A revelation in cheap sheath material!

Can also recycle your own milk jugs, etc along with any scraps into blocks to mill for other things. I have made blocks of it myself. youtube vids out there on how to do it.

Really liking your sheath idea!
 
Bladegunner said:
Is it possible to glue two pieces together? you could do away with the majority of rivets.
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Not really feasible. There are special adhesives made for it, but they require a lot of prep work. HDPE is a popular choice for clue bottles because so few adhesives will adhere to it. The rivets are cheap, and glue would just complicate the whole process, by a large margin. :)
 
ohen cepel said:
Can also recycle your own milk jugs, etc along with any scraps into blocks to mill for other things. I have made blocks of it myself. youtube vids out there on how to do it.

Really liking your sheath idea!
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Thanks! It's important to note that HDPE recycled from milk jugs isn't UV stabilized, and will degrade with long exposure to the sun. Black grades of it are stabilized and won't degrade.
 
It's mostly a matter of making sure you have enough of a border for the thickness you're covering and thinking about the travel of the blade while drawing. You can make your initial cuts out of cardboard and clamping the edges with binder clips to assess the shape. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Thanks! It's important to note that HDPE recycled from milk jugs isn't UV stabilized, and will degrade with long exposure to the sun. Black grades of it are stabilized and won't degrade.
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Does that mean the oceans will be filled with this stuff 50 years from now from all the knife sheaths? ;)
 
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:) Made my very first non-cardboard sheath ! Empty laundry detergent bottle made of HDPE , 3 rivets , some silicone self fusing tape . Hair dryer .

It actually works just fine and the Spyderco Warrior even tends to be retained in sheath because of the bent inward lips catch the knife guard . Passes the shake test . But is somewhat loose in the sheath . I didn't try to form it around the knife .

This is pretty thin gauge HDPE , but seemed not too much less tough than belt leather to cut .

Probably not treated for UV . OK for a fun experiment on a rainy day . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Sewing: add liner (middle piece like in leather sheaths) to avoid cutting the stitching? I would probably need something very stiffy and strong for it to hold and not to get loose but it could be interesing to experiment.
 
A.L. said:
Sewing: add liner (middle piece like in leather sheaths) to avoid cutting the stitching? I would probably need something very stiffy and strong for it to hold and not to get loose but it could be interesing to experiment.
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I'll be experimenting with saddle stitching it when I get the chance, but it may be a little while. A welt really doesn't seem particularly necessary with this stuff. It's sort of like how kydex doesn't need it. It's very "slippery" to a knife edge, so while it scuffs easily, it doesn't cut easily at all. Edges want to glide right off it.
 
This looks like a great DIY technique to make durable, inexpensive sheaths. The aesthetic aspect will be lacking, but that’s OK because whoever needs visually stunning aesthetics can still make or buy custom hand-tooled leather sheaths. I just started playing with this idea, but this stuff could also be used to make a kind of open-topped “pocket protector” (styled after the concept of the decades-old shirt pocket protector that nerds used to carry their multiple pens in) for those who have gotten tired of having pants pockets shredded by the pointy angles and protrusions on some EDC folders. We may be at the dawn of the era of the Revenge of the Knife-Carrying Nerds.
 
I love the look of these sheathes (in a utilitarian sense, that is) and already have the HDPE required to make some. I'm curious though, what rivets are you using and where would you recommend buying them?
 
TheDandyLion said:
I love the look of these sheathes (in a utilitarian sense, that is) and already have the HDPE required to make some. I'm curious though, what rivets are you using and where would you recommend buying them?
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Look up "double cap compression rivets" and you'll find 'em. Also known as "speedy rivets", "easy rivets" or "snap rivets". They also come in single cap versions with a flat back. Look around in the usual channels and you can find 'em in various sizes, including kits that have punches and dies, for under $0.10 apiece. You can also find hollow/tubular rivets (which have a hollow end that's flared outward with a hand-struck setting tool) for similar prices.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Thanks! It's important to note that HDPE recycled from milk jugs isn't UV stabilized, and will degrade with long exposure to the sun. Black grades of it are stabilized and won't degrade.
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Nothing that can’t be fixed with a wipe down of 303 protectant a couple times a year.
 
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