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Post by Alfacentori on Mar 17, 2013 9:39:41 GMT
Apologies if there is already a thread on this,
I'm newish to swords, and one of the things I have been thinking on lately is how to correctly look after a scabbard.
I currently only own a few swords, and the only one with a leather scabbard and belt is my DSA 12th C Medieval / Templar two handed sword.
When I first received it the scabbard and leather were very light in colour, and felt a bit dry to the touch. After a bit of thought I hand rubbed Dubbin into all the leather (I figured since they did this to leather in the Medieval period I couldn't go wrong with the traditional approach). The Dubbin was initially quite tacky, but after a couple of days soaked into the leather, leaving it a darker shade of brown, but feeling nice and supple.
I have since repeated this every 3-6 months, as well as coating the metal parts with a thin coat of gun oil.
This was how I have looked after mine, and will look after my future (as yet to be purchased) swords.
Any opinions on if this was the right or wrong thing to do, or how you look after your scabbards, would be most welcome, as the net is awash with leather care advice and products.
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 17, 2013 13:48:17 GMT
so long as the gun oil doesn't have any funky additives - that sort of thing could react with the leather- all sounds pretty good. treat it the same way you would treat a leather coat, or shoes. Avoid aerosol sprays as they usually have alcohol and/or silicone. think old school leather care (which you did already). I like to use beeswax and mineral oil. Generally the more you treat it, the less often you'll have to, provided the leather isn't being exposed to the elements constantly. If you were campaigning with an army... clean and care more often. If you are hanging swords on a wall and backyard cutting... the leather gets dusty but that's about it.
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Post by chuckinohio on Mar 17, 2013 15:58:34 GMT
I gently heat the leather with a hair dryer and then rub Mink Oil into it. The heat allows the Mink Oil to penetrate better. Beeswax is the bomb, but I have a super size tub of Mink Oil and have to use it up
Metal bits I usually wipe with Mineral Oil
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Post by Alfacentori on Mar 19, 2013 8:10:52 GMT
All good advice, thanks guys for sharing.
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