rattan sidearm sheath question

[Malcolm MacLachlan]

Alrighty. I'm attempting to make a new sidearm for Gulf Wars for spear fighting. My current spatha is a little hard to pull across my front while backpeddling. I'm made the knife and stitched up the sheath. I wrapped the rattan in a few layers of stuff to thicken it up and put it in a plastic bag and rammed that sucker home in the sheath after a good soaking. My theory is that it will dry to the needed shape. My question now is getting that guy to pull quickly without yanking my belt off in the process. I've heard talk of floor wax etc etc but I'm trying to make it so the blade slides in and out easily. Mostly out. I'd appreciate the advice.

[Vitus von Atzinger]

Now that you have wet-formed the leather around the weapon, it's probably the thrusting tip that is slowing down your draw.
-V

[lochinvar76]

When I made my weapon sheath, I had the exact same issue. It was wet formed to my blade, but it took far too much pressure to draw the weapon, often spinning my belt. As Sir Vitus said, it was the thrusting tip. I redid it low profile, taking extra care that the tip wasn't wider than the rattan and now it draws smooth as butter.

[knotwolf]

I made mine from waxed leather to kepp it stiffer & a little slicker. I little water dribbled into it before battle speeds up the draw as well.

I also made a blank of scrapwood a little bigger than my knife to kep in it during storage to keep it stretched out to size.

R

[Malcolm MacLachlan]

Well I just stitched it up last night, so I don't know how the draw is yet. I wrapped all the extra material around the blade area so that when it finished drying/forming the fit wouldn't be skin tight. The thrusting tip is pretty low profile and doesn't go past the rattan.
So past that there's not much I can treat it with to make the sheath innards slicker?

[Darius von Tannenberg]

Have you waxing the blade and thrusting tip.
Maybe use some no stick cooking spray, shouldn't harm
the leather or offend the bees

[D. Sebastian]

silicone spray!

[Malcolm MacLachlan]

I'll attach the belt loop, dye the thing, and then try a few suggestions out. If anyone sees a guy in scale at GW with a spear in one hand and a knife in the other, waving it around over my head with a ripped up white belt on it and cussing loudly, come offer me a few more ideas.

Thanks all.