water proofing sheaths

stingray4540, I use an old crockpot to heat and store the Wax/oil mix. Keep the lid on while heating, see the earlier post about fire, that would be a bad thing. I heat on low temp and don't let the mix sit all day cooking, but use it when it's warm (I have never measured the temp, been doing it too long I guess) and turn it off. Don't let the leather soak in hot wax. That will ruin the leather in a matter of seconds. You have to keep the temperature of the leather below the point that it "cooks". What is making the leather hard and brittle is high temperature not the mixture of wax/oil. Put some leather in boiling water and see what happens to it. I have never had any trouble with any of the straps on the wrap strap sheaths I make being hard, stiff or brittle. See the picture below. I think in the case of brittle sheaths it is the application process that gets leather in trouble not the wax/oil mix.

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Thank you for the reply.
So, I take it you do like gixxer and just dip it real quick? It has to be done within a matter of seconds? A really quick dip then, I take it. Also, what is the purpose of adding oil to your beeswax? What kind of oil are you guys using and what is it's purpose? Why not use just 100% beeswax?

Sorry for the 20 questions, but I like to learn as much as possible, especially if I am going to get into this, I want to know why I'm doing what I'm doing, not just because other people do it. I also like to know why people do certain things because, it helps me to deduce whether it is right for me or not.
 
The oil we use is neatsfoot oil. I probably use a little more than 50% oil in the mix I use. I saw this mix recommended in the early 1970's and liked the finish it gives leather over the various sheens or acrylic finishes. I think that the oil thins the wax and makes it penetrate the leather better as well as acting as a preservative in its own right. The mix is not nearly as hard as straight wax which might really stiffen the leather.
The key to doing this is not letting the leather get too hot. A lot will depend on the thickness of the leather and temperature of the wax as well as the makeup of the mix. If you haven't done this before, I would seriously suggest that you makeup some trial sheath-like samples and try it on them first. That way you can get the technique down before ruining something that you have a lot of time in. The wax can be too cold and the mess some of the others were talking about will become very evident. If everything is right, when you pull the sheath out of the warm mix you should be able to see it soak in without hardly any excess to wipe off. The leather has to be in the mix long enough to warm the leather a little or the wax will set on the outside and there is your mess. Too long in the mix or too hot wax and you risk cooking the leather. It's one of those things you just have to experiment with until
you get the look you want.
 
That sno-seal stuff is excellent for boots (as long as the darkening is acceptable). I've always been a silicone/oil guy but got tired of the maintenance I decided there had to be something better. It did darken my boots more than I'd like, but it's been two weeks (rained twice) and they're still shedding water like some rich man's Bentley. Did notice any hardening...but I only warmed it enough to barely tell a difference....then just elbow-greased her in real good.

I know it's nice to have absolute control of all the processes that go into your products, but might give it an honest try. $5 for a small tub that would likely do hundreds of sheaths.
 
You might send NWA an email. Nick uses somesort of beeswax on his sheaths. He says he does it so that if it gets scratched or whatever you can just warm it up and buff it out and you're good to go. He did mention that the process leaves his sheaths very hard though.
 
Hmathews: Thanks for the response, that really helps me get an idea of what I'm getting into, and what to look for. I do have a scrap sheath to practice on. The first one I made was a stitchless design, that I accidentally made inside out lol.

Soilarch: Ya, I will never use a silicone based water proofer, or spray on water proofer ever again. I used it on my boots for years, and I always would get wet feet. Last year my dad gave me some sno-seal to put on my wifes new boots. We went to Tahoe to play in the snow, my boots and feet were soaking wet at the end of the day, hers were dry as a bone.
 
what about a tanning oil liquatan its a really rich oil and the idea behind it is to leave things soft
 
I use the hot wax on most of my sheaths. My mix is a secret combination of Bee's wax, mink oil, ballistol lube, mutton tallow and parifine wax. I say secrete be cause I started with the 50-50 bee's wax parifine and played with adding other ingrediants till I got the mix I wanted. I use a big old crock pot and heat it till the oil is about 130 deg.F. I make sure the sheath is fully dray and put it in my toaster oven for about 30 minits at 120-30 deg.F. I submerge the sheath for a couple of seconds and drain and wipe down all the execess I can inside and out, back into the oven for 5-10 minits and work the knife in and out wiping excess wax off the knife as needed till it's formed tight and little or no wax is coming off on the knife. The sheath when done is firm, stiff enough but not too hard and sheds water.

I've made a couple with the wipe on acrylic stuff Tandy sells, the best results I got were by soaking the sheath in it but it made the fibers on the inside so stiff they quickly scratched the gaurd. Not bad but not to my liking eigther.

I've crisped some sheaths before and they do indead make you say bad words.
 
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