Concealex Sheaths for Cold Steel Finn Bear and Kellam S Line Knives

Marion David Poff

Marion David Poff

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
5,403
Been making a few Concealex sheaths, and I thought I would show them off...


For a Kellam S Line
kellam_c_1024.jpg



For a Cold Steel Finn Bear
finnbear_c_1024.jpg



Both, in their sheathes
kellamandfinn_c_1024.jpg


Marion
 
Very nice. I've struggled a bit with molding Kydex. How did you make/mold yours?
 
I followed Jens Anso's tutorial, and used knee pad foam, like can be found at the garden store. I am not 100% happy with it, but it has worked so far.

KnifeKits.com sells foam specifically for the application, but I am not happy with it, either, in fact, less happy with it than the knee pad foam.

Marion
 
very nice. Perhapos a bit of overkill on the Finn- I like mine and your right that it rides too high in the original. I never tried to make any sheaths myself, about how long does it take? one at a time- Im sure there are economies of scale etc plus the practice speeds things up a bit. RB
 
Nice looking sheath! I wish that the CS cheaper knives would come with them, but I suppose it isn't that expensive to have them custom made :thumbup:
 
sharpguytoo said:
very nice. Perhapos a bit of overkill on the Finn- I like mine and your right that it rides too high in the original. I never tried to make any sheaths myself, about how long does it take? one at a time- Im sure there are economies of scale etc plus the practice speeds things up a bit. RB
Click to expand...

As I understand economy of scale, I am not there yet.

I have a learning disability, so the learning curve was kinda shallow, but things are going pretty well now.

If all goes well, you can make one in about an hour, but that includes cooling times and such. But there is are always the gremlins that get in your process, and they can make for an interesting process.

I plan on selling sheathes for these inexpensive knives, on Ebay.

Marion
 
Good job. Those turned out great.
 
Marion David Poff said:
Coming from you, that is quite a compliment.

What are you using for press foam, and what sort of press are you using?

Marion
Click to expand...

Foam is EVA. Probably the same stuff the knee pads are made from. I buy those puzzle piece floor mats and cut 'em. I do use camping pad foam for folders and thick handled blades, but it gets tossed after one use.

My main press is just two long scrap 2x10s hinged at one end and clamped at the other. Duct tape holds the foam. I have others, but that one sees the most use.
 
Kiah said:
Foam is EVA. Probably the same stuff the knee pads are made from. I buy those puzzle piece floor mats and cut 'em. I do use camping pad foam for folders and thick handled blades, but it gets tossed after one use.

My main press is just two long scrap 2x10s hinged at one end and clamped at the other. Duct tape holds the foam. I have others, but that one sees the most use.
Click to expand...

Your press sounds a heck of alot like mine. : )

I think the foam I have, and that puzzle piece stuff is the same, I have seen it, but I might try it.

I have heard a bunch about camping mats, but have not tried it, I will have to...

Thank you.

Marion
 
The camping foam is usable and some makers love it. I don't, except for one time use. Even the EVA foam gets replaced after a few uses. I can't abide worn foam. Some people seem to be able to use the same foam for months, but it seems like magic to me how they do it. Kinda like when I read that .060 is easy to work with. .060 makes me question my sanity. I hate it with an undying passion. I'm not fond of .080 either. It's a "milage may vary" sorta thing I guess.

A bit of advice, and I hope no one takes any offense to this. Ignore any tutorials beyond the basic "heat, press" and tips you find that work for you. When I made my first sheath, I had never seen a kydex sheath in person. To this day, I've never handled another maker's work oher than when I was replacing it (factory sheaths or custom sheaths by unknown makers) or when it came with a knife I bought.

My first few sheaths were horrible. They worked, but were rattly and unsightly. I started off with a hacksaw, a manual eyelet setter that didn't fit the eyelets at all (heck, at the time, I thought they were supposed to be smashed and twisted like that. :) ), and my feet as a press. Even my first sheaths sold were quite bad. I worked through trial and error to a point now, when I think my sheaths are pretty good, but I know that the ones I make Tomorrow will be better than Today and so on. I like to try new things, and I think I'm a better maker for it.

My point of all that, if you've skipped ahead by now, is to keep at it and any kinks will work themselves out in time. Your sheaths IMO look great and you'll find little things specific to you that will make them better and better each day.
 
Kiah said:
The camping foam is usable and some makers love it. I don't, except for one time use. Even the EVA foam gets replaced after a few uses. I can't abide worn foam. Some people seem to be able to use the same foam for months, but it seems like magic to me how they do it. Kinda like when I read that .060 is easy to work with. .060 makes me question my sanity. I hate it with an undying passion. I'm not fond of .080 either. It's a "milage may vary" sorta thing I guess.

A bit of advice, and I hope no one takes any offense to this. Ignore any tutorials beyond the basic "heat, press" and tips you find that work for you. When I made my first sheath, I had never seen a kydex sheath in person. To this day, I've never handled another maker's work oher than when I was replacing it (factory sheaths or custom sheaths by unknown makers) or when it came with a knife I bought.

My first few sheaths were horrible. They worked, but were rattly and unsightly. I started off with a hacksaw, a manual eyelet setter that didn't fit the eyelets at all (heck, at the time, I thought they were supposed to be smashed and twisted like that. :) ), and my feet as a press. Even my first sheaths sold were quite bad. I worked through trial and error to a point now, when I think my sheaths are pretty good, but I know that the ones I make Tomorrow will be better than Today and so on. I like to try new things, and I think I'm a better maker for it.

My point of all that, if you've skipped ahead by now, is to keep at it and any kinks will work themselves out in time. Your sheaths IMO look great and you'll find little things specific to you that will make them better and better each day.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, that is actually pretty encouraging.

Honestly, I don't think I would be doing it, but for I watched a local maker making a bunch of sheaths, so I learned alot that way. If I had to work off the tutorials, I don't think I would be where I am, no knock on them, but they leave out a great deal.

And, sometimes it is just magic, then later, I just look at it, and try to figure out how it worked....

So, you use mostly .093?

Marion
 
Yup. .093 is what works for me. Most seem to think it's too thick or hard to work with, but it flows like water for me.
 
Kiah said:
Yup. .093 is what works for me. Most seem to think it's too thick or hard to work with, but it flows like water for me.
Click to expand...


.093 works good for just about everything.. On real small knives I like .080 or even .060.. One thing to consider is hot weather.. The thickest you can use will hold up better to heat.. I've seen thin sheaths loosen up real bad after being left on a dash board or something on a hot day.. On my Armageddon rigs I use .125;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top