Finishing for marine environment?

[DanDSilva]

I recently assembled this knife.  The conceit in its design is that it's owned by a sailor, so it's got stabilized grips, stainless and brass parts, etc.

I would like it to have a somewhat traditional leather sheath, something like this:

http://www.weber-messer.eu/store/product_info.php?products_id=894

What kind of dye and finish can I give it that won't bleed dye, won't crack if flexed, and will hold up relatively well against saltwater and shifting humidity?  I don't expect it to be immortal, but I'd like to prolong its lifespan.

Currently have on hand Fiebings USMC black, Fiebings brown and black LeatherColors (the water-based stuff you'd find in an arts-and-crafts store), Leather Sheen, Resolene, Liquitex acrylic varnish, mink oil, pure neatsfoot oil, olive oil, Leather Lube and Sno Seal.  If that doesn't suffice, I can order additional supplies when we get to June.

[fredk]

I reckon a brown oil dye and a real good coating of a beeswax/nfo/carnauba wax mix applied and rubbed will in and buffed. Maybe a few coats of the wax mix

[Bert03241]

sno-seal would do a good job of protecting it

[Mulesaw]

I'd go for pure neatsfoot oil. 

I just checked with our bosun, and here's a picture of his sheath.

It is a nice touch to make room for a marlinspike in the side, and the D-ring for securing the knife and the marlinspike when working aloft.

 

 

[DanDSilva]

Thanks!  So, if it's thoroughly buffed, oil dye won't need an acrylic sealer?

43 minutes ago, Mulesaw said:

I'd go for pure neatsfoot oil. 

I just checked with our bosun, and here's a picture of his sheath.

Very nice.  Is the color dyed or just from a large amount of oil?

[Rahere]

See if you can lay your hands on a copy of Ashley's Book of Knots. He's got a thing or two to say, from a hundred years back. Fish oil and engine oil...

[Mulesaw]

My saddle on my motorcycle is made of veg tan leather that has only been treated with neatsfoot oil.  That has held up for the last 27 years so far. I have reapplied some oil to the saddle every now and then, but that is all.

I think the colour of the sheath is dyed brown from the tannery,  but I am pretty sure that it too has been given some oil over the years. Normally the leather stuff on our ship would get either tallow or something called lanopro wire oil. But that is just what we use here. 

Brgds
Jonas

[chuck123wapati]

you might as well leave it natural after using neats foot or any of the other methods it will be very dark. especially after a few years of reapplying. Beautiful knife by the way!

[DanDSilva]

Thank you.  I think I'm going to try a few combinations on test swatches.  My preference is a dark color from the start since black or dark brown seem to be traditional with this style, but if I can't prevent bleeding, then a deep saddle tan from just oil and wax will have to suffice.

By the way, anyone have any thoughts on the sheath and frog combination that Weber offers for this blade?  Is it likely to be good and secure against both the knife accidentally popping out of the sheath and the sheath popping out of the frog, or could it use improvement in that regard?

Edited May 30, 2021 by DanDSilva

[fredk]

22 minutes ago, DanDSilva said:

By the way, anyone have any thoughts on the sheath and frog combination that Weber offers for this blade?  Is it likely to be good and secure against both the knife accidentally popping out of the sheath and the sheath popping out of the frog, or could it use improvement in that regard?

The frog on the web page you linked to looks like a 'general purpose' frog. It holds the sheath loosely. Its alright for when you are upright but I think it'll be too loose a fit for a sheath on someone clambering about a boat.

