Recommendation? Hydrophobic spray?

[DeadFall27]

Hello everyone!

I've been making leatherleather sheaths lately for my attempts at knifemaking and had a thought come across my mind.

I usually put on 2-3 coats of wax on my sheaths after completion, but has anyone tried any of the hydrophobic sprays? I'm not sure if it would be bad for the leather, or have any advantages/disadvantages over putting wax on my sheaths for "waterproofing".

Has anyone tried it? Cheers.

 

[bikerector]

By wax, are we talking about heating something like beeswax?

I've used the spray DWR stuff for technical fibers and it works pretty well. I don't know what it would do to leather.

Seems REI recommends it for leather hiking boots, stating the traditional wax based water repellents are less common. (Am I allowed to post this link?)
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/boots-waterproofing.html

I've used the stuff from McNett with good results on a few winter hats and cycling jackets.

As far as pros/cons, I suspect the weather is better for keeping the leather supple as it's chemically not too different from an oil. DWR doesn't penetrate and protect, purely a surface treatment, from everything I've read and seen. I don't think DWR would stick around as long as it's not known for being abrasion resistant but that could be a moot point unless your sheath rubs your leg a lot, like around the belt loop or possibly from swinging on a dangler.