Making a New Scabbard- Part I

In this 2-part Post, I am going to describe how I went about making (or rather, re-making) the scabbard for my Re-enactment sword (Sword Type W in Petersen’s typology). This scabbard has served me faithfully for some years and I have once already done some work on it, where I wrap a textile band on it for decoration (see here). I have had some issues with this scabbard though. These being: length (it was almost a foot longer than the sword itself, and constantly dragged around my ankles or hit them while running); suspension (a baldric, which was made for a much taller man than myself, therefore hanging too low) and the way it kept moving around when hung on my shoulder, especially when running. I decided to re-make this scabbard, and turn it into a belt-suspension one, as well as change the look and make of the scabbard itself.

Original scabbard, which had no metal fittings and was on a Baldric suspension. This all-leather design is based on a find from Ireland is absolutely fine for presenting an Irish, Hiberno-Norse or potentially Welsh and Cumbrian persona.

For my new scabbard, I chose to base my interpretation on finds from Cronk Moar and Ballateare, Isle of Man, graves dated to late 9th or early 10th century and combine it with influences and techniques from Carolingian Frankia. My scabbard will be covered in waxed linen instead of the more common leather (both ways are confirmed in archaeology and other sources, but leather eventually replaces textile completely) and bound in reinforcing (and decorative) textile bands, as well as tipped with tightly-woven bands instead of a metal chape (metal fitting for scabbards are comparatively rare and are thought to have been reserved for the very wealthiest/most influential people). The belt suspension will not be long enough to be used as a baldric (the original finds may have been either used as baldric or belts or both) and I will exclusively use it as a belt. My sword is Type W, a type dated to 1st half of the 10th century, which combined with technique and graves I base it on will make it a firmly 10th century item, Hiberno-Norse in origin. This sword and scabbard will be used for my Hiberno-Norse persona only and will not be suitable for any other impression.

Note how much longer the scabbard is than the sword itself

When putting the core back together, insert the sword back in, to ensure proper fit that will not be too tight

leather was reattached after being cut to size

I began by disassembling the old scabbard, preserving all the leather and straps that came with it- they will be needed later. I cut off the tip of the scabbard, to make it almost the same length as the sword, then worked the wood to taper it down to an elegant tip. When done, I put the scabbard core back together, and while I was at it, I reattached the lining, as it had detached itself in a few places.

Next, I re-attached the leather, which was cut to fit the shorter scabbard core- this was done with the aid of Leather Glue and clamps, with no sewing involved, since there would be a layer of textile on top and I did not see the necessity for additional work. Note, that there is no strap-slide here, due to the suspension system I chose. different suspensions may require strap-slides inserted into the scabbard core, to allow a belt to pass through. Alternatively, you could use Textile at this stage and cover the scabbard with Leather facing instead, in effect switching these materials around- this will create a more traditional and popular look of a leather-faced scabbard. Remember, as you put the core back together, to put the sword itself in as you leave it to dry. This is to make sure it is not clamped too tight and that you can slide the blade in and out.

Do not worry about glue seeping through the cloth, the Waxing stage will conceal it

Top of the scabbard was made as a separate “compartment”

The Mouth was stirched together, then glued in place. There will be a decorative stitch going over this rough one later

Once the core and the leather dried up again, I removed the clamps and proceeded to attach linen cloth. I wrapped it around 3 times and each layer was glued down, To achieve proper adhesion and tension in the cloth, I glued down first part and waited until it dried, then proceeded to wrap the Linen around. Each time I wrapped it once, I would clamp it in place and allow the glue to dry. Make sure you do not fit the clamps on too tight, as they will leave impressions and imprints on the cloth, that you will not be able to get rid of- you only need them tight enough to hold the textile in place. Last layer of Linen had a false hem on it, which went all the way down the scabbard Spine. If you were using leather, you would glue it around and clamp it down, then, once it dried, you would need to sew the leather together at the Spine using a Saddle Stitch.

Along the back of the scabbard, a false seam was added, before the final layer was pressed down.

Top of the Scabbard was also covered with Textile, which I was careful to fold and wrap around the scabbard Mouth.

