- Joined
- Nov 18, 2010
- Messages
- 6,115
Well, I finally got the gumption up to knock out a kydex sheath for the Magua. I am pretty pleased with the results. Figured I might as well go over my process as well for anyone that is considering doing kydex.
First up, this is what I am using as a "press".
I have two 1x8's, and eight .25" thick old neoprene mousepads. I will lay down one board, then four of the mousepads, then my kydex wrapped knife, then four more mousepads, then the top board, then I stand on it. This is after heating it, and I consider the heating to be the most crucial to a decent press. I will throw the kydex in (for all the sheaths I have made I use the .093" kydex) at around 125° or so and let it sit for a minute or two. Then I will turn the heat up to about 150°-175° or so and let it sit again for a couple minutes. Then up to 225°, sit, then around 275°, then finally I stop at just under 300°, say around 285°-290°. I let the kydex sit for a minute at this temp, then pull it out and proceed to pressing it in my "press".
After that is done, you should have something like this:
At that point, I will measure the widest distance across the blade impression made in the kydex. To this I usually add about 1/8" or so on either side in my hole and edge drawing that I do to determine the layout. I will also measure out the holes so that they are compatible with a tek-lok and make sure everything kinda fits the general idea I am shooting for. Then I print it out, cut it out, and position it on the kydex to see if it will work for what I am wanting.
Once I determine whether or not my paper template will work, I will either redo it, or if it is good to go I will adhere it to the kydex using double sided tape, ensuring that I have a nice clear guide showing where the centers for all my holes should be, as well as the edges on the sheath.
I start by drilling the holes with a 1/8" drill bit, making certain to get them as close to center as possible, then I move up to a 1/4" drill bit and drill them out the rest of the way. After this is done, I head on over to Pointy's place and demand the use of his belt sander to remove all the excess material from the outside of the guide lines shown on the template, using unset eyelets to help make sure the two halves of the kydex are not shifting around. Once that is done, I pull the whole thing apart, sand the inside edges, making sure to remove any material inside the sheath, then I set the eyelets. Once that is done, I will heat the mouth of the sheath a little using a hairdryer to make sure the knife will snap into place and has a firm retention while at the same time making certain it is easy to get into the sheath. On this sheath I also folded down the top corners a bit to give me a place to push off with my thumb when drawing the knife from the sheath, then I took some finishing sandpaper and cleaned up the edges and the mouth of the sheath. A quick wash and dry later and I have a sheath.
So there you have it, my kydex sheath for my Magua. I will be fiddling with the attachment options for getting it onto my belt, but for the meantime I imagine a tek-lok will be doing the job.
(During the typing of this I got a message from my brother Jack and it seems he has made something a little cooler than my sheath. As of 6:26PM Eastern time I am now the proud uncle of a 9 lbs 1 oz baby boy that looks like one of the grumpiest little men I have ever seen! Congrats to my bro Jack and his wife!)
First up, this is what I am using as a "press".
I have two 1x8's, and eight .25" thick old neoprene mousepads. I will lay down one board, then four of the mousepads, then my kydex wrapped knife, then four more mousepads, then the top board, then I stand on it. This is after heating it, and I consider the heating to be the most crucial to a decent press. I will throw the kydex in (for all the sheaths I have made I use the .093" kydex) at around 125° or so and let it sit for a minute or two. Then I will turn the heat up to about 150°-175° or so and let it sit again for a couple minutes. Then up to 225°, sit, then around 275°, then finally I stop at just under 300°, say around 285°-290°. I let the kydex sit for a minute at this temp, then pull it out and proceed to pressing it in my "press".
After that is done, you should have something like this:
At that point, I will measure the widest distance across the blade impression made in the kydex. To this I usually add about 1/8" or so on either side in my hole and edge drawing that I do to determine the layout. I will also measure out the holes so that they are compatible with a tek-lok and make sure everything kinda fits the general idea I am shooting for. Then I print it out, cut it out, and position it on the kydex to see if it will work for what I am wanting.
Once I determine whether or not my paper template will work, I will either redo it, or if it is good to go I will adhere it to the kydex using double sided tape, ensuring that I have a nice clear guide showing where the centers for all my holes should be, as well as the edges on the sheath.
I start by drilling the holes with a 1/8" drill bit, making certain to get them as close to center as possible, then I move up to a 1/4" drill bit and drill them out the rest of the way. After this is done, I head on over to Pointy's place and demand the use of his belt sander to remove all the excess material from the outside of the guide lines shown on the template, using unset eyelets to help make sure the two halves of the kydex are not shifting around. Once that is done, I pull the whole thing apart, sand the inside edges, making sure to remove any material inside the sheath, then I set the eyelets. Once that is done, I will heat the mouth of the sheath a little using a hairdryer to make sure the knife will snap into place and has a firm retention while at the same time making certain it is easy to get into the sheath. On this sheath I also folded down the top corners a bit to give me a place to push off with my thumb when drawing the knife from the sheath, then I took some finishing sandpaper and cleaned up the edges and the mouth of the sheath. A quick wash and dry later and I have a sheath.
So there you have it, my kydex sheath for my Magua. I will be fiddling with the attachment options for getting it onto my belt, but for the meantime I imagine a tek-lok will be doing the job.
(During the typing of this I got a message from my brother Jack and it seems he has made something a little cooler than my sheath. As of 6:26PM Eastern time I am now the proud uncle of a 9 lbs 1 oz baby boy that looks like one of the grumpiest little men I have ever seen! Congrats to my bro Jack and his wife!)
