Heres a little tip

[huntforlife]

So I have been covering my blades in blue tape for a long time for no other reason other than that's what I have seen pictures of here.
Well I ran out yesterday and wanted to cover the blade I just finished while I was sanding the handle. So I grabbed a roll of clear packing tape and did a simple 2 ply covering on each side and trimmed some of the excess with a razor blade.

This will now be how I cover blades while doing finishing work. Instead of seeing this blue blob on the end of a handle I can now see the blade clearly and I think that lends to how the handle/scales come out.

So give it a shot if you wish. 2 plys held up very well to sandpaper and a nick by a rasp.

The other great thing is that when doing the leather work, it seems to keep the moisture off the metal WAY better than blue tape.

[jmccustomknives]

That's a good tip. I'll have to give it a try.

[Ray Rogers]

I'd be concerned about how it would come off the blade when you were ready to remove it. Most of the packing tape I've used would tend to tear. Also, I usually end up with the blue tape on the blade for days, sometimes even a week or more. I'd want to check to see that the packing tape will still peel off cleanly after that much time ....

[DanCom]

I use a plastic shopping bags and few wraps if masking tape. Seems to work fine and dang for some reason I have a large stockpile of shopping bags to get through. Maybe I need to shop less and make knives faster!

Dan

[BCROB]

Carbon or stainless material ?
Any moisture in the tape for carbon blades will make more work if left on for any length of time.......

[huntforlife]

Ray, I had this tape on there for about 6 days. It peeled off fairly easily. It does rip, but is just as easy to remove as scotch tape.

Rob, I only use carbon steel. Before, if there was even the slightest gap in the tape I would get a rust line a few days after molding the sheath from the moisture.

Perhaps it's a fluke. It worked very well this time.

[Crex]

Not sure why you'd be leaving the tape on the blade while fitting for a sheath. Even if you are wet form molding the leather, simply wiping the blade dry after the fit up will eliminate the rusting problem.
The tape will hold the moisture and create a false bulk that will effect the final fit of the blade in the sheath. One would think you are looking for a glove fit if you are wetforming the leather - won't be as good with a taped blade. If the leather is properly "wetted" or "cased" once it is form fitted with either finger pressure or a bone folder it will hold that shape and there is no need to leave the blade in the sheath.
I won't claim that I never have blade rusting issues, we all do from time to time. I just don't have them from making sheaths (have made more than just a couple).