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Friends,
If I may, for years now I have used a mixture melted into a stainless steel instrument sterlizer to water proof my knife acabbards. I melt bee's wax and pure needsfoot oil and melt it in the sterlizer on my wife's kitchen stove, when she is not home! You can push your thumb down into it when it is room temprature but is melts into a liquid when heated. Don't get it too hot or it will make brown burn like marks on the leather. Also, do not soak the leather when it is wet or even damp!!! It will schrivel up like a prune!!
It is hot after soaking for a few minutes so use an instrument to lift it up ane let it drain back ingo the pan for just a bit. Wipe it down with a paper towel and slide the knife into the scabbard. When it cools off you will have a form fit and the leather is water proofed.. I brush the leather with a large boot brush, available at Panhandle Leather in Admirilla, Tx. and later use a bit of shoe polish to give it a high shine.
Do not, under any circumstance,use petrolium products instead of pure neadsfoot oil. I recently had a knife come back after 30 years, for sharpening. The leather knife case is still perfectly intact. The stitching is still perfect and it shined up just like new.
Chuck, are you a boot maker?
Best wishes, Larry Peterson
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