Leather Treatment For Sheaths?

D

David vS

Joined
Nov 9, 1999
Messages
136
Is there anything that works particularly well to protect the leather on the scabbard? Should I just leave it as is? I don't want to put the wrong thing on it and mess up the leather.

David
 
a good coat of Rennasaince wax works on leather for me, and doesnt soften it too much.

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lifter
Phil. 4:13

Dave
Wharton,NJ


 
I have used Pecard Antique Leather Dressing on all my scabbards, as well as holsters, belts, and boots, and recommend it without reservation. Their website is at http://www.pecard.com and no, I don't have stock in the company,
smile.gif
but I really like the stuff. My wife calls it "miracle goop" because of the way it perks up old dried, cracked leather.
 
Wax based leather protectors such as Sno-seal work the best for the scabbards. They don't relax the leather but seal and condition it.

Will
 
I can't remember the reason why but shoe polish apparently harms leather. It does waterproof the sheath though.

Will
 
All this time I thought it was the dust bunnies under the bed that were eating my scabbards. Now, Will, you tell me it's the Kiwi. I don't remember my Navy shoes rotting, though, and I had plenty of dust bunnies in my locker even though we spent a lot of time out at sea where there is not much dust.

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Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

 
Dust bunnies are viscious and are known to consume anything organic.

I am not sure why shoe polish can damage leather. My CDN Army boots came with a label, do not use shoe polish except for inspection. The amount of polish a cadet can apply is limited due to the polish causing the boot to deteriate. Perhaps, its just too much of a good thing. A silicone dabber was recommended instead.

I will try and find out what is wrong with shoe polish.

It is recommended that waterproof i.e. Sno-seal, Nikiwax, etc. be applied only when the leather is dry. Trapped water will cause rot.


Will
 
Speaking of voracious dust bunnies…

Before I knew of HI I ordered one of the “Genuine Gurkha Khukuris” manufactured in India. The sheath looked pretty good, but it had some tiny inhabitants. When I drew the blade after storage it would come out covered with sawdust. Then they started eating tiny holes through the leather of the sheath. They never bothered the wooden handle of the knife, but they riddled the wood of the sheath. Toxic bug killer did not seem to faze them. I never did see one of the tiny guys. Eventually I burned the sheath, as I was afraid the inhabitants would eat my house.


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Howard Wallace
Khukuri FAQ

 
Jay, it's my understanding that neet's foot oil isn't real good to use because it tends to soften the leather; and what you want to do is protect the leather without actually softening it. However, I may be wrong -- I'm sure the more knowledgable forumites will set the record straight about neet's foot oil.
 
Neats foot oil is from the hooves of cattle. It does soften leather.

Howard, perhaps the critters don't like light or the wood on the khukuri handle is toxic for them. Great story.

Will
 
I have some pure linseed oil. Maybe I will try it. Might be good for the whole rig???
 
Jay,

I wouldn't use the linseed oil on the leather of the sheath, but on the wood, it may not be a bad idea. The linseed oil would help to preserve the wood of the sheath, especially in rainy conditions. On horn, it will probably get sticky. Try mineral oil on the handle, or baby oil if you don't mind being reminded of babies tushies. It's a good moisturizer for the horn, keeps it from cracking, but be VERY careful when your oiling a handle. I found out the hard way when I was rubbing down the handle of my AK Bowie, resulting in a major boo-boo when the knife slipped out of my hands and landed on a concrete floor point first...but that's gonna be included in my review of the knife, which I should have up this weekend.
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Back on track, I would stay away from any oil on the khukuri sheaths. I don't know what type of adhesive (if any) is used to keep the leather covering the wood, so it could cause separation that way, and if the leather is just shrink fitted to the sheath, it could cause it to relax to the point of separation. Also, field mice REALLY like the taste of neatsfoot oil. I found that out the hard way after leaving a knife in a leather sheath outside of my tent camping a few years ago. On yet another side note, Wayne Goddard had a problem of little bugs eating some horn material he had. His quest to remove and identify the bugs are chronicled in Blade magazine from a couple of months ago. Apparently, there is a bug that lives in horn, but can be removed by putting the affected material in a box with moth balls and letting it sit. Hope this helps!

Take care,
John Johnson
 
:
Good points on the use of linseed and neetsfoot oil.Linseed can really get sticky in a hurry.It's actually worse than the olive oil gets inside the scabbards.Remember what all the old military rifles stocks are like.That is usually the result of the linseed oil being used for years on them,at least that's what my uncle told me.

I bought a new product to me called
"Camp Dry" that is made by Kiwi.
It has beeswax in it and the leather has to be warmed up prior to use to melt it into the leather.I think it may be similar to the Sno-seal Howard speaks of.I haven't tried it yet and like Uncle I have been using the shoe polish,but only a couple of times so maybe I haven't hurt anything.

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

If you mix milk of magnesia with vodka and orange juice do you get a phillips screwdriver?

Khukuri FAQ


 
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