Leather corrodes or stains blade?

H

HonorGG

Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
11
I had made a decision to start leather work (sheaths, holters, etc.) till
I heard storing knife in leather would actually stain it. Is this true?
If so, can an additive be applied to interior so as to avoid stain/corrosion?
 
The leather doesn't go it, moister does.
Leather can trap moister in a sheath or holster that can rust the metal.
Make sure the sheath is good and dry before storing a knife away in it. If you live in a humid climate, it's best not to store a knife in the sheath at all for any lengthy time.
I check mine regularly.
 
Stainless will fair better than carbon steel, but it's not immune to pitting and corrosion. I recently had the pleasure to bring a 1980's Edge Mark back to life. It had been stored in the sheath(probably in the back of a sock drawer) since it was new. The steel was pitted everywhere it touched the leather sheath, which by the time I had it, was in need of some care, as well.

In short, sheaths are best for carrying the knife and not for storage. Unless you are using and/or oiling the blade regularly, it's advisable to find a better storage solution than your sock drawer. ;)
 
I left a rosewood Bark River Golok in its brand new sheath for a week with a nice coating of mineral oil. When I got back--horror of horrors--it had tiny little flecks of rust and pitting. I managed to polish out almost all of it, but some of the little pits are still visible if you look closely. :( The golok is back in the cardboard sleeve and the sheath is back in the tissue paper it came in.
 
As mentioned, it isn't the leather, it's the moisture. Kind of like leaving a rifle or shotgun in a leather case, it retains moisture and will cause the gun to rust. Same with leaving a gun in a leather holster in a moist environment.

Now I have many knives that have spent a lot of time in leather sheaths with no issues, but I always make sure they are dry.
 
Chrome tanned leather is harder on blades than vegetable tanned leather, but I wouldn't store a good knife in either one.
 
Leather is naturally acidic--not very acidic, but a little bit--so it's certainly possible that the leather itself can cause corrosion, but the main culprit is going to be trapped moisture, as others have said. Honestly, the acidity of leather is probably more likely to cause a patina than actual rust.

~Noah
 
I like the rust spots....In fact anything I can do to speed up the process is a bonus for me.:D What can I say? I like old looking stuff.:D I intentionally try to age/antique my knives anyways.
 
heh, well, the only knives I have with leather sheaths are damascus steel or my BRKT golok, which is too nice to use. My users have wooden sheaths: khukuris, Indonesian goloks and Filipino bolos.
 
I agree that moisture is the culprit, but to answer the OP question yes the sheath can be treated to at least cut down on the problem.The sheath should be dyed and sealed on the inside as well as the outside. I use Fiebings Pro-oil dye and Leather Sheen for the sealer.Other sealers are available and while sealers won't completely stop the corrosion problem they will inhibit the leather from retaining so much moisture.Dave:)

http://dcknivesandleather.blademakers.com/
 
I've noticed that some of my sheaths have a small opening where the welt meets the tip of sheath or a small hole near the bottom of sheath. I always thought that this was to allow the sheath to "breathe". Won't this help with keeping the interior of sheath dry. Stephen
 
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