What are you all using to finish your sheaths?


ohski

ohski

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I'm getting ready to start my second sheath and I was wondering what everyone was using to finish theirs... Any tips or tricks?

Any local places that might have particular waxs or finishes. I ordered some beeswax but it was back ordered and dropped from my shipment, go Tandy :mad:

The only thing I have on hand is this but it softens the leather more than I like.

Note: when I say finish I'm talking about after the dye.

Thanks, Ski
 
I use Tandy Super sheen. A few coats take on a nice water resistant finish.
 
If you're looking for an over-the-counter product available locally, try SnoSeal. I use a 50/50 mix of neatsfoot oil and beeswax, heat it and dip. I get beeswax from Hobby Lobby or Michael's crafts. You can get neatsfoot oil a lot of places, but I buy it from Tractor Supply in the horse tack section. Tractor Supply should also have SnoSeal, it's sold as boot conditioner in the shoe section. You can often find it in the shoe section of department stores also.

Looker
 
Tandy Super Sheen. On advise of a friend, I picked up a bottle of Bick 4 leather conditioner that I'm now trying out and it seems to be working really well on the belt pouch that I am just finishing up.
 
I stopped by my Michael's today and no beeswax... the gal looked at me like I was speaking a different language. I'll swing my Hobby lobby tomorrow and see if they have any. I'll have to look up the other ones (Tandy Super sheen and Resoline) never heard of them.

Keep them coming guys... there has to be more of you out there doing leather projects..!

Thanks, Ski
 
Most of my sheaths I want stiff to grab items tight. So, I have been impregnating them with melted paraffin wax. Not very aesthetically pleasing but tough and can be reshaped after a few moments in a warm oven.
 
I prefer straight, raw beeswax for my sheaths/scabbards/masks.

Sheaths you want to be fairly stiff, not softened with oils and etc...otherwise, one day you may go to sheathe your knife and sheathe it in yourself!:eek:

PMZ
 
Trekon86 said:
I prefer straight, raw beeswax for my sheaths/scabbards/masks.

Sheaths you want to be fairly stiff, not softened with oils and etc...otherwise, one day you may go to sheathe your knife and sheathe it in yourself!:eek:

PMZ
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Same here. I like how it stiffens up the leather and also gets that light chocolate color.



knifesheaths006.jpg
 
fotomaker57 said:
How are you applying the super sheen?
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I'm using it as well and while I would prefer wool daubers, I didn't have any so I used a damp cotton ball. It worked out just fine. A couple coats in a circular motion and it was good to go.
 
I just use the Aussie Conditioner as recommended by the dude at Tandy. Main ingredient is beeswax I think...
 
Adam said:
I'm using it as well and while I would prefer wool daubers, I didn't have any so I used a damp cotton ball. It worked out just fine. A couple coats in a circular motion and it was good to go.
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I tried using a damp sponge and wound up with what looks like a few small spots of trapped air bulbs. Very small but enough to bug me. Sponge may have been to wet. Will have to play with it a little more.
 
ohski said:
I'm getting ready to start my second sheath and I was wondering what everyone was using to finish theirs... Any tips or tricks?

Any local places that might have particular waxs or finishes. I ordered some beeswax but it was back ordered and dropped from my shipment, go Tandy :mad:

The only thing I have on hand is this but it softens the leather more than I like.

Note: when I say finish I'm talking about after the dye.

Thanks, Ski
Click to expand...

Walmart sells 100% beeswax in the african american hair products section. i was looking for brylcreem and found it. apparantly walmart does not sell brylcreem.
 
RandallFlagg said:
Walmart sells 100% beeswax in the african american hair products section. i was looking for brylcreem and found it. apparantly walmart does not sell brylcreem.
Click to expand...

It's funny that you mention it but when I googled beeswax I saw a product like that. If Hobby Lobby doesn't have any I'll stop by and check out Wally World (yuck).

Thanks, Ski
 
Try hobby lobby or natural food stores.... They usually have beeswax.

I use a mix of neatsfoot beeswax and pine pitch. Not much for the supersheen stuff. Just my preferance.
 
I have also used Trewax floor polish paste. I wet formed the sheath to the knife, allowed it to dry, heated the leather with a hair dryer or heat gun and wicked the wax into the leather. makes a great waterproof leather, holds its shape but stays slightly more flexible than beeswax and doesnt darken the leather as much. Makes the leather a little more swirled in color. You can always beeswax over it if you don't like it.
 
J said:
Try hobby lobby or natural food stores.... They usually have beeswax.

I use a mix of neatsfoot beeswax and pine pitch. Not much for the supersheen stuff. Just my preferance.
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Interesting. Does the pine pitch make it tacky feeling at all?

I use a Tandy product called Eco-Flo All in One. It dies the leather and is supposed to condition it as well (so I was told). It doesn't soften the leather very much.
 
ohski said:
I stopped by my Michael's today and no beeswax... the gal looked at me like I was speaking a different language. I'll swing my Hobby lobby tomorrow and see if they have any. I'll have to look up the other ones (Tandy Super sheen and Resoline) never heard of them.

Keep them coming guys... there has to be more of you out there doing leather projects..!

Thanks, Ski
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Tell her you are looking for their candlemaking stuff, she probably knows where that is. The beeswax will be there along with the other waxes.

Looker
 
For the last 2 I made I couldn't afford beeswax so I finished them with what I had, boiled linseed oil. The sheathes are still hard and didn't loose their shape from wet forming. I applied several coats letting it dry in between, and was very pleased with the results.
 
I've heard tell that BLO ruins sheaths within a matter of a decade. Something about SCA/reenactors using it on sword scabbards, and having them become very brittle and break in just a few years.

Something to consider!

PMZ
 
I just use straight beeswax from old candle stubs. I melt it in a jar on the woodstove, brush it on with an acid brush then stick it in the toaster on low heat. Repeat until the leather won't absorb any more and wipe off the excess. Gives the leather a nice dark color, makes it really stiff and has a nice smell.
 
I just treated a few items with "neatsfoot oil compound." Maybe there's not much actual neatsfoot in it because it doesn't smell as good as the stuff I fondly remember working into my baseball mitt as a kid.

Do I recall hearing that neatsfoot oil isn't actually that great for leather? (NOW I ask!)

What's a neat, anyway? Does it hurt them to get the oil from their feet?
 
Found some beeswax today (bleached white, yuck) so tomorrow evening after the sheath is dry I'll get some melted and on it.

Thanks everybody... Ski
 
Fiebing's Leather Balm with Atom Wax (neutral color). Use it on my jewelry, belts, sheaths, and just about anything else. Evenover various colored dyes.
 
Trekon86 said:
I've heard tell that BLO ruins sheaths within a matter of a decade. Something about SCA/reenactors using it on sword scabbards, and having them become very brittle and break in just a few years.

Something to consider!

PMZ
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Thanks for the heads up. I had never heard about that before. I'll have to pick up something else when I have the scratch.
 
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