Now, that the Textile had been attached, it was time to add reinforcing (and decorating) bands. I chose to have a pattern of criss-crossing “Xs” on top of a large wrap-around for the Scabbard Tip, then 2 more bands on the upper part of the Scabbard. This look was modeled on the Stuttgart Psalter, but there is a number of patterns attested to in finds from 9th and 10th centuries which would have been appropriate.

I used a plain, undyed Linen band for this step, which I then folded in half and proceeded to wrap around the scabbard. I recommend several “dry runs” for practice, as getting this stage right can be quite tricky. The Scabbard Tip was wrapped as one step, then glued down, gently clamped and allowed to dry. The Criss-Cross pattern was next, where I wrapped the scabbard diagonally up, then back down- this was again glued down , gently clamped and left to dry. The horizontal lines in the pattern and the 2 at the upper part of the scabbard were done separately, as the last stage in similar manner to the previous stages.

This left me with just one step to have a finished Scabbard- I needed to cover it in a layer of Beeswax. This will serve to protect it from weather, moisture and dirt; it will darken the textile, reinforce it and help protect from damage; it will also make the seeping glue stains on the cloth no longer visible.

Scabbard before Beeswax was applied

To soak the scabbard in Wax, I first melted it in a glass dish, over a bath of boiling water. Then, using a brush, I covered the entire scabbard generously. This stage used up approx 300g of Beeswax- usage will depend on size and material of the scabbard (cloth will generally soak up a lot more than leather).

And after a generous, even layer has been applied all over

Once the entire scabbard was covered, I used a Hot Air Gun to melt the Beeswax and let it soak into the Cloth. This did not take long at all and I needed to used the Heat Gun carefully, so as not to burn the Cloth or the Scabbard Core. The effect was immediate and striking!

With max melted using a Hot Air Gun, the scabbard has a finished look. Authentically, this would have been done over a gentle fire or in a large and well-heated oven. Alternatively, whole scabbard could have been heated, then Wax applied with a more practiced and even hand than mine, creating a thick, solid waxy coating on the outside instead

Scabbard finished- but it does not have a suspension system on yet. In Part II, I will describe how I went about making a Belt Suspension for this scabbard and how it could be just as easily made into a baldrick if you so wish. See you in Part II!

Sources for textile-covered scabbards– mid-9th century account of Notker Bambulus, who describes the scabbard of Charlemagne as being covered with waxed linen over a layer of hide. This is combined with pictorial evidence from various Frankish and Saxon Psalters, showing colourings on scabbards that were not possible to obtain by dyeing of leather, but use of waxed textile explains this. As time goes on, this technique is used less and less frequently, until we come to about 11th century, by which time, to my knowledge, all scabbards are covered with Leather only, textile going underneath. (Notker Bambulus; Gesta Caroli Magni; written for Charles the Fat circa 830-833, Stuttgart Psalter; 9th century, Finds from England- Cumwhitton Grave 4 and Cumwhitton Grave 6, where textile binding was found over a leather cover)

If you want to make a leather scabbard instead: swap around the stages as described in paragraphs above, so cover the wooden core with textile first, then leather. Leather will need to be sewn together at the end, so tight fit is important, especially around the tip. Again, I recommend some practice runs first.

Reinforcing Bands: they do not need to go on top of the scabbard and can just as easily be put under the leather, which would then be wet-moulded to the shape. Both techniques are just as valid in my opinion, but in later ages, the wet-moulding was the dominant, if not the only, technique used.

Strap-Slide: you may want to include a strap-slide in your scabbard, instead of attaching the belt/strap to the core itself. If using s strap-slide, this will need to be put on the Wooden core, before any other layer is added, then each subsequent layer will need to be incised appropriately, to allow a belt or a strap to pas through the Strap Slide.

