Finishing Knife Sheaths?

[Seaco]

Hi this is my first post so be gentle...

I have made a bushknife and now I'm making the sheath, I need the sheath to be fairly hard and waterproof, many years ago i worked at a leather factory I made specialised holsters for pistol shooting and we sprayed all our finishes with a lacquer type substance but I have no idea what it was any ideas?...

I have tried dipping a test sheath in melted bees wax which was semi successful it hardened well and will be waterproof but every time I unsheath the knife it gets a coating of wax which looks a little unsightly?

There must be a better way?

[DCKNIVES]

In sheaths there are usually two schools of thought, those who dip and those who don't. I think you will find most pro sheathmakers do not use the dip/beeswax mixture, mostly for the results you got. If the leather is of good quality and properly cased it should harden fine. For finishes I, myself typically use Fiebings Leather Sheen, but Tan-kote and Bag-kote work well also.I also like my mentor do the inside of the sheath as well before stitching. I hope this helps. Dave