative, which is simpler and quicker, is to create inner sleeves of leather only where the breaks are. Line one segment of the scabbard, using glue, then fit the inner sleeve into another segment, gluing again, also gluing the ends of the segments. As to adhesives, you might try a leather goods dealer or adhesives dealer. You could also stop by a shoe shop to see what they have. "Tandy" has a website and you could check there. There are adhesives at fabric stores and elsewhere that might work. One product that is commonly available is Fabri-Tac, made by Beacon Adhesives. I would probably look for Fabri-Tac first. Good luck with your project!

There is a cobbler a few towns over, I'll go there this weekend and see if I can get some leather to line the scabbard interior, maybe he has some adhesive also. I'll post pics when I've got it back together. Thanks!
MAZZ