Custom BK11 and sheath (first knife project)

P

pirate223

Joined
Dec 7, 2012
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Hey guys. I just (kinda) finished my BK11 project. There are still some things I'm thinking of doing, but it's done for the most part. I'd still like to replace the TDI clip screws with phillips heads, and possibly add some sort of patina.
And before anyone says anything, I know the screw on the clip are on the wrong way.
Overall, I'm really happy how this turned out. I wanted to make a nice EDC fixed blade set up, and I think this fits the bill.

The sheath:
Made a basic kydex press out of two planks, some random foam, and some double sided tape
Molded my own sheath by pressing down on the press myself (I used .06 thickness kydex)
Threw on some 1/4 and 3/16 eyelets (set with drill bit, the bald head of a screw, and a hammer) :rolleyes:
Put on a KaBar TDI belt clip

The knife:
Stripped off the original black finish
Buffed it up a little on a buffing wheel
Put on a paracord wrap

(sorry for the odd angles, photobucket messed them up for some reason)




Just thought I'd share and see what you guys thought.
 
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Looks handy. Doesn't it feel good to do it yourself?
I've hesitated on bending my own kydex because "proper" foam is kinda pricey and I don't have any lying around. Good to know it isn't necessary!
How's the retention and release on that one?
 
Looks like a really nice set-up you've got there! Nice sheath and clip, and the brown of the paracord looks good on the naked steel. Nice job!
 
Looks great, my Indiawood Handles for my BK9 should be coming in any day now!
I'm thinking of stripping the coating and blueing it, what did you use if you mind me asking?
 
The 11 and 14 are terrific knives in a small package. You did a nice wrap and the kydex is first rate.
 
Thanks guys!


tjswarbrick said:
Looks handy. Doesn't it feel good to do it yourself?
I've hesitated on bending my own kydex because "proper" foam is kinda pricey and I don't have any lying around. Good to know it isn't necessary!
How's the retention and release on that one?
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Haha, it does! My wallet agrees to!
I think that as long as the foam is about 1"-1 1/2" in thickness and is soft enough to conform to the sheath reasonably well, it will work just fine. I doubt it's an exact science. By the way, if you do mold your own sheath, don't be afraid to reheat and try again. It took me about 10-15 tries before I was completely happy with the results. The blade retention is pretty good. I used one layer of scotch tape on the blade when molding the sheath and probably should have used more. It snaps in and out well enough, though, and I have no worries of it falling out.

Auraria said:
Looks great, my Indiawood Handles for my BK9 should be coming in any day now!
I'm thinking of stripping the coating and blueing it, what did you use if you mind me asking?
Click to expand...
Thanks. Sounds like a great set up you have planned! Wood handles look great on Beckers.
I used regular paint stripper. Just submerge the knife completely and wait about one to two hours. I got impatient and ended up scraping off what remained on the handle with a finger nail after about and hour. If you wait a full two hours, it should come completely off. Acetone would likely work as well.
 
Looks pretty good for a first try - you didn't even mangle the eyelets! The wrap looks great in both color and style. Very cool.

tjswarbrick said:
Looks handy. Doesn't it feel good to do it yourself?
I've hesitated on bending my own kydex because "proper" foam is kinda pricey and I don't have any lying around. Good to know it isn't necessary!
How's the retention and release on that one?
Click to expand...
Proper foam is like 12 bucks for a 12x12 slab. cut in half and add some scrap wood, and you got yourself a Kydex press. Now, a heat gun and toaster oven, a decent eyelet setter, those can start to run some clams, but it's still not too expensive, IMO.
 
granitestateofmind said:
Looks pretty good for a first try - you didn't even mangle the eyelets! The wrap looks great in both color and style. Very cool.


Proper foam is like 12 bucks for a 12x12 slab. cut in half and add some scrap wood, and you got yourself a Kydex press. Now, a heat gun and toaster oven, a decent eyelet setter, those can start to run some clams, but it's still not too expensive, IMO.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I just found the foam (right after posting that.) Last time I checked my searches for a piece came up dry, and a roll was just not doable.
I used to have a piece of butcher block secured to some 1" MDF with hinges. Was an awesome press for making mycarta, but I've since repurposed the lumber. But I may have enough left to make a sheath-sized press - or can probably find something lying around.
I have a heat gun and drill press, and figure I can either do punch-set split rivets or chicago screws for not too much investment.
Maybe I will bend my own Kydex here in the future after all.

So, thanks, Pirate for the inspiration!
 
Auraria said:
Thanks a lot man, will do in the future.
I owe you one!
Click to expand...
No problem.
I just remembered another thing along these lines. You'll probably find that the coating on the blade comes off as a whole in about 30 minuets, while the coating on the handle is a lot tougher and takes longer. This is because the paint stripper can get underneath the coating on the blade via the "edge" of the coating. So if you sand along the edges of the handle down the the steel, it'll allow the paint stripper to go underneath the coating on the handle, like it would on the blade. Just an idea that could potentially save you some time. I haven't tried it out myself.
granitestateofmind said:
Looks pretty good for a first try - you didn't even mangle the eyelets! The wrap looks great in both color and style. Very cool.


Proper foam is like 12 bucks for a 12x12 slab. cut in half and add some scrap wood, and you got yourself a Kydex press. Now, a heat gun and toaster oven, a decent eyelet setter, those can start to run some clams, but it's still not too expensive, IMO.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I don't know about the eyelets, though. I hate to think how good they'd look if I had eyelet pliers. They work as-is, though, so I'm happy.

Proper foam is probably worth it if you want to make a lot of sheaths. Being on a budget and not likely to make more than a hand full of sheaths makes me more inclined to save money where I can, though.
At the end of the day I've only made one sheath so far. I'm far from an expert and will digress to the opinion of any more experienced individual.
 
Nice knife. I was just looking at the thread you made.
I hope I made sense, I have a tenancy to confuse people over the internet when describing things.
 
pirate223 said:
Nice knife. I was just looking at the thread you made.
I hope I made sense, I have a tenancy to confuse people over the internet when describing things.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah duh! Wasn't paying any attention to what I was replying to!
I'm on vicodin since I had my wisdom teeth removed and my mind has been mush.
And you did well describing don't worry haha.
 
Thought I'd throw up some new, better-ish pictures. I'm seriously thinking of giving it a patina.
Again, sorry for the weird angles. Photobucket messes up the pictures for some reason.



Also, this is the press I used.
 
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