Proper care for a leather handle?

[Alabama2220]

Hey y'all, been a while since my last post but I have a question I have been wondering about for the last couple months or so...what is the proper care for a leather handle? My grandpa just bought me a kabar mark 1 with the leather handle for this past christmas but I don't know how to keep it from deteriorating. The knife is awesome and has been carried on countless hunting trips, skinned many squirells and recently went on a trip to the north Georgia mountains at panther creek. It has seen a lot of use and the handle and sheath have held up excellent but I want to take care of it because my grandpa bought it for me and all. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bigghoss]

I came across this in the "tech talk with Toooj" thread

What is the proper treatment of OLD KaBar leather stacked grips?

On some of the early knives I have collected, some of the leather discs have cracks and most of the handles feel almost as hard as wood.

What, if anything should be done to / used on these older knives to reduce additional cracking?

And, lastly, what would the proper treatment be for brand=spanking new ones?

TY

zzyzzogeton,

There is much discussion on the best way to preserve old leather...I'll give you the low down on the prevailing methods:
1) Do nothing at all. Just wipe down with a clean cloth. (Most preservationists use this method)
2) Apply pure lanolin. Wipe down with cloth. (This is Bernard Levine's method)
3) Neatsfoot oil and parrafin wax dip and wipe (This is my preferred method. It also swells and tightens the washers)
4) There are a myriad of leather care products on the market that you can add to the leather. (Do they work? Anyone's guess)

There is much discussion on what works and doesn't. You have certainly hit on a touchy subject matter among collectors.
Here's the low down: Leather is a natural material and will degrade if given half a chance. It doesn't like wet. It doesn't like very dry. Oil it, wax it, keep it dry when wet and
oiled in real dry climates and it will last a long time. Don't do those things and you end up with hard, cracked, falling apart leather. It is very hard to bring back leather in that condition. So it is best not to let it get in that condition in the first place.

For new leather; oil and wax periodically. Handle the leather often and you should be good to go.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives

 

[orca8589]

Beeswax is good. Take a look at post #3 here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1004063-Loose-guard-on-a-1217-C-U

Lanolin is great stuff. In Montana, I knew folks who rubbed a little on their hands when ice fishing - it kept their skin from drying out. I remember something called Bag Balm, but it has ingredients that aren't nice to leather. It'll work in a pinch, but I wouldn't use it all the time.

~Chris

 

[Garandimal]

I use Sno-Seal.


If it's a slick, hard finish, like a new Mk1, hit it w/ emery cloth a/o a wire brush first.

Then, heat the leather and apply the Sno-Seal. (it will melt and soak in)

Repeat until it quits taking it, then let it cool and wipe off the excess.


Makes for a good, non-slip, chem-proof finish and the leather is treated as well.

GR

 

[Mossyhorn]

I use Cleanzoil. It will clean,lubricate, help prevent rust and is recommended for wood,plastic and leather.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Second the suggestion for SnowSeal. I use it on all my leather -- handles, sheathes, belts, etc.