storing fixed-blade in leather sheath

R

Robin Shooter

Joined
Jan 12, 2003
Messages
211
Would there be a problem with storing my recently acquired (old model) San Mai Tanto in it's leather sheath? The knife will never be used, just stored & occaisionally fondled. I've put a light coating of Rem Oil on the blade.
 
It's not really recommended. I've never had a problem storing knives in their sheathes other then if they have brass fittings the brass will get green. It is easily cleaned off. To make life easier store them seperate.
Scott
 
Maybe consider a large "sack up" holder. Anything but storing it in leather for a long period. Also you might consider getting a kydex sheath made for it. As long as you're not carrying it, dirt shouldn't get in there and cause any scratches.
 
Leather is porous and will absorb moisture, which will in turn affect your knife blade -- unless the leather is sealed. I routinely take apart my leather sheaths and melted in a good coating of SnowSeal, then restitch them with waxed nylon thread (well, gotta do something these long winter nights). I've never had a problem with storing knives in leather sheaths that have been sealed in this way. But brass will still discolour, no matter what, unless stored in some kind of inert atmosphere (and then how could you play with them).
 
No. Don't store a blade in a leather sheath.

A blade which, "will never be used, just stored & occaisionally fondled" should not be given a light coat of Rem Oil, but should be protected with Renaissance wax
 
Thanks all, for the replies.

I've heard of that Renaissance wax only once. What advantage does this have over Rem Oil? Can Rem Oil be harmful to blade steel? I've been using the stuff for years on both guns & knies, & I've really seen no ill effects. It seems to prevent rust, & it does not become gummy with age as say WD-40 does.

I did a check on EBay & saw the Ren Wax for about $14.00. That's not cheap...but then neither is my knife collection. I may give it a try.
 
I have always used Marine Tuff Cloth for my knives and guns. I would like more info on Renaissance wax too please.
 
Oil and Tuff-Stuff leave a thin, liquid film on the surface of the metal. It's easily rubbed off and eventually, like all liquids, it does dry up. A wax leaves a solid coating on the surface that won't brush off in routine handling and that lasts a lot longer.

You can use any good quality wax. Min Wax furniture wax or a good car wax will work. But these products contain other ingredients intended to benefit either wood or automotive paint. Your blade doesn't need any moisturizer or polymerizer or any of that stuff. It just needs to be sealed and protected from the environment. Ren Wax is pure. It doesn't contain any extra wood moisturizer or anything like that. What it contains is wax and a petroleum-spirit carrier. The carrier makes the wax soft and spreadable. But, once you spread it out thin, the carrier evaporates and the wax becomes hard.

When we think of wax, we often think of candle wax which is very soft and will melt at least partially in your hand. The wax used in furniture wax, car wax, or Ren Wax is a much harder wax that melts at a much higher temperature. So, the wax layer that's left behind is hard and able to withstand routine handling.

Some waxes have a problem with buildup over time. With Ren Wax, each time you apply a new layer, the carrier dissolves and removes the old wax. There is no potential for buildup.

Some people worry about using wax on a knife that might subsequently be used for food. Two things are true. First, Ren Wax can be removed with a mild ammonia soluition such as Windex. But, second, you really don't even need to do that. The amount of wax left on the knife is tiny, a layer just a few molecules thick. The wax has no nutritional value, but you probably eat a small amount of wax very often. Many foods, candies especially, have a wax coating on them to give them a nice shine and keep them from drying out internally. A lot of medicine and vitamin pils are wax-coated to make them easier to take and also to increase shelf life. A little wax will do you no harm. (Some people then ask why the Ren Wax label says do not eat. Well, the wax is fine, but the petroleum-spirit carrier chemical is not. But remember that it evaporates when the product is applied and only the wax is left on the blade.)
 
Do you think it would protect a neck knife from corrosion due to sweat? Or will it wear off rather quickly?
 
I too use Tuff Cloth. It is a DRY protectant/lubricant. The mineral spirits are the carrier and the actual rust inhibitor/protector stays on the blade. A wet Tuff Cloth provides great protection, definately don't store that knife in its sheath, I had a knife in 420 (a fairly rust resistant steel) that I put away in a leather sheath (before learning this was a no-no and before hearing of Tuff Cloth. Well believe it or not I had some blade discoloration, I no longer store knives in leather. One thought, why not just wrap the knife in a soft cloth for storage? Any ideas on how this would work?
 
The mineral spirits are the carrier and the actual rust inhibitor/protector stays on the blade.
Click to expand...

But not very well. Tests done by forum members have shown that just rubbing your finger across a piece of treated metal severely reduces the protection.



Do you think it would protect a neck knife from corrosion due to sweat?
Click to expand...

It being Ren Wax? I don't know. I'm not much of a neck knife user. But I would think that it would be as good as or better than any oil or Tuff Cloth. And, one the carrier evaporates, it's completely odorless and can't stain your clothing either.
 
Dumb question that i don't want ot start a new thread for:

Can you strop your Ka-Bar on it's own leather sheath? It seemed to work sort of ;o
 
Bernard Levine raises a good point on why not to use wax sometimes.
Click to expand...

Most every major museum uses Ren Wax.

The guy who turned me onto it is a curator and conservator at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. His specialty is the conservation and restoration of metal artifacts.

And, as I stated already in this thread, Ren Wax can be removed with a mild ammonia solution such as Windex. One of the basic rules of conservation is that all products and processes must be reversible without dammage to the artifact.

The Portland Art Museum here in Portland, Oregon has one of the major collections of decorative silver. A couple of years ago, they received a MAJOR new contribution. One of the major collectors of decorative silver left her highly-significant collection to PAM. There was no warning. They simply got a call one day from a New York lawyer saying, "You are the sole heir for the silver." To cellebrate, they brought out the museum's entire collection. There were display cases down the centers of the halls. There was silver on display everywhere in that museum for months. Many beautiful pieces. Being a member, I got to go on the exclusive tour with the curator leading. I, of course, had to ask the smart-allack question, "Who polished all of this?"

The answer is that they have a staff of conservators who just polish silver all day. But, they only have to polish each pieces every few years because they use this wonderful product called "Renaissance Wax." I just smiled knowingly.

And what do they polish with? Mostly Flitz!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top