Leather and a humid enviroment ???

R

Randy Rawson

Joined
May 7, 2001
Messages
65
I would like some advice on how to keep leather sheaths from falling apart when thy get a wet. I have been using a silicon spray but it doesnt seem to last very long. I have had a couple leather sheaths fall apart or swell up so much that they are useless. I never let the sheath get soaked, but they sometimes stay pretty damp.
I have been reading alot about the China,Burma,India campaign during the second World War. That was a very humid Jungle enviroment how did those troops keep their leather gear intact? The photographs show them with Khukuris,K-Bars,etc.I cant figure out how they did it. Any advice on the subject would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Randy
 
A wax product.

Keeps my leather mountain boots ok in snow-/wet environments. Used it also on my khukuri sheat. Won't soften the leather.

-Emile
 
CBI, Nam, and the other areas of the world which require gills for breathing, are hell on leather. Constant maintainence is necessary for anything (including some synthetic fabrics) and they only retard the process. The silicone sprays are good, and sometimes the only way to reach the inside of sheathes and holsters, but require constant application - even weekly in some climes. Lexol, to treat, and Kiwi, to seal, work about as well as anything. If the stitching is cotton, kiss it goodbye. Even heavily waxed, moisture will seep in around it, and the slight flexing it gets will allow the mold to work into the fiber. Nylon stitching bears up better, but will also gather mold just because it provides a space for the spores to settle. I've had "properly treated" gear fall apart in as little as 1 1/2 weeks in parts of Central America, and the local fallback was a good leather treatment and lots of Kiwi. One guy swore by Dr. Scholl's athelete foot powder, but he had been incountry a long, long time.
 
Foot powder!? hehe.. if it works it probably kills the mould and mildew. It may also keep your sheath smelling fresh.

:)
 
Kiwi "Parade Gloss" which is Silicon based instead of just a wax is some great stuff, I use it on my boots for ROTC. I havent used it on any of my sheaths yet, but that is only cause I dont desire a squeeky clean spit-shine.

I also dont know about the waterproofing ablities when compared to normal Kiwi cause I am really really careful with my boots. (I am in a 'training' program for boot this summer, they have become my children.:rolleyes: )

Now that I think of it my GRS with a good mirror polish would look really good...hmmm. I know what I am bringing at my next (off campus) shoe shineing party! :p ;)
 
Snowseal is a good product and loggers on the Pacific coast have used it on calk boots for many, many years. Those guys are very serious about their boots, safety depends on them and good ones cost a lot. But I've found that mold will still grow on Snowseal-treated boots.

I've not tried this product, Obenauf's (mixture of beeswax and propolis) but's it's reccommended by folks who hand-make very well regarded working boots the old-fashioned way, including calks, and smokejumpers. I'm sure they know what they're talking about. BTW propolis is a mixture of plant gums and resins that contains natural chemicals that inhibit bacteria and fungi. Bees collect and use it as a cement and to keep hives from getting infected. "Natural" health-product zealots seem to like it too.

Link:
http://www.nicksboots.com/Break-In.htm
 
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