Sheath Question

3

30-30 Cal.

Joined
Jan 1, 2004
Messages
243
Call me crazy, but I was wondering about the wisdom of spaying WD-40 in my sheaths until the leather is permeated. The concept being this would coat the blade each time it is withdrawn or sheathed, I would only do this with working knifes. Good? Bad? Would oil be better? Or, just leave well enough alone?

Dave
 
From what I've been told, WD-40 has water in it. Don't know if this is true or not. You're best bet is to use neetsfoot oil. Dip the sheath in the oil then wipe off excess.
Scott
 
Wouldn't do that if I were you. WD40 isn't that great as a lubricant or protection against corrosion for one thing. Its great for cleaning stuff up and driving moisture out of stuff (WD=Water Displacement), but it doesn't last very long using it as an oil. Tends to dry out pretty quick when used as a lubricant.
Also, I've heard of cases of guns and knives being soaked down with WD40 and stored for a long time and having it harden up like laquer. Yellow gunk all over your stuff :grumpy:

I think anything you soak the sheath with like that is going to make it attract dirt and stuff alot more which will scratch the knife up if it gets down inside.
 
Wow, guys

I never would have thought of all those things. I knew WD meant water dispacement, but I wouldn't have thought it would harden, or that it's mostly kerocene. Thanks, think I'll leave well enough alone and just use the good old care and a clean rag method.

Dave
 
I use mink oil or neetsfoot oil on the leather sheaths I make.

Generally it is not a good idea to use anything that has even more moisture in it than the leather will already contain or it may mean a longer dry out period for the moisture to evaporate.

Many folks have stored their hunting knives in leather sheaths for the off season only to find out they have a rusted knife when they got it out to use it.

Leather contains moisture even when it has been sitting for a long time and been tanned commercially. I don't recommend that you store your knives in leather sheaths for extended periods of time. Even the stainless ones can suffer from prolonged moisture in an enclosed space over time.
 
There are a lot of myths floating around about what WD-40 actually contains.

Well, it's a chemical. And it's sold for industrial use. Therefore, it has to have a Material Safety Data Sheet. And that MSDS has to tell what it contains.

To read the MSDS for WD-40, click HERE

Aliphatic Petroleum Distillates CAS #8052-41-3 45-50
Petroleum Base Oil CAS #64742-65-0
LVP Hydrocarbon Fluid CAS #64742-47-8
Carbon Dioxide CAS # 124-38-9 2-3
Non-hazardous Ingredients


The CAS # for kerosene is 8008-20-6.

In other words, WD-40 contains NO kerosene. The Petroleum Base Oil CAS #64742-65-0 and the LVP (that's low vapor pressure) Hydrocarbon Fluid CAS #64742-47-8 are chemically close to Hydrodesulfurized Kerosene CAS #64742-81-0, but not the same thing.

It's also a common myth that WD-40 contains vegitable oil. As you can see, it does not; it is petroleum-based.

All of the active ingredients in WD-40 are fairly light, volatile hydrocarbons. They are immiscible with water which is what makes WD-40 a water dispersant good for getting water out of mechanisms and keeping it out to prevent rust. It also tells us that there is no water in WD-40. These active ingredient chemcials are also light lubricants. And they're a little bit of a solvent for petroleum-based stuff like label stick-em.

But, they're not particularly good as leather preservatives, no.
 
Thanks, Gollnick-great info. If I'm reading your post right, it would be ok to put on blades to be stored for an extended time, i.e., four/five months-or would you recommend oil? I was not concerned with preserving leather, but protecting damascus blades from rusting.

Dave
 
For blades that are going to be stored for any length of time, the best product is Renaissance Wax.
 
Thank heavens for a sensible description of WD40. Thank you Gollnick. I have read such outlandish rubbish about WD40 that it is obvious the writer has never even seen the stuff. I've Had Firearms and boats most of my life(I'm 80 now) and I've used it extensively on almost anything since it was released and never had it do damage to anything.
 
An MSDS isn't a complete list of ingredients. It only lists the stuff that might be a health risk to handle.

It also doesn't have to divulge anything that is marked as a "Trade Secret".
 
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There is a product called “AXE WAX” that I have been using and so far I’ve been very happy. Handmade in the USA, it is a natural product that is food safe and can be used on steel, wood & leather. Since it is “newish” I don’t have long term experience but I think it is worthy of your consideration. I have no affiliation- just a satisfied customer

From the website

View attachment 1590397
View attachment 1590403
 
I use Lexol on any leather products that I own that require basic conditioning. For light waterproofing, I'll then use Mink Oil and for serious waterproofing I'd use Sno-Seal.

Of course, use of any of these things will darken the color of the leather but that shouldn't be a concern for any leather goods that you actually use (as opposed to those that are for collection) and want to keep in good condition.

As for WD40, apart from its ordinary uses, I also use it on dried out G10 scales whch works very well in refreshing the look of the material. I did this even before I learned from Sal Glesser mentioned on the Spyderco sub-forum that they did the same thing at the Spyderco factory.

In fact, I just applied WD40 to the dried out G10 scales on a late model Spyderco Puukko that I just received and it made the scales look like new. However, I'd never use WD40 or any other petroleum based product on leather.
 
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