What Finish For A Scabbard?

[Modad2010]

I am just finishing up a scabbard for a 12 ga. coach gun. I will be putting a coat or two of pure neat's-foot oil on it and am wondering if I should use Feibing's leather sheen as a final finish. The scabbard may be subjected to some adverse weather conditions and was constructed of 11/12 oz. Herman Oak. Any thoughts or opinions?

[TwinOaks]

If you KNOW it's going to see hard use and probably wet weather, I'd opt for something a little more water repellent. I've used "Sno-seal" on some sheaths, but there are other products. Without some research, I don't remember what all of them are, but you might check in the motorcycle gear section to see what's recommended for saddle bags, as those defintely need to be waterproof.

[Dwight]

The last one I built, . . . Resolene, . . . 50/50 with water, . . . it was about 8 oz over a beautiful 1/4 inch long lambs wool lining.

I was very happy with the result, . . . but I seriously doubt if it will ever see any hard use, . . . most likely a wall hanger.

But knowing that, . . . I still used Resolene, . . . it is very water repellent, . . . goes on easy, . . . and has a UV blocker which will stop sunshine from discoloring the item.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited October 28, 2014 by Dwight

[Josh Ashman]

Depends on the look you're going for. If you want a "period" or "authentic" look go with the two coats of NF then rub in a healthy amount of Aussie Wax or Sno Seal and set it in the sun for a few hours on each side. It'll make a durable rugged look that gets better over time. The scabbard, bags and saddle pictured below were finished this way. Keep in mind, the more sun they get, the darker they get.

Good luck, Josh