Sheath doesn't fit tight anymore. What can I do?

S

settles

Joined
Oct 24, 2012
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I have a Bark River Custom Drop-Point that I have been carrying as my EDC for about a year. I love the knife, and the sheath but the knife doesn't fit snug in the sheath anymore. I did some searching but I couldn't really find what I was looking for.

So what could I do to make this thing fit a little better/tighter? Its a KSF sheath and the retention is maintained around the handle.

I'm sorry if this is up there with one of the dumbest quesions ever, but I know nothing about leather.
 
Knowing nothing about leather myself, two things I can think of that *might* work are boiling it to harden it (which causes it to shrink a bit), or stitching it a bit tighter.


I don't know what treatments the leather has received though. If it's been waterproofed, boiling it might not do much.
 
Hadn't thought about boiling it. I was thinking about soaking it in either oil or water and the heating it somehow. Maybe the lowest setting on the oven?
 
Sometimes if you can glue a small patch of thin leather at just the right spot it will tighten enough to work well again.
I've used some soft pliable doe skin to do that and had pretty good results...doe skin is a bit grippy, so it worked well against the knife.
 
rayban said:
Sometimes if you can glue a small patch of thin leather at just the right spot it will tighten enough to work well again.
I've used some soft pliable doe skin to do that and had pretty good results...doe skin is a bit grippy, so it worked well against the knife.
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I was thinking the same fix for the problem. A strip of bicycle inner tube glued to the inside of the sheath would do the same thing if a person didn't have any leather.
 
it happens to me sometimes i just rinse the sheath in water, then remold it around fhe knife, take knife out, let it dry, presto good sheath.
 
^what he said. oil will loosen it and no need to boil, just wet the sheath, remold and allow to dry
 
Loosearrow said:
I was thinking the same fix for the problem. A strip of bicycle inner tube glued to the inside of the sheath would do the same thing if a person didn't have any leather.
Click to expand...
This sounds doable. The sheath is only about 1-1/2" at most in diameter so trying to get another piece of leather in there might prove to be a real PITA. Thanks, I hadn't really thought about that.
 
Sig_Op said:
it happens to me sometimes i just rinse the sheath in water, then remold it around fhe knife, take knife out, let it dry, presto good sheath.
Click to expand...

I'm going to try this first. This seems like the least complicated thing to do. Should I soak it for a while? an hour or so? Thanks for the help.
 
Not an hour no, run the tap till its warm to hot and hold the sheath under it till the leather is pliable. It should not take more than a minute at the most, thirty seconds is usually enough. Try not to over saturate the leather as it will become very floppy and hard to mold.

Take a smooth tool, plastic is best, and mold the leather around the knife and then carefully remove the blade and leave the leather to dry slowly, Do NOT bake it, no hair dryer, simply let it dry at room temp.

NO boiling water, that will take any and all of the natural oils out of the leather and your left with a piece of raw hide, or worse a dry brittle piece of card board.

You did good in asking :)
 
make sure what ever you use to bone or shape the leather with is smooth. any rough spots will scar the leather. a piece of pollished antler is great for this
 
I used the back-side of a spoon. It was easy to use because of the shape and it didn't have any sharp edges. Its drying out now and I think I got it. Thanks again, guys.
 
I look forward to how it performs!

I agree, very resourceful using the spoon. Some of my bone folders do resemble a spoon. :)
 
Looks like you already got the right advice.

I have done the wet mold, and before it is completely dry, put it in the oven on a very low setting. The lowest the oven will go. I find that the higher heat drying out will stiffen the leather out more. But if the moisture content is not even, it can warp the sheath.

I have had some really good results with this method. It is kind of a modified version of boiled leather. I do this with a combo of bees wax, and then Atom wax on the surface and get a very hard, shape holding sheath.

Leather can actually be boiled (I have heard 180 degrees). The longer it is boiled, the harder it gets. Unfortunately, it also becomes more brittle. (some say the original process used hot oil, or hot wax, or even fermented animal urine to get ammonia).

You can also beeswax harden leather.
 
Here is how I do it. Fill up the sheath with hot tap water, oil up the knife real good, pat the sheath dry, put the knife in it and sit on it for an hour or so. Then take the knife out and clean it, and let the sheath air dry.
 
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