In this previous thread, I expressed concern about my expensive Bark River Canadian LT fixed blade knife falling out of its sheath in a spill on water or land, and whether a Kydex sheath would be better for retention and waterproofness. I decided to enhance the knife retention of my leather sheath and make it more waterproof. I'll show what I did.
First, I decided to waterproof the sheath using Montana Pitch Blend, which contains pine pitch, beeswax, and mink oil and can be bought in a 3 oz. old-time tin. Other brands that are favorably reviewed are Obenauf's (beeswax, bee propolis, unnamed natural oils), Huberds's Shoe Grease (pine pitch and beeswax), and Sno-Seal (beeswax, unnamed animal oils, mineral spirits). The Montana Pitch Blend melts in the body heat of your fingers and goes on sheaths and footwear very smoothly by hand. It also has a pleasant piney odor.
Next, I added a dangler to the sheath to reduce the possibility that the sheath will get turned upside down in a spill, and simply because I prefer them for a fixed blade belt knife. I decided on the Casstrom No. 3 dangler with black leather and brass carabiner clip. I could have gotten a less expensive dangler from JRE Industries (but watch out for $7+ shipping) plus a cheap split D-ring from Home Depot, but I liked the idea of the carabiner for ease of attach/detach and for other possible canoe camp uses.
Finally, I added extra retention to my sheath by a simple use of 1/8" shock cord, an idea I got from this video. I decided to look for black reflective shock cord for nighttime visibility, since the sheath and dangler are black. I could only find that particular shock cord in a minimum length of 10 feet for $10, so I got 20 feet for $11.
Here's what the shock cord looks like in the dark illuminated by a flash.
Experimenting with different ways to attach the shock cord to the knife, I had to learn how to tie a snake knot. I settled on one knot by the handle and a double knot with grab tails at the end of the attachment loop.
To enhance sheath retention, simply loop the shock cord under the fire steel loop. There are different ways to do this, and the grab tails can be looped in front of the sheath or in back.
Here's a look at the back of the sheath and dangler with the shock cord looped.
Lastly, here's how the shock cord retention loops looks under flash illumination.
This small project required no tools, just a credit card and fingers. I now have complete confidence that my expensive knife is completely secure and won't fall out if the sheath is upside down in the water or tumbling down a portage hill.
First, I decided to waterproof the sheath using Montana Pitch Blend, which contains pine pitch, beeswax, and mink oil and can be bought in a 3 oz. old-time tin. Other brands that are favorably reviewed are Obenauf's (beeswax, bee propolis, unnamed natural oils), Huberds's Shoe Grease (pine pitch and beeswax), and Sno-Seal (beeswax, unnamed animal oils, mineral spirits). The Montana Pitch Blend melts in the body heat of your fingers and goes on sheaths and footwear very smoothly by hand. It also has a pleasant piney odor.
Next, I added a dangler to the sheath to reduce the possibility that the sheath will get turned upside down in a spill, and simply because I prefer them for a fixed blade belt knife. I decided on the Casstrom No. 3 dangler with black leather and brass carabiner clip. I could have gotten a less expensive dangler from JRE Industries (but watch out for $7+ shipping) plus a cheap split D-ring from Home Depot, but I liked the idea of the carabiner for ease of attach/detach and for other possible canoe camp uses.
Finally, I added extra retention to my sheath by a simple use of 1/8" shock cord, an idea I got from this video. I decided to look for black reflective shock cord for nighttime visibility, since the sheath and dangler are black. I could only find that particular shock cord in a minimum length of 10 feet for $10, so I got 20 feet for $11.
Here's what the shock cord looks like in the dark illuminated by a flash.
Experimenting with different ways to attach the shock cord to the knife, I had to learn how to tie a snake knot. I settled on one knot by the handle and a double knot with grab tails at the end of the attachment loop.
To enhance sheath retention, simply loop the shock cord under the fire steel loop. There are different ways to do this, and the grab tails can be looped in front of the sheath or in back.
Here's a look at the back of the sheath and dangler with the shock cord looped.
Lastly, here's how the shock cord retention loops looks under flash illumination.
This small project required no tools, just a credit card and fingers. I now have complete confidence that my expensive knife is completely secure and won't fall out if the sheath is upside down in the water or tumbling down a portage hill.
