okay, so here's what i'm wondering: i got my CS kukri. and of course they say don't store it in the sheath. well, if i treat it with Tuf-cloth marine would that help it at all. or is there something you can do to the sheath itself, treat it with something, so the blade can be stored in it? i would like to not have to grease the blade up every time i put it away...any ideas?
sheath question...help?!
- Thread starter Kelt
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I don't know about that sheath thing...there must be merit to it, but I think it depends a lot on how much water the sheath has been exposed to as well as what the chemicals used to treat the leather were. I store all my knives in their sheaths regardless of materials and have yet to have a problem.
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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
Gary W. Graley
“Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- 26,916
You can try the Wax&oil method to seal the surface of the leather.
Get some Neatsfoot or Mink oil and bees wax mix it 50/50, melt it down and mix it up well, you might also heat up the sheath a little with a hair dryer, it opens the pores a little and the solution will soak in better. You can brush the solution in with a small brush or have a tin pan, cooking type, that the sheath would fit in and let the solution pour into it and then drain the excess off. Let it dry and buff the outside with a brush, like for shoes, to a soft luster. It will also stiffen up the leather with the wax filling in the leather somewhat.
This should help make it a more secure storage.
G2
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It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me,
it is the parts that I do understand.
Mark Twain
www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Cabin/7306/blades.html
Get some Neatsfoot or Mink oil and bees wax mix it 50/50, melt it down and mix it up well, you might also heat up the sheath a little with a hair dryer, it opens the pores a little and the solution will soak in better. You can brush the solution in with a small brush or have a tin pan, cooking type, that the sheath would fit in and let the solution pour into it and then drain the excess off. Let it dry and buff the outside with a brush, like for shoes, to a soft luster. It will also stiffen up the leather with the wax filling in the leather somewhat.
This should help make it a more secure storage.
G2
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It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me,
it is the parts that I do understand.
Mark Twain
www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Cabin/7306/blades.html
I've heard about the evils of storing a blade in a leather sheath, but never adhered to them. ("I'm a rebel, dammit!")
I've never had any problems with discoloration/rust/whatever. I also have a CS Kukri that was placed in its sheath about a year ago and placed in my dresser.... gimme a sec, I'm gonna check on it.... okay, I'm back (Yeah, I really DID check!)
I was just reminded that I had polished it with Flitz before putting it away, and left a coat of it on the blade. I buffed it out (just now) and it's in the same condition as when I stored it. My order of ToughCloth's came in late last week, and I'll coat it with that before storing it.
Post again same time, next year, and I'll let you know how THAT worked out. Just in case we forget to check the forum then, I think I should tell you that I feel 100% confident that the ToughCloth will do the job fine.
I THINK (and I'm really stretching my memory here) that knives with a HI CARBON content might be more susceptible to the ills of leather sheaths... something about the tanning chemicals in the leather interacting with the carbon in the metal or something, but I'm not a metalurgistical kinda guy, so I may be wrong.
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That's my two cents. Hey! How come you're giving me change?
I've never had any problems with discoloration/rust/whatever. I also have a CS Kukri that was placed in its sheath about a year ago and placed in my dresser.... gimme a sec, I'm gonna check on it.... okay, I'm back (Yeah, I really DID check!)
I was just reminded that I had polished it with Flitz before putting it away, and left a coat of it on the blade. I buffed it out (just now) and it's in the same condition as when I stored it. My order of ToughCloth's came in late last week, and I'll coat it with that before storing it.
Post again same time, next year, and I'll let you know how THAT worked out. Just in case we forget to check the forum then, I think I should tell you that I feel 100% confident that the ToughCloth will do the job fine.
I THINK (and I'm really stretching my memory here) that knives with a HI CARBON content might be more susceptible to the ills of leather sheaths... something about the tanning chemicals in the leather interacting with the carbon in the metal or something, but I'm not a metalurgistical kinda guy, so I may be wrong.
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That's my two cents. Hey! How come you're giving me change?
- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 9,514
SnowSeal is a good silicon-impregnated beeswax leather treatment. I use it on all my sheathes, inside and out. Melt it in with a hair dryer. Also good for belts, boots, etc. (Don't use it if the leather is supposed to 'breathe' as it will seal the pores.)
Questions for Gary and Alberta Ed. Gary, I was always under the impression that neats foot oil softened leather. Thats why we all use to use on our new baseball gloves. I've also heard that mink oil does not unless it has silicone mixed in. Since normally one would not want to soften a sheath, does the addition of the beeswax eliminate the softening problem of the neatsfoot oil? Alberta Ed, I've used Snoseal on boots for years--really great stuff but does the fact that it contains silicone cause it to soften leather it is use to treat? Also for Gary, does the tanning method used on the sheath affect how it will react to either of these treatments? Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Just thought of another for Gary. If you have non user knives, NIB with leather sheaths, should they be periodically treated to ptrevent them fry drying out and if so how often?
tia
phantom4
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who dares, wins
tia
phantom4
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who dares, wins
Gary W. Graley
“Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Mar 2, 1999
- Messages
- 26,916
Phantom, howdy! The beeswax sortof rides through with the oil and the oil replenishes the leather's natural oil, the wax does stiffen the leather up quite abit. Not sure which process you're talking about on the leather, Vegetable Tan is the best to use when making a sheath, stay as far as you can from chrome tanned leather, unless you have stainless blades, the chrome tan will rust a knife right before your eyes!
G2
G2
i printed out that recipe and my friend tried it out. i'll tell ya, the guy's an Airborne Ranger and his vote of confidence is good enough for me anytime. well, he used it on a sheath or holster of some sort, he didn't go into details. he thinks it works great and i think i'll give it a try. i've already done the Flitz thing to the kukri. thanks very much for the info guys.