Drainage hole for leather sheath?

[carnifex knifeworks]

I've seen kydex sheaths that have a hole at the bottom, towards the point of the knife, to allow water to drain out, etc.

Is there a reason that leather sheaths don't typically have a drainage hole built in?

 

[duramax]

I don’t have a technical answer for you for one vs the other or why , why not. But I have seen some leather makers incorporate a drainage into their build. I have added one upon request for people on my leather sheaths. I have used the simple hole on the back. Also small section removed from the welt down by the tip. That said it’s not something I normally do. Nor would I want someone running copious amounts of water through my sheath. Probably just blow out the leather sheath with air, low pressure. To add , i have seen kydex sheaths with no drainage. I think I have some here still for a couple knives.

 

[carnifex knifeworks]

I don’t have a technical answer for you for one vs the other or why , why not. But I have seen some leather makers incorporate a drainage into their build. I have added one upon request for people on my leather sheaths. I have used the simple hole on the back. Also small section removed from the welt down by the tip. That said it’s not something I normally do. Nor would I want someone running copious amounts of water through my sheath. Probably just blow out the leather sheath with air, low pressure. To add , i have seen kydex sheaths with no drainage. I think I have some here still for a couple knives.

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. I wasn't sure if there was a technical reason or not, so I thought I'd ask.

 

[sheathmaker]

I work with leather only. I do not put a drain hole in any sheath UNLESS by request. I can readily see

why a dive knife in a kydex should would have a drain hole by default, but since swimming or showering

with a leather sheath is not normal use function, I see very limited need for a drain hole.

Should a leather sheath get wet (inside or out or both) blow it out with compressed air (if available)

and then dry it out with a fan directed at the mouth for a couple of days just to be sure. A hair dryer can

also be used to speed things up an bit, but it should still sit under a fan and dry completely at room temperature.

 

[Lorien]

when I put a little hole at the tip of my sheaths it isn't there for letting water drain out, even though I refer to it as a 'drain hole'.
Most leather sheaths seal up fairly well when the knife is in them since the knife blocks the opening.
It could be argued that a drain hole actually allows water that would otherwise not have access, in.
The type of knife I usually design a sheath for that has a hole is a knife that's going to get dirty often, and bring stuff from outside the sheath inside, say pine needles or chunks of bark or whatever.
In that case, as the esteemed gents above described, the sheath can be cleaned out where the detritus is going to end up. For that, compressed air, or a twig, pipe cleaner or whatever can loosen up the shmutz packed at the bottom of the sheath so that it can be dumped out.
When I put a hole there, it's right at the very tip of the knife, or at the tip of the inside of the welt. Any higher and it loses its effectiveness for what I want it there for.

 

[carnifex knifeworks]

when I put a little hole at the tip of my sheaths it isn't there for letting water drain out, even though I refer to it as a 'drain hole'.
Most leather sheaths seal up fairly well when the knife is in them since the knife blocks the opening.
It could be argued that a drain hole actually allows water that would otherwise not have access, in.
The type of knife I usually design a sheath for that has a hole is a knife that's going to get dirty often, and bring stuff from outside the sheath inside, say pine needles or chunks of bark or whatever.
In that case, as the esteemed gents above described, the sheath can be cleaned out where the detritus is going to end up. For that, compressed air, or a twig, pipe cleaner or whatever can loosen up the shmutz packed at the bottom of the sheath so that it can be dumped out.
When I put a hole there, it's right at the very tip of the knife, or at the tip of the inside of the welt. Any higher and it loses its effectiveness for what I want it there for.

Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm making my own sheaths, so before I finalized the design I wanted to get the opinions of more experienced makers. Thanks Lorien !

 

[Horsewright]

I've never really thought about it and I don't think I've ever built a sheath with a drain hole. Lorien' idea makes a lot of sense for his deal for sure. My own experience, I'm a big fan of open bottom holsters though. Not really the same deal I guess.