Wooden Core: as I already had a Core from my original scabbard, I did not need to make a whole new one (phew!). If you need to make one yourself, green wood is best to work with. Willow, Poplar, Pine, Spruce appear but there were many other tree species used. You will need a piece that is long enough for the scabbard and some spare and thick enough to “contain” your sword if it were cut in half. You will need to cut the piece in half length-wise, to have 2 round halves, then use Hand Plane, Draw-Knife, Chisel with a curved edge and/or curved Draw-Knife. With these tools it should be reasonably easy to carve the green, fresh wood on both halved to create a space for the sword. Remember that fur or textile lining is also needed, so make sure there is space for that too. Then you will need to work on the outside of the Core, to make it desired shape, thickness and length- when ready, glue it and clamp together, with sword inside, to ensure it fits “just so”. Happy Carving!

Applying Wax: as mentioned above, it seems quite possible, that instead of melting the wax on the scabbard to allow it to soak into the leather or textile, a layer would have been added on top to created a thick, waxy coat- especially with white “virgin” Beeswax applied over white linen, this could create a striking effect of a milky-white scabbard, which would have looked very attractive.

Kit Improvement- Repairing a Leaking Water Bottle

I recommend that all Re-enactors have at least one authentic water bottle to take to events- you never know when you may not be able to use a cup… Mine has developed a leak, after a few years of usage (and a few knocks…). The items are not exactly cheap, plus wastage is never a good idea, so instead of getting a new one, I repaired the one I had. It was time for some TLC!

Before any work is done- the leather bottle also had a musky, stale smell inside so needed a good deep clean!

First step was to thoroughly rinse the bottle inside with vinegar, to clean it and kill anything that might have made it’s home there. I used 1/2 a cup of vinegar and rinsed the flask for about 5 minutes. Vinegar is great for killing bacteria and mould, but it is also safe for consumption and does not damage the leather or the was inside. Afterwards, a good rinse with clean water will be needed to remove the vinegar smell.

The bottle is made of leather, put together with twine and then sealed with Beeswax. In order to repair the leak and recondition the bottle, more Beeswax will be needed. Here’s how to go about the repair:

1- melting Beeswax in a suitable dish, suspended over boiling water. I used approx. 250g

2- Leather bottle will need heating up. Put it in an oven, for 160 C (Degree Celcius), to heat up the leather

3- When the bottle takes on a glossy, shining appearance and is hot to touch, it is ready. Wax inside of it should be melting too

4- The melted Wax was applied to the outside of the bottle using a brush

5- Thick coat was given, taking special care of seams and stitches and in any gaps between the leather

6- Liquid Wax was poured inside and evely sloshed about, so that all surfaces, especially the seams were covered

Note, that between steps 5 and 6, the bottle was once again inserted into the over, to melt the Wax I just brushed onto it and let it soak into the leather. Keep the bottle long enough to allow excess Wax to soak in, but not so long, that it starts to drip out- you want a solid layer of wax covering all seams and joints afterall. I watched the bottle until the wax went glossy and started to soak in, then removed it from the oven. While still warm, I poured liquid Beeswax inside, to cover the seams and seal it from the inside. I was quite generous and kept sloshing the wax around, taking special care of seams, until I could see a solid coat of Wax inside and was sure that the original leak was sealed.

Excess Wax that did not melt can be gently scraped off with a knife where needed, once the bottle cooled down but remains warm and pliable to touch. Same can be done around the mouth of the bottle. When done, you can polish it with a cloth, to give uniform, clean appearance (and remove accidental fingerprints!)

Bottle finished, cleaned off excess Wax and polished, Tested, to ensure there were no leaks.

And that’s that- a little bit of kit maintenance for this time. Note, that the bottle I used was fully authentic, made with leather and Wax only. Some bottles have a metal container, that is only covered with leather, these may behave differently when subjected to heat. Not all bottles need re-applying the wax on the outside, it will depend on the level of wear and tear. If you add a smaller, thinner coat of Wax to your bottle, it may not need scraping at all and just require a little polish- again, this depends on how much damage it sustained over time or how severe your leak is.

Hope this proved useful, in case you ever had issues with your own bottles or were unsure how to handle a leak!

Simplest Tunic I Ever Made

So I made a new linen tunic for my early-medieval reenactment- yes, another one!

