ABS for sheath making??

R

Richard K

Joined
Dec 30, 2000
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711
Just for the fun of it, I thought I'd try my hand at sheath making (I'm experienced at working with leather). I called several plastics supply businesses looking for Kydex and could'nt find any locally. Two or three shops said to use ABS sheeting since that's what they use for moulding. Picked up some black, textured, 1/8 & 1/16" sheets.
Anyone tried using it? Too late to order any, I'm making a leather sheath for my grandson for Xmas and thought I'd try making a moulded one for him while I have his knife.

Thanks,
 
Hey Richard...

ABS has been used in the sheath making business for a long time..

Generally it is used as a backing, and also for stiffening and liners es such as for fillet knives....

If it is a molding type of ABS it will mold just like Kydex or Concealex, and will function to an extent.

However it doesn't have the backbone to be used for straight synthetic sheathing..
If its cheap enough, it *could* be used to practice with I guess...

ttyle

Eric...
 
Thanks for the reply, Eric. Guess I'll play/practice with it and find some Kydex after Christmas.
 
Richard,

When I was doing Kydex for resale I just called Kydex corp HQ and asked for a few dealers in my area.

They also just added a list to their web page and the show 2 places in Denver, 1 in Colorado Springs, and 1 in Littleton. (Not sure if those are near you...)

You'll probably have to buy 4'x8' sheets though, but the price is reasonable...
 
I've got a couple of sheath made in the 80's that's made out of ABS. Allen Elishewitz made his sheaths out of ABS for his balisongs when he first started on the scene. Problem with ABS is that it's a bit soft for rigid sheath material, and will make serious markings on the parts of the handle that comes in contact with it. One reason kydex is a better material....
 
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