Leather sheath maintenance

[Bigger T]

I’ll keep it short, I’ve got more than a couple leather sheaths that have been neglected. Some of them have what appears to be mold or mildew. Any tips for storing and maintaining leather sheaths? Or mold removal?

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

Simple Green + soft cloth like cotton diaper....i get Simple Green @ Lowe's. You can get concentrated jug and mix it for light formula.

apart from that, handling it will transfer your skin oils to it and protect it....store in dryest place possible, naturally ... good luck!

 

[Garth Reckner]

Here in horse country we use saddle soap to clean and then neatsfoot oil to condition.

 

[TENTEX]

Treat it as your skin. Mild soap and hot water. Good oiling or conditioner when dry

 

[duramax]

Here’s my .02’s worth here. Stay with products designed for leather use. Always start with the least aggressive product first. Remember to always test for color changes and or removal , first. Stay with leather products and not those made for car interiors. While some can be used on both, not all are created equal and stay away from silicone.
When working on leather work in stages. If you’re dampening the leather to clean it. Let it dry throughly before anymore steps. You’ll want to see how it’s looks after drying. You may need to clean again or be able to move on to conditioner. Once your clean enough to move on to conditioner. Light coats work best , do not saturate the leather. Same goes with cleaning do not saturate leather.

I like saddle soap to start with. Once cleaned move on to a quality conditioner.
There are many quality products out there to chose from.

You can always post pics , so we can see what your dealing with.

Hope this helps and I’m sure more will be along with good advice and recommendations

 

[jmgruber]

This would be good in general knife! Great topic and answers. Thanks!

 

[Ironic]

I’ve used Redwing Boot Oil for 30+ years. My go to. Brush soiled leather to remove debris, run warm water over the exterior while working surface with fingers and a clean cloth to remove mud and grime, let it air dry, then work oil into leather with your fingers until it’s uniform in color all around. It will darken the leather a bit, but looks nice and rich imo. Not too dark.
Neatsfoot oil is good, too, but not quite as nice a finish imo.



If you’re trying to avoid any color change, use Bickmore Bick 4 Leather Conditioner. Doesn’t last as long, in my experience, but no color change.

 

[Blueoak]

Same as the others. Saddle soap. Mink oil. for me on really filthy cowboy and hiking boots.

I have used Ballistol on leather sheaths with good results. Good for cleaning and mild protection.

 

[Nuker]

Ed Fowler used this:

 

[Ironic]

So sorry to hear of Ed’s passing last month. He made so many contributions to the knife world, not to mention the countless beautiful creations he left behind.

 

[duramax]

Obenaufs
Huberds
Skidmores
100% pure neatsfoot oil
Oakwood leather conditioner
Smiths

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

Neatsfoot only in very thin layers. Stuff turns leather into puddy if you put on too much. Always best to seal it in a firm wax in that case.

 

[David Brown]

I know a solution