This one was made with a very specific purpose in mind- to be for my low-status Anglo-Saxon persona, that of a Collier (maker of charcoal). I have decided it needs to be plain, be suitable to work in dirty conditions and often high temperatures, with lots of smoke, steam and a lot of physical movement involved (well, for the beginning and end part of the process anyway, as making charcoal involves huge stretches of just watching stuff slowly smoulder…) and easy to maintain.

So, I have made the simplest, fastest tunic I have ever managed- no pattern (yes, I did not work from a drawn-out pattern, it was all “planned in my head”), no gussets, not even a measuring tape. All I used were: Fabric, Scissors, Thread and Needle. It was fast to make, fits well with a generous, plain look and meets all my criteria. So how did I go about it? Keep on reading below:

Step 1- Choosing the Fabric:

For this step, I simply decided what should the tunic be made of. It is supposed to be a working garment, seldom covered with any outer layer, unless there is cold or foul weather. I went for medium-weight linen, which will not be as comfortable to wear, or as soft to handle (and will crease a lot more as well) but will suffice as the one and only layer I wear while working over my charcoal pit. For more comfortable, nicely draping clothing or items worn under other layers of clothing, I recommend light-weight or shirting linen.

How I measured cloth- from my elbow to the tip of the fist, 1″ elbow length”. Note the natural, undyed fabric and heavier, thicker weave.

I have, very deliberately chosen width of fabric to be 70cm- historically, household looms were only as wide as one person could comfortably stretch their arms- modern standardised 140cm and 150cm fabric widths were uncommon and most likely reserved for specialised production, not housemade items. When using household looms, we would expect fabric width to be anything from 30cm to maybe 80cm- individual pieces would be woven to the required width, so as not to waste yarn and time. I went for 70cm, as I wanted my garment to have a wide, generous fit for my size and no need for gussets. A smaller person may only need 50cm, while larger would need to add more pieces or use gussets.

I bought 4m worth of fabric and went to work with it.

Step 2- Making the Tunic Pieces:

My tunic consisted of 3 pieces- 1 to go over my head and 2 sleeves- that’s it! As I said, I used no gussets. I did not use a measuring tape either- instead I measured the length needed with my elbow! From elbow to tip of my fist gave me an approximate “elbow length” of cloth- used 3 “elbow lengths” of fabric to cover my front and 3 to cover my back. I measured 6 “elbow lenghts” on my 70cm wide 4m long piece of fabric and then cut where the tip of my fist fell on the 6th time- the fabric already was the width I needed, so that was that! The rest of the fabric was used for my 2 sleeves, where I cut it in half and then wrapped one end of a sleeve around my wrist. I wanted to have enough room to comfortably slide my hand in and out- once I had the right fit, I did a little cut to mark my measurement on the fabric. I then did the same with the top of my arm, where I wrapped the fabric around so that I had loose, comfortable fit and made a little cut where needed. There was very little fabric cut off, and if you were working from a piece 60cm wide or less, you would not even need to cut it at all, you could make a sleeve straight out of it and simply sew it on a little tighter at the wrist. Simplicity itself!

Fabric cut into lengths

Take care, to cut the hole with as little split in the front as possible, or none at all- unless you aim for a different neck-line, like squared or key-hole

Step 3- Head Opening:

It was time to make a neck-hole for my tunic- I took my long piece and folded it in half length-wise, to find the middle. The I did the same again, but width-wise, so that I had a measure of where the centre of my neck-hole was. All I needed to do now, was to cut an opening, while the piece of fabric was folded lenght-wise. I started small and continued trying to put the piece over my head, until it just about fit. Once I could squeeze the fabric on top of my shoulders, I had my neck-hole big enough and could put the tunic together.

Similar effect can be achieved by simply sewing in a semi-circle, but seam will be weaker

See how tailoring is achieved without gussets

Neck-line is plain and does not have a key-hole shape that would require a broach or a fastening

Side-Splits provide added mobility and are situated below the
hip

Step 4- Putting the Tunic Together.

This step was , again, super simple. I took my sleeves and folded them in half length-wise. This mark was where I needed to attach it to the corresponding fold on my main Tunic piece. Having done that, I sew the sleeves on all the way around, and then I sewed the sleeves themselves up, all the way up to the wrist.

