How to make kydex the cost effective way

Very cool. I love to see people reusing and recycling what would be waste. Especially when it saves money. I imagine that something like an old tupperware container or a broken plastic kids toy might work. Of course, there are lots of things you can salvage leather from also.
 
That is pretty cool...
Could also make a cost effective machete sheath instead of the duct tape and carboard...hmmmm..

:thumbup:

I guess you could paint it too huh? w/ like krylon or something made for plastic? I might have to try that for my M2K
Thanks!
 
I've used pickle bucket for lots of similar projects in the past -- not as durable as kydex, but gets the job done.
 
Great way to save some cash. Also, unless you do your own kydex, it doesn't make a ton of sense to put a 8 dollar Mora into a 30 dollar kydex rig.

Good stuff, thanks for posting.
 
Great idea!Perhaps I can make use of those yellow cat little containers I keep throwing out...
 
thats what i was thinking this is a great way to learn to work with kydex so you wont mess up the real thing (hopefully) :)
 
shotgunner11 said:
Great way to save some cash. Also, unless you do your own kydex, it doesn't make a ton of sense to put a 8 dollar Mora into a 30 dollar kydex rig.

Good stuff, thanks for posting.
Click to expand...

Now to find a laundry detergent bottle with a color as ugly as a Mora 2000 - maybe the bright green ones that Gain comes in would be good.
 
That thread is fantastic and original. I never thought about using milk jugs before. Gosh I love that stuff. On the same plane, here is a post I did a while back about PVC pipes. They aren't the best out there and can crack, but it does protect the upholstery!





Ok. So the duct tape one I have won't do for tomm. I needed an upgrade and [color:red]QUICK.[/color]
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Luke, remember that camo didjeredoo I brought to pwyp?
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275 degrees, 20 mins
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prep. It didn't work.
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first run, used foam. DON't.
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It didn't form well. We want quick and dirty... so I put the sleeve back and took the foam out.
 
Very cool! I do agree a big detergent jug may be even better, you could cut a nice flat sheet.
 
sort of OT, but within the realm of repurposing plastic:
I used to form body armor for full contact martial arts practice out of plastic barrels.
even tested it out one day with a bow and arrows & a revolver. (strapped a chest protector to a hay bale)
with a 60 pound recurve, field points would crater but not go through. Broad points stuck with about 1/4" of point sticking through the back side. 158 gr. .38 lswc glanced, but gouged the plastic pretty bad.
 
I forwarded the link to me Brother and he responded that a lot of plastic jugs are designed now to break down over a shorter period of time because of all of the plastic in landfills. Exposure to sunlight (UV) will do that faster. Still, an interesting albeit shorter lived sheath!
 
Good point Don,

Polyethelene (most laundry and milk jugs) doesn't take paint well either so that would be out as a UV protectant - there is always your good friend duct tape there to provide some UV protection, or a layer of ranger bands.
 
if you wipe HDPE down with acetone or give it a light flaming with a propane torch, this will leach out enough of the surface oils that it will accept paint - especially primers designed to stick to plastic.
another option is to hit the finished product with some 3M #77 or #99 spray adhesive and wrap the sheath/scabbard with a piece of fabric as a UV protectant and a way to hide the hideous and unnatural colors many buckets come in.
 
I'm gonna play devil's advocate here and be the one to say this is a bad idea.

A) A milk jug (tide bottle, etc.) has zero puncture resistance but lots of flex.
B) Have you ever seen what happens to a milk jug that's been exposed to the elements repeatedly?

You're walking through the woods and slip and land on your knife. It's in a sheath that's easily punctured anyway and since you've been using it a while, it's now brittle and ready to crack. Your penny pinching at best just caused you a hospital bill and a shortened trip. At worst, you're screwed.

If you wanna make your own sheath, I advise you splurge the whole ten bucks it would cost you for a 12x12 piece of kydex or leather. Joe's PVC pipe idea would be better as well.
 
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