Hey Guys...
Neil..
I agree what Chiro and Michael are saying..
It is something you have to live with..
The problem with making a sheath that locks onto the scales,,, and this is the way 99.9% of the kydex/concealex sheaths are made is that,, if you ONLY have the material grabbing the scales and around the handle,, maybe the choil,, you will have Slop in the sheath. A nice blade,, but sloppy..
In other words the blade will slap around in the sheath...
If you are Dead Set on lining your sheaths,, there is a way to do it,,in Theory anyway...
You need to find a material,, such as closed cell foam and somehow bond it to the kydex..
The material has to be impervious to water..Silicone impregnated maybe!
It's not an easy task,,finding something that will last a very long time!
This causes another problem..
Crap becoming stuck in the sheath will scratch the blade then anyway..
Chiro's idea of a completely removable rig,,would be the answer to the problem,,But this in itself poses it's own problems,, more in the way of looks than function.
No matter how you slice it,, there really isn't an answer to the problem of scratching...
Actually there is one way!
Line the Concealex with whatever you want,, but you have to use either SS, Ti,Talonite or something that doesn't stain..
This way it doesn't matter how much water is in it,, it won't rust..
The way I look at it is this..
If I buy a blade from someone,, I'm going to use it,, no matter how beautiful it is, I will use it.. I'm a user of knives not a collector.
It's one thing our customers will have to get use to if they want a high quality Concealex sheath,, designed to do what it is suppose to do.. Hold the knife in place!
I just finished a custom rig for a customer with a Dozier Toothpick in D2...(pics on my site)
After the initial press,, I remove the blade, reinsert it once to make sure it was a good press,, then cover the blade in E-tape, to protect it from those nasty little scratches. Sharp Concealex/Kydex edges and the dust,, are wicked abrasives...
After I set the eyelets, I sketch out the design,,cut then rough sand. I then check for fit...
The blade goes in and out of the sheath at least a dozen times to ensure proper fit.Once it fits and I'm happy with the look,, then everything from there is hand sanded to make sure I get out 99% of the scratches,,then polish...
An important step here that might help you,,is washing under HIGH pressure.Blow out as much of the dust as you can.. and remove any sharp edges,, especially inside the mouth.
Once this is done..I remove the e-tape,, then start to play with Exact fit, blade slop,,side to side,, tightness,,doing touch ups with the gun..
To get a tight blade fit I indent the rear of the sheath Against the blade...
This is where you get rubbing...
It can't be helped,,either you want a nice tight fit,, with no slop,, or a sloppy blade,,but no scratching or rubbing!
Pheeew!!!
That's my story and I'm sticking with it!
Hope it helped you guys...
Michael,, thanks for the plug dude!
Eric - OST
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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