Now, onto the main body- for the torso, I chose to do a little “fitting” in the shape of the tunic, so that it had a waist-line of sorts. First couple of inches that covered the chest, I sewed up at “full width”, so that I had a wide fit at the top of the torso. Then I started to fold the seam of the fabric more and more, so that it tapered- until it reached my waist, where I started to fold it less and less, until I was again sewing it at full width. This created a little “boat” shape of left-over seams, that I cut out.

This is purely optional and you can just sew the tunic straight down, without any tapering or folding, so that you have an even easier job, but no waist-line in the garment.

When I sewed the tunic up to where the middle of my thighs were, I left a split in it, to allow for extra movement and spreading my legs wide. This is the only spot where gussets might be needed, but it depends on your size as a person and width of your fabric. Gussets can be made from left-over fabric from your sleeves or cut from the main body of the fabric (in which case, purchase a longer piece of fabric of course) if necessary.

Hemmed tunic, prior to washing and ironing

Finishing of hems at the corners of side-splits

Step 5- Hemming:

Last step was to hem the tunic- neck-hole, sleeves, side splits and bottom hem. Each hem I did was exactly the same- fold about 1-1.5cm of the fabric, then fold it again, then sew up with a running stitch. I used a brown-coloured linen thread for this. Care needs to be taken with the neck-hole, as it can be tricky to hem (being a roughly circular hole and all that), take your time, fold little by little and keep the folds consistent. If you are unsure of your skills, why not practice on some throw-away fabric first, to get the knack of it?

This is all the waste and cut-offs I was left with and would have even less, if I did not do a wasteline- then, only cut-offs from sleeves would have been left. These will go towards making a rag-doll for my daughter!

Tunic washed and ironed- as this is medium-weight linen, creases are more difficult to get out and appear more easily. Fabric softens considerably after repeated washing, making it easier to keep crease-free over time

Aaaaaaaand… That was that! Tunic done- and as I said, no chalk, no safety pins, no pattern, not even a measuring tape… And because there were no long gussets, stitching time was reduced a lot as well, making it the fastest hand-stitched tunic I have ever managed to make. Is it High-Status? No. Is it high-fashion? Definately no! Is it suitable for manual labourer/tradesman? Yes! Is it simple to make? Hell yes! Is it acceptable for low-status persona? Of course! If made of fine, shirting linen, I would argue even higher status people would wear this as an under-garment, why not? Now for some final considerations…

Tunic provides the correct shape and full freedom of movement

Note the sleeves, which are deliberately made too short, because of my choice of profession to endure less wear, tear and dirt. Normally, sleeves should reach up to your thumb or below

Final Thoughts:

