ABS plastic vs. Kydex sheets

daizee

daizee

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Messages
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Does anyone know if "ABS Textured Plastic" sheets as for sale on Amazon are the same thing as Kydex (which I presume is a trademark)?
I have some credits and was poking around for what I might be able to get for knives.

Thanks,

-Daizee
 
There is a difference between kydex and abs both are thermoforming but...First one is kydex is fire retardant (you can get fr-abs witch also is) Second is texture is a bit different. Then there is the strength issue. ABS is not as strong and kydex is a little easier to form with better part definition and deep-draw characteristics. Concealex is much closer to kydex just different trademark names. Although this is more from data sheets and not experience as I am not a sheath maker but have made quite a few molds for them.

Travis,
 
Kydex is a mixture of PVC and acrylic. There are different grades of kydex. But kydex has become a generic word so make sure what you get is what you want .
www.kydex.com
 
I thought that Kydex was an ABS/PVC or ABS/acrylic alloy. Something like that. It might be stiffer or have better creep resistance than general purpose ABS.


oops, mete beat me to it...
 
Kydex is not ABS.

You can use ABS for sheaths, and I know of some manufacturers and one custom maker (for smaller sheaths) that does, but they're not the same. ABS does have an advantage in that it can resist high temps better, but it isn't nearly as tough or flexible as Kydex.
 
Thanks, everyone. Very helpful.
I had searched for "kydex sheet" and got these ABS hits, but couldn't reconcile why, except maybe Amazon's search engine was trying to be smart. (don't get me started on "smart" computers...)

It was about half the price of Kydex by area, and I just didn't know if I was paying for a name or a proprietary formula with real advantages with the kydex or not. Which I'm happy with given my one use so far, by the way. In the end the material is still ridiculously inexpensive compared to the time invested in making a whole knife.

-Daizee
 
just out of curiosity what do you guys think of this it looks like it could be awesome for keeping knives clean for occasional food prep, or accidental cutting yourself. But it would have to be bought in bulk
 
Page and Nathan , that's what I mean by 'kydex' becomming a generic name .Yes it's very confusing !! There is a sheath maker who calls it 'kydex' but doesn't use kydex even though he knows the difference !
I have been criticized for insisting that proper metallugical terms are used properly but this is exactly why I do !
 
Nebulae said:
just out of curiosity what do you guys think of this it looks like it could be awesome for keeping knives clean for occasional food prep, or accidental cutting yourself. But it would have to be bought in bulk
Click to expand...

Looks like neat stuff. If the price was right I'd be willing to grab a bit of it.
 
I make sheaths from PVC pipe (Schedule 40) that I get from Ace Hardware all the time. I have a few Kydex sheaths, and I can't see much difference in them, other than maybe looks. The Kydex comes already colored. PVC works great, and costs next to nothing.
 
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