Custom Saya - EU

[Neutri]

Hello everyone,
I looked around but most saya recommendation threads are not based in the EU. And Edro would be cheap enough for customs to not be a pain in the ass however they still are not making custom. (Unless someone could get one and the site is not updated. If that's the case please reach out ). So do you happen to have any recommendations for custom sized saya makers in Europe? Can be in wood, leather, felt...
Or just share where you got your sayas
Thanks in advance

 

[pavhav]

Have you tried doing a search on Etsy for saya/sheath? I haven't seen any wooden options there yet, but a number of good looking leather options out of Ukraine that I've considered.

 

[Neutri]

Have you tried doing a search on Etsy for saya/sheath? I haven't seen any wooden options there yet, but a number of good looking leather options out of Ukraine that I've considered.

Yeah I did. I saw some leather options but there were 3-4 people doing the exact same thing (found that weird) so I'm trying to find other possibilities

 

[jaydee]

Zakharov (Ukraine) offers leather sheets and sayas with his knives and they are not expensive:
Zakharov review
Not sure he offers them separately, for how much and if he would want to work from a drawing or similar.
He is very responsive though.
At his current prices you could just as well get another knife to go with it ;-)

Otherwise maybe ask a local "leather/wood craftsman" or maybe go the DIY route.
I know some here have done their own says and quite beautifully so. (see member "birdsfan")

 

[Neutri]

Thanks I'll contact them

 

[miggus]

Agree with @jaydee. I got two knives from them, one with a bog oak saya and one with a leather sheath. Both of those covers are very well-made.

 

[Neutri]

I contacted them and they answered they can't make sayas for my knives. Only for the ones they make. So on the look out again. In the meantime I bought a bunch of edge guards.

 

[miggus]

A pity @Neutri. But there should be a lot of alternative options even though they seem not to be too visible at the moment. You could of course also make your own...

What do you want from your Sayas? How well should they be made?

 

[Neutri]

Oh I'm sure there are. I just don't know where to look I think.
The possibility crossed my mind to make my own, I did watch some tutorials on youtube and it didn't seem to be too complicated to make a basic one even with absolutely zero experience in wood and working with wood. The most I did was cut a planck of wood in 3 sections. However, the difficulty (or the need of tools which I have none. Maybe a screwdriver) seems to increase exponentially with how pretty the saya looks.

In a perfect scenario, I'd like my sayas to protect the knife from scratching and the edge from dulling (especially when inserting the knife in the saya) and look pretty. For example the wooden one in your picture above would be perfect. I read that friction fit could cause some scratches, so a pin would be better.

 

[miggus]

I looked into this myself, it seems to me good wooden ones will be more effort. That's why I asked about how well-made they should be.

I made my own out of magazine paper, fixated with packing tape. Not pretty, but does the job for now protecting the knives from scratches and me from cuts

Only the cleaver required something more rugged, so I used cardboard.

That works well, I never had rust on all my full-carbon and ironclad knives.

If you ask me, scratches will always be a problem with wood, more so with friction fit of course. But to get friction fit sayas, you'd probably have to send out the knives to begin with.

But even without it - one grain of sand embedded in the wood or a hard particle, and scratches will start appearing over time.

Anyways - if you don't want to spend too much, and are satisfied with something that will protect your knife, maybe look into felt as well.

I for my part have paused the quest for good sayas at the moment - the homemade solution will do for now. But if there is a good option, I might be tempted

 

[enrico]

I looked into this myself, it seems to me good wooden ones will be more effort. That's why I asked about how well-made they should be.

I made my own out of magazine paper, fixated with packing tape. Not pretty, but does the job for now protecting the knives from scratches and me from cuts

View attachment 229505

Only the cleaver required something more rugged, so I used cardboard.

View attachment 229506

View attachment 229507

That works well, I never had rust on all my full-carbon and ironclad knives.

If you ask me, scratches will always be a problem with wood, more so with friction fit of course. But to get friction fit sayas, you'd probably have to send out the knives to begin with.

But even without it - one grain of sand embedded in the wood or a hard particle, and scratches will start appearing over time.

Anyways - if you don't want to spend too much, and are satisfied with something that will protect your knife, maybe look into felt as well.

I for my part have paused the quest for good sayas at the moment - the homemade solution will do for now. But if there is a good option, I might be tempted

This is the way

 

[Neutri]

Oh I think I can spot a couple mcx
I'll try your method. How do you make the magazine to keep its shape? Does it just do so when you reach a number of layers?

Good idea for the felt, I was thinking as a solution to use cardboard with felt interior? Or is only cardboard enough?

I might look at bit more around and if I find a good solution, I'll update it here. However I'm will go with your solution, at least for now. Thanks for the help!

 

[picturepoet]

..maybe this will help you

 

[Neutri]

Thanks, I'll take a look at it

 

[miggus]

Oh I think I can spot a couple mcx

Hehe, yeah, there's two in there.

How do you make the magazine to keep its shape? Does it just do so when you reach a number of layers?

I roll it around the knife so it's a tad wider, press it flat and fix up everything with clear tape. That will keep it in place and also make it smugeproof so it doesn't absorb drops of water or grease that might get on it in the kitchen.

There's a lot of good tutorials on sayas, the first one has already landed I also like the method with cutting out thin strips of wood and then stacking them - should require very little tools. I practically did this with cardboard for the Cleaver sheath.

That's what I mean:

 

[Neutri]

Smudgeproof? As in have the whole saya completely recovered of tape?
Oh I saw that one yeah. Thanks

 

[miggus]

Smudgeproof? As in have the whole saya completely recovered of tape?

Yes, exactly. I found this works best. Paper will absorb everything... take it into the kitchen and there will be grease on it in no time

 

[Neutri]

Alright, Thanks for the tip

 

[picturepoet]

Smudgeproof? As in have the whole saya completely recovered of tape?
Oh I saw that one yeah. Thanks

The real point is that you don't get snagged with very sharp pointy knives

 

[Neutri]

Clearly not the prettiest but made some cardboard saya for all my knives

 

[M1k3]

Clearly not the prettiest but made some cardboard saya for all my knivesView attachment 229595

Do I spot a Chromax?

 

[Neutri]

Do I spot a Chromax?

Yes indeed!

 

[JASinIL2006]

I have made a number of sayas for friends and family. They are really quite easy to make. I follow a procedure similar to that outlined here:

http://dcknives.blogspot.com/p/making-laminate-saya.html

 

[Neutri]

I have made a number of sayas for friends and family. They are really quite easy to make. I follow a procedure similar to that outlined here:

http://dcknives.blogspot.com/p/making-laminate-saya.html

I don't doubt it easy but I have no tools

 

[JASinIL2006]

I don't doubt it easy but I have no tools

You could probably get by with a coping saw (see below, $9 in the US) and some strong binder clips and be able to make a decent saya. Of course, not everyone wants to mess around with that, but you can make one with minimal tools and experience. Good luck!

 

[Neutri]

I might try a weekend then thanks a lot