I'm kind of stumped!

C

Chris 54326

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Sep 13, 2017
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257
Been working on a sheath for one of my knives.

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Next step is to punch the stitching holes. But I was thinking ahead and "thought" I wanted to dip the sheath in hot paraffin and then fit it to the knife. But I just dipped a sample in the paraffin and am really disappointed in the result. Might be perfectly satisfactory for a hunters or campers knife, but I'm not so sure it will look good with this one.

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So I'm kind of stumped as to what to do to make this sheath really go with the knife. I know I can wet form it with water and then put on a very thin antique to put some punch in the stamping and then a finish..........but I just don't know which direction I want to go.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
If it were me I’d go with plan B. If I could make a suggestion I’d stitch before sanding and edging. That way you are getting everything even with the stitching line. Doing afterwards occasionally can get that a little crooked. After stitching I’d hit that sheath with a light coat of warm oil before finishing.
 
Well, as you can see from the picture, Dave, I've already sanded. Didn't mark for my stitching line until I had the distance between the edge and the line for the tooling equidistant from top to bottom. Slicking the edge is the last thing on my list before final protective coat of Bag Kote. (just wish they made a matte finished Bag Kote!)

By "warm oil", I'm assuming you mean Netsfoot oil. ????

Thanks for responding. This has really been bugging me!
 
Chris 54326 said:
Well, as you can see from the picture, Dave, I've already sanded. Didn't mark for my stitching line until I had the distance between the edge and the line for the tooling equidistant from top to bottom. Slicking the edge is the last thing on my list before final protective coat of Bag Kote. (just wish they made a matte finished Bag Kote!)

By "warm oil", I'm assuming you mean Netsfoot oil. ????

Thanks for responding. This has really been bugging me!
Click to expand...

Yep. Pure neatsfoot oil not the compound. I have a $10 dedicated crock pot I keep my oil in. I just plug it in when I need it. I use a two inch paintbrush for application. Can not stress enough light coat.
 
Chris,
You probably know this but a few hours in the sun can and will darken the overall color. Just rotate it once an awhile and it can make a significant difference.
Randy
 
Horsewright said:
Yep. Pure neatsfoot oil not the compound. I have a $10 dedicated crock pot I keep my oil in. I just plug it in when I need it. I use a two inch paintbrush for application. Can not stress enough light coat.
Click to expand...

I "know" about the light coating bit. I put way too much on my first sheath. I was planning on using a lightly oiled cotton cloth.......rifle cleaning patch, actually.

Robber58 said:
Chris,
You probably know this but a few hours in the sun can and will darken the overall color. Just rotate it once an awhile and it can make a significant difference.
Randy
Click to expand...

No, Randy, I didn't know that. Where in the process should I do that?
 
You can do it almost anytime in the process after assembly. If I am doing it I will usually oil first, put in the sun and then do the final finish but I don't think there is anything special about that order. How long is up to you based on the color you want.
Just an FYI, you will find information on the internet about doing it on a car dashboard on a sunny day. I don't recommend it because the temperature can get pretty hot and damage the leather beyond help.
Randy
 
If we’re doing the sun treatment we do it after oiling too. We lay the item out on the top of a brick wall outside the shop.
 
Thanks Randy and Dave. I appreciate all the tips-n-tricks I can garner! I feel like a fish out of water with this leather work.
 
I don't care for oil finishes as they soften the leather. I've found SnowSeal to be much more satisfactory -- seals and preserves the leather.
 
I don't like an oil finish either, but I don't think that's what Dave was recommending. I think he was just suggesting putting a little oil back in the leather before sealing it.
 
You do not generally use Neatsfoot oil as a finish. It is intended to add back in the oils that are lost through wet forming, dying, etc. All it takes is a very, very light coat to do that. Unfortunately, many people either soak items in oil (will destroy it) or apply heavy coats of oil which can absolutely degrade temper. When applied correctly, it will not affect the firmness of the leather. It will darken it some though.
Randy
 
A
Robber58 said:
You do not generally use Neatsfoot oil as a finish. It is intended to add back in the oils that are lost through wet forming, dying, etc. All it takes is a very, very light coat to do that. Unfortunately, many people either soak items in oil (will destroy it) or apply heavy coats of oil which can absolutely degrade temper. When applied correctly, it will not affect the firmness of the leather. It will darken it some though.
Randy
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree. That's why when folks ask about a conditioner or something to do to preserve their leather I always recommend a paste type. It is simply too easy to over do it with oil. I don't use it myself except during the construction of an item.
 
Chris 54326 said:
Dave,

You say "a light coat of warm oil"............is that applied to a cold or warm sheath? And how "light" is "light"?
Click to expand...

Yeah I do them right out of the oven if it’s wet molded. If not just the oil is warm. Ya almost can’t get it too light.
 
When you wet mold a sheath, you put it in the oven to dry it? First time I've heard of that. I thought you just air dry them. :confused:

One new thing I learn every day..................is how little I know about anything!!!!!
 
Chris 54326 said:
When you wet mold a sheath, you put it in the oven to dry it? First time I've heard of that. I thought you just air dry them. :confused:

One new thing I learn every day..................is how little I know about anything!!!!!
Click to expand...

Read this thread. He explains his process in it.

If you haven't read through the threads, linked in the tutorial sticky thread, at the top of this forum, you are missing out on a lot of experience and knowledge.

O.B.
 
Thanks, OB. I was sure I'd read it.............but guess maybe I hadn't if it talks about heating the sheath in an oven. I'll re read it today. Thanks again.
 
Chris 54326 said:
Thanks, OB. I was sure I'd read it.............but guess maybe I hadn't if it talks about heating the sheath in an oven. I'll re read it today. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

yeah re read that thread. Plenty of info there.

I basically bake anything I wet mold in the oven. These days I preheat the oven to 178. Then place the item on 4 pages of cardstock, face up and put on the oven rack. I set a timer for one hour and then when that goes off I flip the sheath over and re set the timer for one hour. When the timer goes off again I set it for 45 minutes and flip the item so its face up again. When the timer goes off I set it for 15 minutes and plug my oil in so that the sheaths and the oil are ready at the same time. After a total of three hours baking I take the sheaths out and oil them.
 
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