Is it a good idea to oil a leather lined Kydex scabbard?

G

Graysidegent

Joined
Dec 21, 2017
Messages
222
Hoping to provide some rust protection, but don't have much experience with such a scabbard.

Thanks in advance.
 
I have not, reason is I don't want a lot of dust/sand/etc getting collected on the oil. Could there be transfer from oil on the blade, sure but just my .02
 
In my opinion, it is better for the knife owner to oil their knife blade instead.

If the leather lining is over-oiled, it can cause the leather to be too soft and easily cut with a mis-sheathing of the knife.

Just my opinion. Not sure if either/or way makes a difference.
 
Deino said:
Noob question, why do you want leather liner with a Kydex sheath?
Click to expand...

Greggy said:
It seems a rather bad idea and design. Leather retains moisture, and the kydex outer skin will slow down or prevent evaporation. A recipe for rust and corrosion.
Click to expand...

I believe it was originally experimented with with 2 purposes in mind. One was that leather was softer and prevented scratches to the blade. The second was to try to mitigate sheath “rattle” making a kydex sheath silent. You would benefit from silent draw and re-sheath, as well as the added benefit of great kydex retention.
 
A better solution might be to treat the leather with SnowSeal (basically beeswax) to seal the pores against moisture. SnowSeal dries and is less likely to pick up grit than oils.
 
I wouldn't oil the leather liner. Seems like asking for trouble. Lightly oil the blade.
Personally I like the LKL sheathes, leather-kydex-leather.
Here's one I had made for a Steingass drop point.
LWmK8i3.jpg
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
I believe it was originally experimented with with 2 purposes in mind. One was that leather was softer and prevented scratches to the blade. The second was to try to mitigate sheath “rattle” making a kydex sheath silent. You would benefit from silent draw and re-sheath, as well as the added benefit of great kydex retention.
Click to expand...
If that's the case, why don't you use rubber or synthetic rubbers?
Since the Kydex covered the liner from exposure to sunlight (especially UV), it can stay durable much longer. They are also water resistance/waterproof, some of them are oil resistance, used for work boot sole and hazard applications (Nitrile and Neoprene).

Your hybrid style sheath look cool!
 
Danke42 said:
I would expect a rubber inner sheath to have too much friction and lack durability.
Click to expand...
Not all synthetic rubber are made or used to increase friction like natural rubber. Many of them are used to mimic real leather.

Graysidegent said:
Just picked up a $500 fixed blade that came with a leather lined scabbard. Oiling the leather was just a thought.
Click to expand...
There is a chance that it is not real leather, nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Each material has their use, using it wrong to push the price is nothing but a waste.

If it is indeed real leather, you can always use the tried and true Vaseline.
 
Danke42 said:
In what particular application?
Click to expand...
Well, I'm the one who suggested, I will put down some:
Neoprene: Waterproof and oil resistance, has low friction, insulation, most notably used in water and swim gear like high "rubber" boots and dry suit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoprene
Bromobutyl rubber: Waterproof and chemical resistance, works in extreme temperature (for human), higher friction (but greatly decrease when oiled), used in for lab equipment and military gear (gas mask, CBRN gloves and boots), still very. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyl_rubber
Nitrile: Likewise, waterproof and chemical resistance, works in extreme temperature, low price, used as protective equipment against chemical and radioactive hazard. Some variant are self sealing, used for self sealing tanks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrile_rubber
Viton (FKM): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FKM (not hard to find these at hardware stores)

All of these are called synthetic rubber, all of them are used to make synthetic leather as well (which is just the molded surface texture to look like leather).
 
Deino said:
Well, I'm the one who suggested, I will put down some:
Neoprene: Waterproof and oil resistance, has low friction, insulation, most notably used in water and swim gear like high "rubber" boots and dry suit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoprene
Bromobutyl rubber: Waterproof and chemical resistance, works in extreme temperature (for human), higher friction (but greatly decrease when oiled), used in for lab equipment and military gear (gas mask, CBRN gloves and boots), still very. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyl_rubber
Nitrile: Likewise, waterproof and chemical resistance, works in extreme temperature, low price, used as protective equipment against chemical and radioactive hazard. Some variant are self sealing, used for self sealing tanks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrile_rubber
Viton (FKM): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FKM (not hard to find these at hardware stores)

All of these are called synthetic rubber, all of them are used to make synthetic leather as well (which is just the molded surface texture to look like leather).
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I don’t think rubber or synthetic rubbers would work for a kydex lining. The whole purpose of kydex is for a snug fit and great retention.
Adding rubber or synthetic rubber to the inside of an already snug “plastic” sheath would make drawing and inserting the knife extremely hard.

Rubbers will also hold dirt, albeit easier to rinse out, but nonetheless would trap dirt and cause scratches on the blade.

Personally, I would not line a sheath with rubber for the above stated reasons.

IE: Taking a wetsuit off while wet is a major PIA…ask me how I know. Haha. :)
 
You could apply something like silicone spray lubricant to neoprene or rubber to make it slick, but would have to reapply it when it became grippy again. The hybrid approach with a soft or semi-rigid sheath body and a rigid tension lock mouth seems like the smarter approach. If you needed the exterior hard-shelled you could make a separate hard shell with a soft foam between the shell and the inner sheath.
 
Deino said:
Well, I'm the one who suggested, I will put down some:
Neoprene: Waterproof and oil resistance, has low friction, insulation, most notably used in water and swim gear like high "rubber" boots and dry suit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoprene
Bromobutyl rubber: Waterproof and chemical resistance, works in extreme temperature (for human), higher friction (but greatly decrease when oiled), used in for lab equipment and military gear (gas mask, CBRN gloves and boots), still very. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyl_rubber
Nitrile: Likewise, waterproof and chemical resistance, works in extreme temperature, low price, used as protective equipment against chemical and radioactive hazard. Some variant are self sealing, used for self sealing tanks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrile_rubber
Viton (FKM): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FKM (not hard to find these at hardware stores)

All of these are called synthetic rubber, all of them are used to make synthetic leather as well (which is just the molded surface texture to look like leather).
Click to expand...
Leather and Kydex have a couple unique qualities when it comes to making a good sheath. They're very stiff so the sheath won't flex and the user won't stab themselves and they're smooth so easy to draw and resheath.

All the rubber products like gloves and boots and masks are flexible for dexterity or a for a mask a seal.

Too flexible is a serious liability in a sheath.

It's probably best saved for the vegans who need a faux leather belt that's 100% cruelty free.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top