Help! How Do I Form Kydex?

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elvenbladesmith07

Joined
Jul 29, 2004
Messages
663
i made a few versions of the david beck tracker and i want a horizontal sheath like benicio del toro's exept out of kydex. and no, i dont want it because it was in "the hunted" i just carry my knives that way, and i love becks knives because of the design not because they wer in "the hunted". so please guys dont start a big arguement over "the hunted". i just needs some help on how to form the kydex to fit the knife.
and now to my questions,
so, i found kydex belt clips and kydex rivet. but i dont know how to from the kydex, do i do it in a oven? also how do i get the perfect fit of the knife while alowing it to slide out easily when i need it? favorite knife that i really want to have a kydex sheath for looks like this without the holehttp://www.shindendojo.de/img/Tracker%20004.jpg
 
Here's how I've done it. There are others around here with far more success than me.

You need two pieces of firm foam. Camper's sleeping mats work well. The important part is that it's dense, firm foam large enough to cover the knife and sheath.

You need two boards at least as large as the foam. Hinge one end of the boards; I used a couple of pieces of 2" nylon strap.

Unless you're folding a pouch - type sheath out of kydex, cut two pieces roughly the size and shape you plan for the finished product. Leave plenty of extra to cut to shape though later. You'll need about a half inch of edge around the knife when your sheath is done.

Heat the kydex in your wife's oven to about 200 degrees - max. Give it about 10 minutes. When you take the kydex out of the oven it'll be very floppy and hard to handle, and it cools to stiffness rather quickly so there's no time to waste.

Lay one piece of floppy kydex on the lower foam, lay your knife on top of that and top it with the other piece of kydex. Close the other foam over the whole deal and stand on it. I guess you can figure out, the press is on the kitchen floor and the dog is in the other room.

When you take everything apart the foam should have formed closely around the knife. If you didn't plan it perfectly when you cut the kydex beforehand, and if something slipped while you were dancing around, you can trim the kydex pieces to the desired final shape when it's cooled.

You can also heat small areas with a hot hair dryer to make small adjustments, like to enable the knife to slip into and out of the sheath.

That's the basics as I see it. Hope for something better! :D And good luck.
 
Hi Elvenbladesmith, Welcome to Bladeforums!!!

Using the "Search" button at the top of the page can yield lots of info already available on kydex sheathmaking. It's a question that comes up pretty regularly here on BFC, so there have been a lot of responses already contributed.
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Follow the links posted to the thread below for info on kydex sheathmaking, especially the thread from the Shop Talk archives (for advice, methods, and tips from several different makers) and the links to Jens Anso's pictoral tutorial on kydex sheathmaking. Note that the Shoptalk Archive thread is several pages long, so be sure to read all the pages.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242230

.... or alternatively:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=252970

Pay special attention to comments by Normark (Eric Noeldechen of On-Scene Tactical). He is a commercial sheath maker who has made thousands of kydex/concealex sheaths for blades, multi-tools, flashlights, and other devices large & small. His forthcoming & practical advice to newcomers interested in kydex sheathmaking makes him a valuable resource to the knife knut community. The man knows whereof he speaks.

There are some pics of a DIY shop-built kydex press (half-way down the page, ignore the red "X" boxes in the initial post) in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261175

Picture of another shopbuilt kydex press, this one using a hydraulic bottle-jack:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264486

A good resource for sheath making and knifemaking in general is the tutorial page on Dan Gray's website:
http://www.knivesby.com/knifemaking.html

As you may discern from reading the info and studying the pics linked above, there are several ways in which a kydex sheath can be made. You get to pick which method you'd like to use. :cool:
 
heat it at 300 until it gets real floppy, that only takes say 10 seconds or whatever depending on your oven. put the knife on 2 layers of camping mat, and the Kydex over that, two more foam layers on top, and a piece something stiff like wood, and hop on.

The key is to cat it hot. work out how you are going to move ti to the foam, get it aligned, and hop on it before it hardens off. Good news is you can pretty much kep at it until it's right.

You can use anything to heat it that will develop the heat. I usualy do it freehand with the Kydex on a grate, and using one of those paint strippers that looks like a hairdryer. Once you get it all rivited together, it will probably be tto tight. I use a propane torch to open up, or I could trim it back tin it releases better. Plan rivet placement with that in mind, too much containment, and it ain't coming out.

For your first few knives, don't skimp on the kydex, if you do it can be hard to get it centered with enough material in the right place.
 
If you're just making a couple of sheaths, forget it and send them to someone who has experience or you'll get quite frustrated. If these sheaths are the tip of the iceberg, then go for it! The first few always look like crap, so don't get discouraged. It doesn't take much to make a goood sheath, but experience and patience are helpful, for sure. Having a press is nice, too, although I got along without one for years.
 
well i have made curboli leather sheaths many times and its a similar process exept i heat the leather in boiling water and form it with weights on the edge where it will be stiched, while the knife is in the leather. so my first attemps will look ok i imagine. also i am starting to have want of more kydex sheaths, its hard to make a tactical sheath for a knife out of brown leather
and i know where to get cheap kydex, kydex rivits, and boot clips to hold the sheath horazontal on a belt.http://knifeandgun.com/catalog/sheaths_and_supplies_186707_products.htm
the reason i dont want any1 to make them for me is money first of, and i also make my own knives and sheaths. ive never had 1 made so why start now? thats the point of making your own knives is because you made it! and you can customize how you want when you want, shouldnt that go for sheaths too?
 
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