How do you care for your leather sheath?

M

mainewoodsman

Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
566
I just picked up a couple of old bucks, black leather sheaths... I did some research on how to care for the leather and came up with the following:

1) use shoe polish
2) use neatsfoot oil
3) something else?

One source indicated that the neatsfoot oil would make the sheath too pliable.

Just wondering what other buck-masters are doing out there? :)

Oh, and what about the wine colored sheaths?
 
The problem with shoe polish is it will rub off on your clothes while you're wearing the sheath. If the color is rubbing off, I would touch it up with shoe dye and once its dry, use some clear polish. I use neatsfoot oil for sheaths with a natural finish.
 
I use a product called sno-seal for waterproofing leather boots.Its a really goo waterproofer for sheaths too,really keeps them in excellent shape too.

just spread it on,usiing a hairdryer ,the heat opens the pores in the leather,and draws the product in completely waterproofing the leather.
 
I use a sno-seal type product as well. I warm the sheath in the oven (150 F) for a few minutes, take it out and put a thin layer on. The stuff melts right in with the warm leather. Works great for boots too.
 
I use something called Mink Oil. It's colourless and it doesn't stink despite its ferrety origins! It makes leather supple and waterproof and is recommended by Goretex,gives a shine too.
 
I too use Mink Oil. It softens the leather and seems to lengthen the life considerably. I have heard that some natural lubricants encourage insects to nibble at the leather.

:)
 
SnoSeal works great, doesn't soften the leather. I cut the stitching apart so I can treat inside and outside the sheath, having once had some bad rust because I hadn't treated both surfaces, melt lots of SnoSeal in with a heat gun and restitch with heavy duty waxed nylon thread.
 
You are right about that saddle-soap muck:barf:

Once ruined the upholstery(leather) on my first and albeit very old car with that stuff:eek:
 
willgoy said:
I use something called Mink Oil. It's colourless and it doesn't stink despite its ferrety origins! It makes leather supple and waterproof and is recommended by Goretex,gives a shine too.
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plowboy said:
I too use Mink Oil. It softens the leather and seems to lengthen the life considerably. I have heard that some natural lubricants encourage insects to nibble at the leather.

:)
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I too use mink oil. I've found it to be the best all around leather treatment.

(There's a paste type product BTW called "Mink Oil" which is primarily silicone, and which contains no mink oil. This is not what I'm recommending...I'm talking about real mink oil, in liquid form, which I buy at old-time shoe repair shops.)
 
Small world is right. I live in Prospect (near Bangor) and have a camp in Maxfield (Up near Lincoln) but I was born is Western, Ma. Adams to be exact. Lived there 17 years until Uncle Sam got ahold of me! Ever go to Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter? Some of the best moose watchin there is. That's where I always take my relatives from outa state, because we almost always see them there.
Scott
 
Tanguay Custom Knives said:
Small world is right. I live in Prospect (near Bangor) and have a camp in Maxfield (Up near Lincoln) but I was born is Western, Ma. Adams to be exact. Lived there 17 years until Uncle Sam got ahold of me! Ever go to Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter? Some of the best moose watchin there is. That's where I always take my relatives from outa state, because we almost always see them there.
Scott
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Sounds like a reversal of fate. I have a family picture on the wall in my office... a moose family picture that is, taken from the large flat rock on Sandy Stream pond. Big old Bull, huge rack, with a cow and a yearling... wish I'd had a video, there were 2 young males that wanted the cow the drama lasted nearly one hour :)

I know where Lincoln is for sure... When in the park, we usually head out for an extended stay at Russell Pond or up to Chimney Pond. Some beautiful country in there.

Steve
 
From a professional sheath-maker:

leatherman said:
Hey Guyon, Great questions! So far as I have been able to find out from Sno-Seal is its good stuff, and wont soften the leather so much that its floppy. Mink oil is an old time leather preservative, but like you said it can be rather invasive (and tasty to the family dog:o ) not only does it over soften the leather but it also can leave behind that nasty white residue that I seem to see on half the old sheaths and holsters at gun shows.:confused:

Some other good ones I have found over the years are: Aussie Leather Conditioner by Fiebings, gooey stuff, but a little goes a long way, and it smells good too. Its base is beeswax like Sno Seal. Another Fiebings product is Leather Balm with Atom Wax, its a thin watery product that penetrates well and leaves a nice warm shine. Its what is on 90% of the sheaths I put out there. I like it because its light, doesnt leave behind a bad residue, and its open to any other treatment that the new owner sees fit, be it Aussie Conditioner, Sno Seal, etc.

I'd avoid most Neatsfoot oils as most out there have petroleum bases, theres only a few out there that are pure. The neatsfoot oil at wal mart and such are highly volital (flamable) and really eat up a sheath in short order, and they smell like Turps. :barf:

There are some good conditioners and preservatives available at good boot/shoe shops. Simply reading the can will tell the tale about them. Some are made to soften the leather for footwear but will normally state it clearly, those are to be avoided as well. The key words for weatherproofing are beeswax, and natural oils and preservatives.

As far as the darkening, they all seem to do it to a point, the deeper a treatment penetrates the darker the result. the Atom Wax doesnt darken too awful much, but it does leave a nicer finish in a nice warm shine where the Aussie conditioner will leave an almost satin finish.

I'll check the ingredients on my Aussie Conditioner and Leather Balm and get back here with the listings. :D but none of them seem to harm the leather in the long run, so far all mentioned treatments are good stuff. Even the venerable saddle soap is good stuff, all be it rather messy, but not as good at repelling water as the aformentioned stuff.

Hope this helps a little. Any other questions, suggestions, comments, would be much appreciated. :D
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I use a polish called Dubbin, its used as a clear polish and Leather treatment for natural colour boots and leather goods.
It protects the leather and keeps it supple.
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