Preventing Phantom Stains from Appearing on my Sheaths?

[TK Steingass]

Hi Fellas:

Here's a Loveless Dropped Hunter I just completed for a customer. I have a recurring problem with stains showing up on the sheaths. I like to use natural vegetable tanned leather and neadsfoot oil which gets the color I like. I use warm tap water to mold the sheath, with clean hands or rubber gloves, and leave the sheath on a clean surface while working it. I usually end up with dark stains somewhere on the sheath - see picture of my most recent sheath complete with a stain. There's a rather large one near the hilt area and another stain on the front. This has happened to me many times on many sheaths.

I've tried using acetone to remove them - no dice. I've used rubber gloves - no dice. Are these mineral stains from the hard water? Does using distilled water make a difference? Or is there a product I should wet the sheath with prior to working it? Any suggestions to prevent these "phantom stains" from surfacing would help greatly. I don't like the idea of using leather stains to cover an existing stain......I'd rather prevent the stain from starting in the first place.

TK

 

[nick681]

Where are you getting your leather?

Lower quality leather will absorb liquids oil, water, etc. differently throughout the hide. In lower quality leather you will have patches that are markedly different from the rest of the piece. I have bought pieces of leather that look fine when dry, but when you wet or oil them it looks like someone patched bad spots with some kind of "Bondo" or repair putty.

 

[TK Steingass]

Where are you getting your leather?

Lower quality leather will absorb liquids oil, water, etc. differently throughout the hide. In lower quality leather you will have patches that are markedly different from the rest of the piece.

nick: I'm buying my leather on Ebay from the Leatherguy - I buy a side at a time. I usually get 25 sq ft of 8/9 oz for about $100.

TK

 

[Diomedes Industries]

I think I know what that stain is - I think it steel getting on your leather while wet.

I know that steel will make your leather turn black (even in little amounts) while wet. Do you work on your leather on another bench that you might cut steel on?

TF

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Haven't seen that exactly, but if you are using neatsfoot oil after forming, it might now 'sink in' differently where
you have worked the leather.

The leather I use is from Wickett & Craig

G2

 

[Dixieblade57]

Damn I figured Gary was going to be your man TK. Like I said when you posted this over in shop talk. I don't know what it is but I am going to speculate it is something in the water as I have had this same problem. Not sure if it it's iron or not. It could be something like floride. They test our water all the time and say it's safe but sometimes I have my doubt's the way it tastes!

Gary if he is having the same results as myself it just appears after it dries. It's not about keeping the leather clean because I always make sure my hands are clean and I never do sheaths in the same area as my knives are made! I reallly believe that it is something in the water that causes it but can't prove it!

 

[sheathmaker]

High Iron content in the water "might" be part of the problem but it should be more uniform over the sheath if it is. Metal, steel in particular will stain leather badly if wet, Drive a blue steel tack in a wet scrap and observe. Wetting the leather at different intervals can produce water spotting, but not stains as you have shown. If you are using anything with metal on it to do the boning when wet forming, that could be it.

Next, if you are getting a side of leather @25 sq ft for $100, I would bet you are getting import leather and the tanning process is vastly different from good old USA sides. The quality of the hides is in my opinion less as well. This could well be the source of your problem if the tanning chemicals are not flushed and rinsed completely which is often the case with import leather. I keep remembering that old saying....."if you start with sh*t, it will probably still resemble sh*t when you are finished". Another one I like is "The most expensive leather you can work with is the cheapest leather you can find". After you figure in the waste from crappy results and the time wasted from "do overs" a bargain pice of leather may not look like such a bargain after all.

Having said all of that, you can minimize those stains with Oxalic Acid (wood bleach). Tandy/Leather Factory, Lumber yards, Lowes, Home Depot etc. It is POISON so use caution.

Paul

 

[TK Steingass]

To all:

Thanks for the insightful comments. I too thought that it was from the hard water I have, but as Paul Long said, it would be all over the sheath if that were the case. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy good ole USA leather from Wickett and Craig.

TK