Bees wax on sheath leather?

B

brians

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Apr 22, 2006
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What do you experienced leatherman use to best care for your leather? Is beeswax or mink oil Ok?
 
Not "experienced" with sheaths. Now, boots...but they're a slightly different creature. Both are certainly "safe". I suppose they're is a chance of mink oil turning rancid after a long time. (Just by nature of being an organic/animal oil) I love beeswax for my boots, but haven't had it on any sheaths long enough to tell you if its better than mink.

Been around this forum long enough to know there are several guys who do use the beeswax (Sno Seal) on there sheaths. So if you don't get anymore replies feel fine using either.

(Note on the beeswax...heat it up, it won't take much, and heat the leather up just a little when you put it on. It'll feel "wrong" for a day or two, but that's alright.)
 
Sno Seal was good for me.With solid wax I melt it in a pot heated over boiling water,apply on warm leather with drawing brush,when cool down rub extend off with cloth.But I do not use it much any more,leather gets sticky for a while,I prefer lanolin.
 
Odd...I just looked at my tin of mink oil and it says contains silicone and lanolin.
No mention of mink squeezin's at all.
Go figure :D

I've been using Sno-Seal as well.
Warm up the sheath and tube with the hair dryer.
Rub it in good with the hair dryer blowing on it.
Let cool and buff with a towel.

"They" say that mink oil can & will soften the leather.
Soft leather is not something you want in a knife sheath.
 
lexol is a good product. they make a cleaner also that works well. i havent tried beeswax (sno-seal) on a sheath but i have used it on boots with good results.
 
I use pure lanolin so I didn't notice that it softened any.And I apply it on canvas machete sheaths too.However,that thing had happened with vaseline plus weakened cohesion on glued surfaces.
 
Lexol is an excellent preservative, one of the best. Natural products like lanolin are safe and very effective. Personally, I avoid anything that is man-made like the plauge - any kind of petroleum product or distillate, silicones, etc. I am probably one of few you will find who has really soaked bees wax into leather. I did this in connection with a living history hobby for 18th c. military - the cartridge box flaps were soaked in a mix that was largely bees wax. The result is a little hard to describe. It is totally waterproof and non-breathable (bad for boots!). It doesn't really harden the leather, but it does kind of firm it up. It requires heat to soak in, but if you ever do this, first preference is just sunlight on a hot summer afternoon. Failing that, a hair dryer but KEEP ONE HAND WORKING THE WAX INTO THE LEATHER WHILE YOU DO THIS. Why? Because if your hand starts to feel uncomfortably hot, you can bet the leather is feeling the same - not good.
 
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