A little kydex help please.

Uncle Timbo

Uncle Timbo

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Nov 23, 2005
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I went to knifekits to buy kydex and I was hit with 3 choices. .060, .080 and .093. I want to make a sheath for a 12" bowie knife and use kydex to make the belt loop. Which thickness? Also, where do you buy phillips head Chicago type fasteners? Any help would be sweet. I will post pics some day good or bad!
 
Hey Guys...

While true, the larger the knife, the thicker the plastic,, to a certain degree...

Although I would agree that .093 is Great for large knives,, it is also harder to mold...

If you want to get a good press with .093 you will need a Hell of alot of pressure...

Go with the .093 but use alot of pressure to mold.. Also make sure your plastic is good and hot and evenly heated..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Thanks for the help guys. I think I'm going to order some .093 and some .080 and use the .080 to make my first sheath and then go from there.
 
I use .125 for my "serious" sheaths....

It's slightly harder to mold, but it's worth the effort.

.
 
As far as the pressure that is required to form the thicker kydex - I use a 2 ton floor jack and the frame rail of my truck. I have 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood that I spray adhesived foam sleeping bag pad to. I heat up the kydex and align my knife, or whatever I'm forming, then I place the sandwich on top of the floor jack and raise it up against the frame rail of my truck to the point that I actually lift one side of my 6,000 lb truck off of the ground. Trust me, it will form the thickest kydex you ever want to use.
 
jll346 said:
Here is a great place to get kydex. http://www.interstateplastics.com/materials/detail.aspx?ID=Kydex-Be009

They do not carry .080 though.
Click to expand...

I got really excited for a minute and was ready to order a sheet of the blue kydex, then got to the checkout page and saw "($15 added to orders under $50.00) Small Order Fee" and $9.90 for shipping and handling, bringing a $2.35 piece of kydex up to $27.25. I don't mind the somewhat high shipping charge so much, but that extra $15 is too much for me. Looks like they really don't want to mess with small orders.
 
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