• Why not use standard width cloth and cut a pattern out? This was my attempt to be as close as possible to actual techniques used at the time when putting a garment together. A mistake we make today when making historical clothing is to assume, that to make something “fit” better, we need to cut it to shape and take fabric away, until we have a nice, snug fit. We cut pieces too large and then keep cutting, until we have the shape/size we want. In early middle-ages such an attitude would not have been allowed (such a waste of fabric!) instead, to make items “fit”, fabric would be added– so you would start with either a standard measure or the smallest size/width you think you will need, then keep adding fabric to it, if the fit was too small. Most garments were shaped very loosely and had a generous, wide fit that was adjusted with belts, straps and so on. Only the rich and the fabulous would have tight, figure-hugging garments that signified both status, fashion and professional, bespoke make. This is where we end up with arm/side gussets, splits, or narrow pieces of fabric put together to create one wide one, often with a decorative fake fold hiding the place where the two pieces were joined together. In other words, for the simple Folk on the lower levels of social stratum, clothes would not be made “to fit” by tailoring and cutting them to size, or by putting together a complex pattern, but rather by having big, wide clothing that is adjusted with belts, straps, legs, pins, brooches and so on.
• But hold on, all this talk about “loose shape” and “generous fit”, yet Roman writers tell how Germanic clothing “was tight and showed off all the limbs”? How can this be accurate? Well, allow me to illuminate. This is all about perspective. In the Roman-Greco world, clothing was made extremely loose and generally did not follow the shape of the body (see Peplos dress, Roman Toga or Greek and Roman sleeveless tunics) and one would not be able to easily determine the shape or size of a person’s limbs by looking at garments alone (for the most part). In comparison, “Barbarian” dress, with Trousers, sleeves with fashionably tight wrists and discernible human form contained in a garment did indeed seem “tightly fitting”. But by our modern standards, their clothing was rather loose, not tailored to a person’s individual shape and definately not figure-hugging. And yes, this is a huge oversimplification, but there is only so much I can explain, without writing a semi-academic article on the matter (which is not to say I will not at some future time…).
• In my garment I deliberately made sleeves shorter– the persona I made this for is a Collier and works in very dirty conditions. Shorter sleeves allow to keep the cuffs and the sleeves themselves less dirty and requiring less cleaning. Often the sleeve would be folded up past the elbow while working anyway. All this is to save time and costs of frequent washing, wear and tear and replacing sleeves. This is not based on any evidence in sources (which seem curiously silent on every-day dress of an Anglo-Saxon Collier, or any other Tradesman for that matter) but is my interpretation of available evidence (including ethnography, as archaeological evidence for complete garments and patterns is, well, severely limited and fragmented). My interpretation puts together pictorial evidence, archaeologically and ethnographically confirmed methods of clothing production and some practical aspects to take into consideration in certain jobs and circumstances. Normally, sleeves should be at least long enough to touch the bottom of your Thumb (with arm outstretched to the front of the body), and many recommend that the sleeves go past your Knuckles and then be pulled up to the wrist.
• You do not need to create a waist-line. I did this purely out of aesthetic preference, but you could just as easily simply have sewn up the garment all the way down to the hip. All that would happen is you would have a super-loose fitting tunic, that then get belted anyway, so in truth, who would even notice?
• Working with different Fabric Widths. My choice of 70cm wide Fabric was purely based on my own size as a person and knowing what would fit me with enough room to spare. If you had different width of Fabric to work with, you would either put pieces together or cut them in halfs or in thirds. For example- 140cm wide piece can be cut in half to 70cm, 40cm piece can be used in the same way I did, but under your arm, you sew the 40cm piece up to the bottom of your sleeve and only then join all three pieces together- in effect your Main Body of the Tunic now has 3 pieces of fabric, one long going over your head and 2 shorter ones attached under your arms, creating same wide, generous fit. If working with, say 60cm wide fabric, you could make Main Body from one long piece, then cut a 2-3 elbow lengths of cloth and cut this into 30cm wide strips and again attach below the arm to the bottom of the sleeve. You get the idea!
• Why not use measuring tape, chalk, safety pins etc.? Well, they did not have any of these back in the Viking times… A measuring stick (yard-stick?) or a string with knots at regular intervals is the closest we get to a measuring tape and I have no idea if pieces of chalk (or charcoal, or anything else) were used to make mars on cloth. I wanted to get as close as I could to someone at home, in the Viking Age making a garment for themselves or their family member, using what is available to hand. And- strictly speaking, you don’t even need scissors, all the cuts I made can be made with a sharp knife (as not every household had cloth-cutting scissors, it was more of a specialist item).
• Why no gussets? There are a few reasons for that, one being simplicity and speed of manufacture. Another one is that they were not necessary, especially if we are working with cloth that is 70cm wide or more, the strip of cloth has enough width when sewn together, that no gussets will should be needed. If using strips of different size, 30 or 40cm wide, again you don’t use gussets, instead you add more strips of the cloth, using one additional strip under each arm, creating a wide piece of clothing that should not require gussets. Gussets (especially triangular ones) could be seen as a sign of status and higher wealth, because they need scissors to cut cloth in this shape (implying a professional dress-maker not your regular housewife) and show greater tailoring and more “shapely” fit that was associated with bespoke items, status and high fashion. As a curiosity, did you now that in Medieval Germany , Law prohibited Peasants from ever using Triangular gussets? Just one of many little snippets that validate this point.

And that is that for this post- I hope you got something out of it and I will be back soon with more entries- take care!