Beeswax fail...twice.

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Jun 7, 2009
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Hi guys. Real sorry I don't have a camera now,maybe later.:o
I'm new to sheathmaking but have done a ton of reading and owe everyone here a boatload of thanks:thumbup:
I made a Kabar-type leather sheath a while ago and tried hot beeswaxing it. What I did was melt the wax with a little stearic acid and neatsfoot. I warmed the sheath around 120.F for 10 minutes and applied the wax with a brush. It dried really fast so I put it in the oven again to melt it a bit. Problem is, it really messed up the color. Sheath was not dyed,but it produced some really dark,splotchy areas.
I tried this again on another piece,this time no oven. Warmed the sheath with a hair dryer, applied the wax...and bang; as soon as it hit the leather, major darkness again.
Was my wax too hot I wonder? I wet-formed the sheaths first and let them dry then did the wax treatment. I'm kinda upset at the results although the sheaths are still very usuable, just not pretty.
Wet forming works really well I might add. I did another one with Sno-seal and a hair dryer and no color problem , although I noticed sno-seal softens the leather from it's wet-formed hardness somewhat. Anyways, these are my first observations and I'm learning a lot and am hooked on doing this hobby.
Any comments and suggestions are surely welcomed ! :)

Pete
 
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These are pics of the my first knife sheath I ever made ( for an Esee3) , a week ago:

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Backside
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In my experience there are several factors that can cause this kind of coloration.
1. Could be a change in the density of the leather. Leather is not consistent throughout. There are going to be areas where the wax will more easily penetrate.
2. Wax temperature. If you are using just a little wax, as the wax level drops, the temp of the wax can increase. Use the lowest temp that still melts the wax.
3. The actual amount of wax spread on the sheath. Some times the brush (I use a brush) leaves a discoloration from there being more wax in the brush at the start. Try letting the wax drip from the brush a little before applying, or try to remove excess wax.
Fixing the discoloration once it happens? If it really bothers you, you can try to add a little more and darken the remainder of the sheath to match.
Personally I use this for artistic effect at times, so instead of seeing it as a fail, I see it as the leather 'expressing' itself.
Hope this helps! I think the sheath looks great!
Chuck
 
Thanks a lot for responding to my post Chuck.
Some really good tips you have. I'm thinking my wax was too hot to start out with because the darkening started happened immediately .
This was my first real knife sheath, so it's a learning curve for me.
I'll keep your tips in mind for the next one :thumbup::)
 
I had this happen recently with a sheath. Normally, I heat my wax mix in a double boiler to just barely liquid, then swab on with a wool dauber and my fingers. This last time, I was in a pinch for time so I microwaved my little bowl of wax till it was liquid. It didn't feel overly hot, but apparently it was because it REALLY darkened up my sheath and caused the very outer layer of the leather to get 'crisp'. But I didn't notice that until after I finished waxing it. I could draw my thumbnail lightly over the sheath and it would scratch and the surface had a weird hardness to it.

I thought all was lost, but I took a grey scotchbrite pad and using a circular motion, I wore away that crispy outer layer and gave the sheath a lightly worn/antiqued look. The color lightened back up a little overall and it has some lighter spots that actually look really good.

I'm going to reapply some wax to it today and see how it finishes...so far so good.

So, if you can scratch your fingernail across those dark spots, and they feel harder than normal or scratch easily, you may have lightly cooked the leather as I did.
 
Yeah Griz , I'm thinking that's exactly what happened...cooked the leather.
I just got another sheath from someone ( unfinished) and went with Sno-Seal and a hair dryer. That worked real well but I noticed it did soften up the leather some.( I wet-formed to fit the knife,let it dry, and then did the Sno-Seal)
It seemed to take away some of the "hardness" I was trying to achieve with the wet forming. I may try it again but I'll wait till the Beeswax is cooler and I won't use as much ( just seems to cake-up and turn white instead of smearing on nicely)
Thanks:)
 
Try using equal parts beeswax, paraffin and neats foot oil. The paraffin has a lower melting point and is a tad softer than the beeswax which should help it go on better.

What I do, is heat the sheath in my toaster oven on bake at the lowest temperature till it's good and warm/hot. Too hot to handle, is too hot for the sheath. While it's getting warm, I heat up my BPN mix. When the sheath is warm enough, i take it out and swab on a generous amount of the mix then put it back into the toaster oven. I keep an eye on it, watching the mix get pulled into the leather. When most of it has worked its way in, I do the same thing again...usually 3 or 4 times till it seems like the wax won't go in anymore. Then, I take it out, wipe off the excess and use a hair dryer to work that last little bit into the sheath, then let dry/cool. Once cool, buff with a soft cloth to a nice luster. You can also add a coating of neutral shoe polish at this point for a bit more shine in the finish.
 
Here is the sheath before I fixed it:

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Sure it looks good in the pic, but I just didn't like the finish.

Here is the updated 'antiqued' finish.
DSCN4196.jpg

DSCN4199.jpg
 
Thanks so much for the advice. I will try that BPN mix next time:thumbup:
Really nice leather work you have there too. Great stitching,edging and design also. I've been lurking here for a while to learn and owe you fellas a lot of thanks!:)
I'm starting a bushcraft sheath soon for my newly aquired Koster EDC. We'll see how that turns out. I'm kind of slow and trying to do a nice job instead of hurryiing and making major mistakes. I've learned you can go through a lot of work and then blow it really easily:o
 
Where would be a good place to get some leather? So I
could give it a shot!

Try to find a Tandy store nearby. They have all you need including leather. I am learning from this forum and other places on the internet. Do a bit of research and find out what tools you need and how to start off before cutting any leather. It will save you a lot of grief and make it a lot of fun !!
Good luck and show us your first when you make it. I'm finishing off my second one today. Better than the first ( above) and each one gets better as you learn some techniques.
 
Agreed, if you have a Tandy store near by you can get leather there. If no Tandy, and you want to do a bit of practicing, Hobby Lobby has 8" x 11" pieces of 3/4oz veg tanned leather, usually for around $8 or so. Use one of their 40% off coupons and it helps a alot. That's what I did to practice on, then I ordered a 12x24 piece of 8/9oz leather from www.usaknifemaker.com. Jantz and Texas Knife supply also has pieces of leather in 12x12 and 12x24, the price per square foot is higher but you don't have to buy 15 square feet to get a low price. Once you mess with it, decide if you like it, then order larger pieces. I will say this though, a 12 x 24 piece of leather gave me 6 or 7 pouch sheaths, you just gotta learn how to make the most of what you have :)
 
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