Forming kydex

[veidemann]

Hi,
How do you shape the kydex after you have thermoformed( pressed) the sheath around the knife?
Do you cut it with a saw, or are there any other tricks?
When making a sheath how do you determine how much kydex is needed?
Any other tips when working with kydex?

joakim

 

[raker]

What I do is put in the rivits and cut off what I don't want on the sheath. A table top band saw, small belt sander, or tin snips will do the job. When done, sand the edges and that is all there is to it. You can heat a spot on the kydex for adjustment on the tension to withdraw the blade from the sheath. And don't place a rivit too close to the part that holds the blade in. The closer it is the more pressure it will take to pull the knife out, or what ever you are going to put in the sheath.
The amount needed is just enough to cover the knife plus about a 1/2" or so more all the way around the blade and up on the handle just a little. I put 2 layers of masking tape on each side of the blade to reduce scratching.
Hope this helps some.

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Ray Kirk
http://www.tah-usa.net/raker

 

[Trace Rinaldi]

I would suggest not riveting the sheath together until you have drilled your holes and sanded to final shape. That way you can get any slivers of kydex out before its riveted. I also run two pieces of duct tape down the length of the blade and cut to the shape of the blade. This will leave a bit of room and the sheath wont scratch the blade as much in use. Focus the retention in the handle area of the sheath, and make that fit tight.. Use the molding foam from Blade Tech. Hope this helps and makes sense..

Take Care
Trace Rinaldi
www.thrblades.com