Recipe for finishing sheaths

C

'cacci

Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
51
I'd like advice on putting a more professionaol finish on my sheaths.

Until now, I've been applying a mixture of neatsfoot oil, stain, and beeswax (warmed on a hotplate) to a warm sheath. I hand buff the surface. That's all. The finished product is nice, but that's all.
I have gum trag and a Tandy finishing product available and have used them on occasion.

Advice is welcome.

'CACCI
 
I'm not sure, it does seem to boil down to personal taste, either that of the maker or that of the purchaser. I tend to go with what my customer wants, but others seem to have a set recipe that they stick to no matter what.

I, for the most part, stick to wax. More specifically Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax, it give a nice deep shine without being obnoxiously shiny. Its proven to be a very durable finish and also allows the leather to breathe. Its also easy to touch up with readily available products.

I've also used Tan Kote, with varying degrees of success, I dont like it as much as wax. It seems to lock the leather in a plastic coat, make sure the leather is properly conditioned with a good grade of neatsfool OIL (not compound) or other good mix.

Neat Lac is great, but again, it seals the leather permanently, you need to make sure the leather is properly prepared with a good conditioner before sealing.

That said, your mix is good! Nothing wrong with it at all. It does give a unique look. I've done many with a similar mix of Aussie Leather Conditioner and a little heat to soak it in, the sheath is being used in a very hostile wet environment and has performed very well. Its not shiny or very pretty now, but its very sound structurally. :)

I hope this helps, but it probably caused more issues as it does for me constantly. Leather finish is a widely debated subject.
 
Gum Trag is a useful product, however, for finishing your edges, give Saddle Soap a try. Even less expensive is glycerin soap from your local Wally World or Dollar General.

With Saddle Soap, add a tad of water and make a paste. Apply liberally to your edges, then burnish the snotz out of it with either a piece of deer antler, or a piece of canvas cloth. The more heat you generate during the burnishing process, the better the results.

Your finished edge results, of course, depends on how well your edge was prepared prior to burnishing. (Can we say "Sanded Slick" here?)

Try it, you will like it.

Robert
 
I make more Bushcraft style sheaths - I exclusively use Montana Pitch Blend. It is easy for the end user to get a small tube of to touch up their sheaths and I have never had an issue with it.

It is supple enough to bend some - but tough enough to be nearly water proof.

TF
 
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