If you are making the frog, wet mould its loop on the sheath with the blade in it

When I made this frog / hanger for a stiletto knife sheath I wet moulded it to the sheath. The sheath could never be pulled out

 

 

 

[chrisash]

When i was in the navy we tended to used this knife "Green River" and sheaths similar to this one but made from Harness leather, the knife and spike (not this sharpener) were deep in the  sheath and held firm, must admit i like your D ring safety measure

Edited May 31, 2021 by chrisash

[chuck123wapati]

3 hours ago, chrisash said:

When i was in the navy we tended to used this knife "Green River" and sheaths similar to this one but made from Harness leather, the knife and spike (not this sharpener) were deep in the  sheath and held firm, must admit i like your D ring safety measure

mountain men and fur trappers used the green River knife also. their old saying "i run him plumb up to the Green River" meant he stuck the blade in up to the stamped name and killed the person. great knives i have a couple for butchering.

[DanDSilva]

On 5/30/2021 at 5:00 PM, fredk said:

The frog on the web page you linked to looks like a 'general purpose' frog. It holds the sheath loosely. Its alright for when you are upright but I think it'll be too loose a fit for a sheath on someone clambering about a boat.

If you are making the frog, wet mould its loop on the sheath with the blade in it

When I made this frog / hanger for a stiletto knife sheath I wet moulded it to the sheath. The sheath could never be pulled out

 

 

 

Hi,

It's good to know.  I see I didn't fully explain what I'm trying to accomplish -- my aim isn't only to keep the knife from falling out of the frog by accident, but also that it should be easy to remove without having to take off the belt, so, for instance, you can quickly take it off and lock it in your glove compartment or something if you realize you're going into a building where it wouldn't be permitted (my local community college, for instance, doesn't permit us to wear large knives and I know there'll be others with similar policies).  That's why I was looking at a separate frog instead of just a sheath with a built-in belt loop.

I've also thought of using an integrated belt loop closed with laces or snaps, or a belt dangler with a square screw carabiner...  any of those sound workable?

Edited June 1, 2021 by DanDSilva

[KylerGonzales]

On 5/28/2021 at 7:27 PM, Mulesaw said:

I'd go for pure neatsfoot oil. 

I just checked with our bosun, and here's a picture of his sheath.

It is a nice touch to make room for a marlinspike in the side, and the D-ring for securing the knife and the marlinspike when working aloft.

 

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Very high quality work.

Edited August 30, 2021 by KylerGonzales

[DanDSilva]

All done.  This is what I've wound up with:

It's a pretty basic design, copied more-or-less from Puma.  I stitched the belt loop to the sheath, but also made a belt dangler with an aluminum screw carabiner.  I think that solves the problem nicely.

Edited February 8, 2022 by DanDSilva

[DanDSilva]

It's made of 4-5 ounce veg-tan, dyed with Fiebing's Pro dark brown, finished with Resolene, neatsfoot oil and Sno-Seal, and stitched with nylon artificial sinew.  The rivets are nickel-plated brass and the snaps are stainless line 20 line snaps from Tandy.

If I were doing this again, I might consider doing the finish after stitching, because the Resolene stiffened the leather quite a lot and I didn't like the sort of tearing sound the awl made when going through the leather.  Also would make the welt and distance between the stitching and the very edge at least half again wider, maybe more.

This is the first time I've set line snaps and they were a bit tricky.  They feel like they'd open up just a bit easier than I'd like for the knife to feel really secure in the sheath.

[chuck123wapati]

7 minutes ago, DanDSilva said:

It's made of 4-5 ounce veg-tan, dyed with Fiebing's Pro dark brown, finished with Resolene, neatsfoot oil and Sno-Seal, and stitched with nylon artificial sinew.  The rivets are nickel-plated brass and the snaps are stainless line 20 line snaps from Tandy.

If I were doing this again, I might consider doing the finish after stitching, because the Resolene stiffened the leather quite a lot and I didn't like the sort of tearing sound the awl made when going through the leather.  Also would make the welt and distance between the stitching and the very edge at least half again wider, maybe more.

This is the first time I've set line snaps and they were a bit tricky.  They feel like they'd open up just a bit easier than I'd like for the knife to feel really secure in the sheath.

Nice work all around, love a flat grind! give your snap a slight pinch with some pliers it'll tighten up.