Plastic insert in Buck 119 sheath

[KHarper]

Hello all. I am new to this all, have never had much use for sheath knives until now (never went anywhere without my 3" pocket clip folder since at least the year 2000 though), and I just got a very lovely Buck 119 Special. Only I just noticed that there is a thin black plastic insert folded inside the sheath. The knife fits in fine and removes easily no problem. Is this something that is supposed to stay inside to protect the leather, or is it just a disposable insert they put inside to make the leather keep the proper shape until sold? It would make more sense as far as protecting the sheath if the only area that was NOT covered was the cutting edge. I also worry that the tip of the knife might slip between the plastic insert and the inside of the sheath when I go to put the knife away. I have a hard enough time re-sheathing fixed blades as it is; I'm just not used to it. Anyway, I can't figure it out. It's cheap and thin looking enough ,with a "made in Mexico" sticker that it looks like it MIGHT be disposable packaging, but at the same time it's just rugged enough and looks correct enough sitting inside that it might well be part of the sheath that I'm supposed to leave in there. I probably won't use the knife much, but I don't want the blade discoloring because it contacted the leather (although I hear you should never store knives in the sheath anyway, right?).

 

[leatherman]

The insert is to keep the tip of the knife from digging into the leather when resheathing. So many Buck knives have that high point that just loves to get caught.

Its always a good thing when in doubt of the leathers quality to avoid storing a knife in its sheath. A good quality leather isn't as much of a concern, I have knives stored in good sheaths in my cabinet that have sat there for ten years or more with no adverse effects. But, Brass will start making that green gunk no matter the quality of the leather.

 

[Horsewright]

True that Dwayne! Its often said that chrome tan is bad and veggie tan is good but I call bull, its just what it is. Veg tan cartridge belt:

Brass and nickel .38s side by side for I can't remember how long, decades perhaps. Its the brass:

This big Ruger lives in this chrome tanned lined holster and has for 12 -15 years. It is always ready to go for an emergency out at the ranch.

Absolutely zero corrosion or gunk:

 

[The Zieg]

True that Dwayne! Its often said that chrome tan is bad and veggie tan is good but I call bull, its just what it is. Veg tan cartridge belt:

Brass and nickel .38s side by side for I can't remember how long, decades perhaps. Its the brass:

This big Ruger lives in this chrome tanned lined holster and has for 12 -15 years. It is always ready to go for an emergency out at the ranch.

Absolutely zero corrosion or gunk:

I can attest to the same with one of Dave's leather holsters. My SP101 lives in it full time without a mark of corrosion (granted, it's a stainless revolver) while a Buck 110 left in its sheath will look like an ancient copper roof in short order. Likewise, Barry Dawson's early leather sheaths used brass rivets that are coated in the green goo after the decades I've owned them. It's high time I cleaned them. I also have six charging clips of .303 Brit that live in a leather ammo pouch and they have some green growing on them.

As for the plastic insert, leave it in. I use a 119 sheath for a Carbon V SRK and it allows me to sheath the knife in the field without worry about piercing the leather.

Zieg

 

[Deere Man]

The insert is indeed there to keep the sharp clip point from slicing through the leather when inserting the knife. There are plenty of old buck sheaths with a slit in the front from before they added the plastic. Ideally the sheath should have a full welt al the way around instead of being folded over in the front, at least for the clip point knives, but that's not how buck does it. Don't worry about protecting the sheath from the sharp edge, as the welt at the back of the sheath does a fine job of that. Enjoy that 119, it's a great knife.

 

[kossetx]

I think Buck only puts those in clip point sheaths but I started adding them to other fixed blade sheaths, especially those with rivets in the sheath. I'm a traditionalist but I like that insert. I make mine from cut up milk jugs, dyed brown or black.

 

[Allan DeGroot]

I think Buck only puts those in clip point sheaths but I started adding them to other fixed blade sheaths, especially those with rivets in the sheath. I'm a traditionalist but I like that insert. I make mine from cut up milk jugs, dyed brown or black.

As a point of fact I just dug out my Buck 603 skinning knife and it has a hard slippery insert in it's black nylon cloth sheath, so it was "most" if not all fixed blade knives. I can assure you this liner is NOT to protect the stainless steel blade of my 603.

I am pretty sure it's there to protect the sheath. I will comment there is a similar layer of similar plastic stitched inside the belt loop of the sheath (that is there to make the loop keep it's shape)

I will also note that the top of the sheath liner Is molded or heat formed with a slight flare at the top that keeps the sheath open and makes it far easier to insert the knife one handed...

 

[Alberta Ed]

Plastic inserts in leather sheathes is an excellent idea. Roselli is another maker which provides plastic inserts for its sheathes (note: Roselli's sheathes are nowhere near the quality of their knives -- they are made from very thin, cheap leather with belt slots instead of a substantial loop. I made new ones from wax-impregnated latigo leather using the originals for a pattern, and kept the insert).

 

[James Usher]

Nice Revolver!!!

 

[Horsewright]

Nice Revolver!!!

Thanks. They sure are popular, I build a bunch of holsters for them. Shipped one yesterday.