How to keep leather sheath nice and supple

K

kidwholaughs

Joined
Jan 17, 2004
Messages
1,189
Hey guys,

I have this nice leather sheath that I really like. It gets used a lot. All kind of dirt and water gets on it. I alway wipe it off. It there any thing that I can put on it to keep the leather supple ie not dried out. Maybe mineral oil? I also want to keep the dirt and water out.

God Bless
 
To clean it--saddle soap works fine.
To keep it in good shape--Montana Pitch Blend

Water and heat are the great enemies of leather...excluding puppies at home and wild creatures if you drop it in the woods.

Good Luck
 
No household items that I know of (I kind of had an obsession about this).
Unless you have an assortment of "shoe care" supplies.

Go to a shoe repair store. They can answer any question about any product.
There are generally 4 categories of products (you only need 1 product from each category):
1) Leather cleaner. I prefer Lexol's.
2) Leather preserver/contitioner. Lexol makes 2 kinds. Neatsfoot oil is excellent too.
3) Water/weatherproofer, prevents stains too. Snoseal, Mink oil, MontanaPitchBlend...
4) Color treatment (optional). Shoe polish, any kind.
The list is in order of application to the sheath.

You can browse the products at joesshoeservice.com/ or shoecaresupplies.com, though I havent dealt with either of them.
I made a similar post here.
 
Saddle soap, glycerine soap, or shaving cream for cleaning. Lexol for softening/conditioning. Mink oil for waterproofing. I've heard (but have no proof) that neatsfoot oil can cause stitching to deteriorate.
 
L. Richard said:
I've heard (but have no proof) that neatsfoot oil can cause stitching to deteriorate.
Click to expand...
.

Neatsfoot oil is my preferred product. PURE Neatsfoot, not Neatsfoot compound. I have 58 years experience with Neatsfoot oil and I have not had one problem with deteriorating stitches.

Neatsfoot oil should be applied VERY sparingly every year or two depending on wear and use.

Paul
 
As for neatsfoot oil causing stitching to deteriorate, I have read that that is a myth.

You DO NOT need pure neatsfoot oil unless you are working in below freezing conditions. The only difference, according to mil spec (I dunno which), is that pure will continue to pour at lower temperatures while the compound will be gooey at that temp.
It does NOT come from any bovine body part. Google for a certain interview with Lexol's Dr. Herndon Jenkins.
 
Thanks, yall I am going to and get right on that. I appreciate all your help. This is why I love this forum.

God Bless
 
Paul's right about the pure neatsfoot oil. Apply it sparingly a couple times a year and it will keep your leather in great shape.

-Dan
 
Note that SnoSeal is not a conditioner/preserver but a waterproofer (main ingrediant is beeswax).
Neatsfoot oil and/or Lexol are what would "keep leather nice & supple".
 
Pecard's , from Wisconsin. They have a range of products and they're all good.
 
May sound a bit odd, but I used Wilsons baseball mitt conditioner to bring a pretty dried out and ugly Camillus Pilots knife sheath back to life . Worked really well.
 
Don't use oils -- they soften the leather. I use SnowSeal on all my leather sheaths -- take them apart, melt it in inside and out, then re-stitch. This keeps the leather from absorbing moisture which will rust your blade.
 
Alberta Ed said:
Don't use oils -- they soften the leather. I use SnowSeal on all my leather sheaths -- take them apart, melt it in inside and out, then re-stitch. This keeps the leather from absorbing moisture which will rust your blade.
Click to expand...

I second that. You want your sheath to stay a little stiff, or you'll have trouble sheathing your knife. While oils will make leather more "supple," that's not always a good thing. They also darken the leather.

Saddle soap or glycerine are the only things that touch my leather.
 
Anyone ever use Obenauf's leather products. I want to try it, but would like to know before I buy.
 
Big time Obenauf's fan here. I heat it in the microwave or double boiler and get it liquid, then use my fingers to rub it into leather until it no longer absorbs any more. Then hit it with a blowdrier to get it to draw fully in the leather. It won't soften leather, like oils will, but will make it extremely water resistant and conditioned. I originally purchased it because Russell's Moccasins recommended it for some boots I had made, and have since used it on sheaths and all my other leather goods. Great stuff.
 
I'm from Ohio and in the winter I had to stay dry. Good old saddle soap @ heavy coat of real mink oil worked for me and still does.


:)
 
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