This post may be a few years late in coming, but maybe this can still help someone out there....
I picked up the Strider sword and scabbard for a Medieval-themed wedding. Sure enough, the sword went in fine, up to the last two inches. When I forced it in all the way, I had to do the two-feet on the hilt solution to get it back out.
Feeling like I had nothing to lose anyway (I got the scabbard on sale, and it had a "NO RETURNS" policy in big bold letters), I decided to take it apart to see if I could fix it. The solution, it turns out was to sand down the wood on the inside of the scabbard. How the heck did I do this?
1. A brass ring is epoxied over the silver metal scabbard tip. A bit of force will pop it loose, so it will slide toward the open end of the scabbard.
2. Under that ring is a small set screw holding the silver tip in place. It was stripped and wouldn't unscrew (it just turned in place), so I pried it out with a putty knife.
3. Use a narrow putty knife to separate the silver tip from the green leather. Obviously be careful not to cut through the thin leather. The wood of the scabbard is chopped off about an inch or so down from where the silver tip originally sits.
A note on the silver tip...it has a very thin lining of sorts inside it, but it turns out that this is NOT the issue in causing the blade to stick. The sword doesn't even make contact with this in any way, shape or form.
4. I used a wooden slat from Ikea mini-blinds, split lengthwise, with ultra-sticky double sided carpet tape wrapped around one end, which I then wrapped sandpaper around (80 to 120 grit). Get ready to spend the next hour or so running this up and down inside the scabbard. It looks like you're loading a musket over and over again. You know how they tamp the rod down the business end?
I couldn't find a particular spot that was the problem. I sanded the narrow end, test-fitted, sanded the wide end, test-fitted, sanded everywhere else. You get the idea. In the end, I just had to keep sanding and test fitting until the sword slid in like it was greased with butter.
5. After I had a good fit, I sanded some more with 220 grit to smooth out the wood. Then I ran a bounce sheet through to push the sawdust out. Then did it again with some Pledge soaked into the sheet. This is a lot easier to get through than a cloth rag.
Another note... luckily, the wood is actually very soft, and easy to sand out. I don't think you have to actually take off the silver tip either, but it sure helps to let you see down the inside, and provide an opening for the sawdust to fall out of the other end.
6. Reassemble and glue everything back together. I used white glue to secure the silver tip back onto the leather, and cyanoacrylate (Crazy glue) to affix the brass ring over the set screw.
I did take pictures, so just reply and we'll work out a way to get them posted, or in your hands.
In the end, my scabbard works, and it cost me $100 CAD, and some time and effort!
