Botaron sheath for Busse knives

ScottsBad

ScottsBad

Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Messages
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I'm pretty new to all this, I've only be paying attention for about the last 6 months.

I've done some reading on the differences between the most commonly used sheath materials. I love leather, but not the fact that it absorbs moisture. So I'm going with a polymer sheath.

Kydex is the most often used apparently, but I prefer the properties of Boltaron. I have no experience with either, but I live in California and if I leave the sheath/knife in the car it seems like Boltaron might hold up better. Is that true?

Who can make a boltaron sheath for a Ratweiler and perhaps a couple other Bussekin knives? And how expensive are they compared to Kydex?

Thanks
 
Tell us more about this Boltaron, maybe its just me, but i never heard of it
 
The material itself is just slightly more expensive if you make it yourself but, if you are looking to buy a completed sheath you should talk to Dave Brown. Most people call both Kydex and Boltaron kydex. They are different brands of thermo-molded plastics and so have slightly different properties for molding.
 
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Voltron? That was a cartoon way back... :p Oh, boltaron, nope, no idea. :confused:
 
Boltaron was developed by knifekits.com (I think) as a competitor to Kydex. I have worked with both and don't recall Boltaron having a higher melting temp than Kydex but that would be the only factor in a hot car. I have had Kydex get soft in my car in Ohio so it is a valid concern.

How wet do you plan to get it? Leather can certainly be treated to be almost impervious to moisture, but not to the extent of Kydex.


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evlDan said:
The material itself is just slightly more expensive if you make it yourself but, if you are looking to buy a completed sheath you should talk to Dave Brown. Most people call both Kydex and Boltaron kydex. They are different brands of thermo-molded plastics and so have slightly different properties for molding.
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Right I've read about the differences when working with Boltaron, about how it curls a little while being heated and the proper temperature, and how it is a little harder to make a very defined sheath etc.

I guess I'll start talking to the sheath makers, I just thought someone here might have purchased a boltaron sheath. Thanks.
 
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cpirtle said:
Boltaron was developed by knifekits.com (I think) as a competitor to Kydex. I have worked with both and don't recall Boltaron having a higher melting temp than Kydex but that would be the only factor in a hot car. I have had Kydex get soft in my car in Ohio so it is a valid concern.

How wet do you plan to get it? Leather can certainly be treated to be almost impervious to moisture, but not to the extent of Kydex.
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Well, leather is not out of the question, but I plan to use it. It will not be a show piece and may get wet. I know I'll be using it when hiking and crossing streams. And in the rain.
 
Hi

Here is a few quick facts before someone moves this thread from someone who has worked with both for over 15 years making sheaths and holsters;


They are basically the same. but are a little different ;) different brand names and a bit different chemical makeup, but they perform very much the same

One is slightly less expensive (Boltaron)

Boltaron has been around a lot longer than Knife Kits.com, I have used it for over 15 years.
Actually both Kydex and Boltaron have been around for decades even longer than people have been using it for sheaths and holsters.

One is no harder to work with than the other I still use both everyday.

Kydex T actually seems to be the one that may curl more than the others .

If you leave ether in the sun in your car by a window in the summer it will deform.

I have all 4 different Ratweilers in house so I can make a sheath for you.

They would be the same price, the material cost (with the exception of the tek-lok) of a kydex/boltaron sheath is not too much of the price, what you pay for is craftsmanship for the most part.

Hope that helps a little.

Please Feel free to e-mail me if you need a sheath made.
 
No car will get hot enough to disform kydex or boltaron. Unless you store it on the exhaust manifold. Kydex prob wont be any worse or better than boltaron. I find boltaron to be a little soffter. It flexes s little, less stiff. It makes a good snap when made properly. It also feels a little softer to the touch. Prob a tiny bit less abrasive to the finish. I just made a carbon fiber swamp rat waki sheath from boltaron. Id say for the average user, the reason people choose it, is cuz of the patterns/colors they offer. Mainly carbon fiber. No serious advantages from kydex vs boltaron or vis versa.

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jamtga said:
Prob a tiny bit less abrasive to the finish.
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Sorry, but no plastic can scratch steel hardened to Rc 58 - 60. That's like saying that talc can scratch hardened steel.

It's the dirt bits embedded in the plastic that can scratch your knife.

As far as the distortion temperature goes, I am happy to defer to the many years of experience of Mr. Brown.
 
Ok.. My main point was storing it in your vehicle should not hurt the retention or definition. And maybe it (boltaron) being a little less corse, it may hold less dirt in the pores, thus a little less "kydex scratches." Just a theory. But your right about the plastic vs steel.

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jamtga said:
No car will get hot enough to disform kydex or boltaron. Unless you store it on the exhaust manifold.
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How I wish this were so. I destroyed a perfectly good Mashed Cat sheath by leaving it on my dash during one of our 108 deg days here last summer.

That leather-covered aluminum sounds interesting. First I've heard of that.
 
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