I don't like leather sheaths!!!

S

Sidewinder

Joined
Jun 2, 2001
Messages
887
Sorry to those that do.

I went to take a picture of a knife that I left in a leather sheath. Last time I looked at it was about a month ago and it was fine. This time the leather sheath did something to the guard and stained it:(

I had the kife and guard wrapped in tissue but the chemicals must have soaked through arrrgggggg:mad:

Anyone know what I can do/use to fix this?

S.
 
I love leather sheaths.
Nothing beats the looks or servicablilty of a well made leather sheath.

Different strokes.

It really doesn't matter what your sheath is made of though. If you store your blade in the sheath for long periods of time, you're risking damage to the knife.

Whether it's leather, cordura, kydex, or anything else, it will trap moisture. Left there long enough, the moisture condenses on the blade and corrosion begins. (Rust never sleeps.)

I assume by "fix this" you mean undoing the damage to the knife.

That depends on what the blade is made of and what kind of finish it has on it. (More importantly, what kind of finish do you want on it when you're done "fixing" it?) :D

Give us some details and we'll try to help you out.
 
Thanks Ken,

The guard was dammaged and not the blade. I'm not sure what kind of metal was used to make the guard. It's a Mayo fixed blade. I'll have to ask Tom what he used and I'll post it here.

S.
 
First, you shouldn't be storing your knives in the sheaths.It's really not the leathers fault.Protecting the guard and blade with a good wax will go along way in protecting your knives from corrosion.Ken is right ,it don't matter what material you use,if you just leave it it will rust or stain.Dave
 
You are right in contacting the maker and getting his input. I will say that I do store my knives in the sheaths even though I know better. Whether the guard is stainless or brass or whatever, storing in the sheaths will dull them and seems to spot them pretty bad sometimes over long periods. However, I have had good luck restoring them to "good as new appearance" by using Flitz metal polish. Sometimes it takes a couple of applications to get it done, but it works. At least on my knives the sheaths do not do permanent damage to the guards or blades, it just makes them kinda ugly until I clean them.

Thats just how it has been for me, however take the advise of the guys who posted above, dont store in the sheaths. I myself am going to try and remember that as well, and save myself some work.
 
I had the kife and guard wrapped in tissue but the chemicals must have soaked through arrrgggggg:mad:
Click to expand...
The tissue could actually be the bigger problem ... it can be a moisture magnet. I learned that the hard way. (Cost me a Contender pistol barrel.)

I store my fixed blades in their sheaths. I realize that its not the best idea, but I give them a quick wipe-down often. (These are all users, and not real expensive specimens.) The only obvious storage blemishes I've encountered have been green spots on brass guards, which were easily polished out with Brasso. To my way of thinking, (shakey, at best, I'll admit) sliding a fine knife into a Kydex sheath is akin to serving fillet mignon on a paper plate. :D
 
I collect military and fighting knives. I only have one knife in the collection so far! But, I have the blade oiled and wrapped in wax paper, stored outside of the sheath.
 
As far as storing knives goes, I keep all of my folders in my gun safe. All of my fixed blade knives hang point down in a slotted rack that I made. the blades are suspended by their handle/guard area on the top side of the rack. The blades hang down through the slots in the rack. The sheaths are tagged and placed in a filing cabinet when not in use. The tagging sounds anal I know, BUT I have a lot of Khukuris and putting the wrong blade in the wrong sheath really can rip/cut the sheath in half. So I had to start marking the sheaths once I got over a dozen or so Khuks. Most others I can remember what goes where. The waxing idea that someone mentioned really works well also. It keeps the blades and all protected , yet does not collect dust the way oils do.
I once had someone I know bring his Ruger single six to me to clean up for him. Seems he put it in his leather holster,with six in the cylinder and stored it. Then he forgot about it for years. When he finally remembered it, the rounds were corroded into the chambers, and his stainless Ruger was pitted pretty badly. I managed to salvage the gun for him, but it was a great reminder to him that the chemicals used to tan leathers are still present in the leather to a small degree. It is therefore never a good idea to store guns/knives in their leather sheaths. I have not had as much problems with synthetic sheaths, but take no chances none the less, and store all of my guns/knives out of their holster/sheath just to be safe.
 
Well the only problem with leather sheaths I have had is the Belt loop tearing.. just from sitting with the blade on.. like in the car.
 
I love leather. And wood. There's just something, some spark, that a natural material has that kydex or micarta or G10 or XYZ synthetic will never achieve. Leather sheaths are as much of the total enjoyment I get from my knives as the blade itself.
 
Sidewinder, I am pretty sure the guard on that knife is nickel silver,

don't know how to clean it up though...I do remember it was "blasted"
nickel silver...
 
I've also ignored conventional wisdom and left knives in leather. However, I periodically wipe tha blades down with the Sentry Solutions Tuf-Cloth and have never experienced any problems. Alot depends on the environment you live in and the types of uses your blades are subjected to.

For real long-term storage, sheaths and blades must be separated.
 
Its just oxidized a little.....rub it real hard with your finger and it will come off.......promise. You can use brasso too.
 
Some, not all of this problem can be alleviated by using or specifying bark or vegetable tanned leather to be used in the making of the sheath.
The most common leathers are tanned with chromium salts, corrosive and toxic, vegetable or bark tanned is done the old fashioned way, it takes longer and may cost slightly more, but it is worth it. It does not promote corrosion near as bad as chromium tanned. It also molds very well.
 
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