Kydex - help

[Mark Griffin]

Hi,

Can someone give me a few pointers on making a kydex sheath. I have about 6 sheets of 10 x 10 inch kydex but I haven't really go much idea of what to do next. About all I know is you have to apply heat to it to form it but how do you get a good fit around the knife??

Thanks

Mark

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Stay Cool.Hang Loose.Admit Nothing

 

[Chiro75]

I have made only one sheath, but I learned a lot doing it, so here are some things I would recommend from my experience:
1) I used two separate sheets and riveted them together at the four corners. The next ones will all be the type that uses only one sheet that is folded over. That way you get a nice smooth edge on the folded side, and you don't have to use as many rivets. Looks neater, too.
2) If you make a belt loop for it, it is good to have a wood or metal template to bend the material around. It's damn near impossible to form a belt loop freehand. I managed to do so, but it was a pain in the behind!
3) Use a heat gun to gently heat small sections of the kydex for a tighter fit. MOst sheaths require a little touch up work, but be careful because the materials shrinks and expands when heated, so if you can ruin the entire thing just by trying to heat one area.
4) I used a pair of heavy work gloves and an old cotton t-shirt as a "pad" to mold the kydex around the knife. SOme sort of heat resistant foam would be better, but not everyone has it available. You can pad both sides, but be aware that the sheath will be fitted to the knife from front and back....sometimes is better to leave a board or something stiff on the backside sop that side will remain flat.
5) Drill any holes and slots ONLY when the design is 100% completed. If you touch up the sheath after the holes have been drilled, then the material shrinkage may throw these holes out of alignment.
6) If you totally screw it up, you can always reheat the whole mess and start over again. I managed to make an ugly, but 100% functional sheath on my first try, so you can too!
7) Heat the kydex at about 375 or so...too hot and it becomes shiny. Basically just watch the oven and when the corners start to fold over, then it is plenty hot. It cools quickly, but make sure you leave the molding pad in place for a while because it will styill shift and expand/contract until it has fully cooled.

I hope this helps! Email me personally if you have any more questions...
Steve

 

[steveba]

I use a heat gun instead of the oven. It's much easier to do the folds one at a time. I also put on an oven mitt to press the kydex along the knife's contour. It works very well for one or two piece sheaths.

Steve

 

[Burke]

Where can I get Kydex or Concealex? What should I expect to pay? Thanks.

 

[Tmac]

Burke,

The only place I've found to get Concealex is at Blade-Tech. Info and prices are on the following site:

https://www.blade-tech.com/store/sheathmaking.html

If you have any questions, Vince at Blade-Tech is the one to talk to. I ordered a batch last Monday, haven't recieved it yet, so I can't tell you how it works or machines. This will be my first time tring to make concealex sheaths so I'd also be interested in anybody elses adventures as well.

Hope this helps.

Take care,
Tom

 

[wbarnes]

Mark I use my kitchen oven @ 325-350 degrees
heat the piece till limp but don't over heat it will shrink into unusable. Then i take the piece out and fold it in half squeezed flat between a couple of thickness of towel and two boards. I then lay the knife on top and mark and place my rivets. Then i do the same prcess again only inserting the knife in while the kydex is real soft before pressing it all tight. I've been using this for upsidedown carry neckknives and it works real well. Hope this helps.

wendell

 

[A T Barr]

When I made Kydex sheaths in the past, I used a PVC Thermo Foam. It was about 2.5" thick and I glued it to two pieces of 2" X 6" X 18".

I first use 2" wide masking tape (3 or 4 layers) on both sides of the knife blade. If you don't do this, you will really scratch up your blade.

I use my wife's oven to heat up my Kydex. You will need to experiment with the temperature. For 1/16" thick I used about 310 degrees, and I think I used 325 degrees for 3/32". If you get it too hot, it will stick together. And, if you don't get it hot enough, it will not form to the shape of the knife. Anyway, since that Kydex is really hot, I wear cotton gloves.

After the Kydex is limp from the heat, I lay it on the piece of foam. I then place the knife on the Kydex, and then I fold the Kydex over. You need to leave an ample amount of extra Kydex. Don't try to save material. I then take the other piece of Foam and place it on top of the Kydex, that I wrapped over my knife. I then stand on the top board and
rock my feet. This makes the Kydex form to the knife blade and handle.

In about 5 minutes, the Kydex will be cooled enough for you to remove the blade. Don't rush it. If you don't like the way it looks, just pop it back into the oven and re-heat it. I then grind the Kydex down to the
shape I want. To make the belt loop, I just basically do the same thing I described above, but I use a 2-3" wide strip, that I double over (after being heated and limp) and lay on the bottom piece of the Thermo Foam.

I then place the sheath (with the knife inside) on top of the limp Kydex, place the other piece of Thermo Foam on top. I then stand on top and rock until the Kydex is cool.

I used the oven to fit the belt loop to the sheath. After I glued the belt loop to the sheath, I used a heat gun to open up the belt loop. I used either a 2" or 1 1/2" wide piece of 1/8" thick Micarta to shape the blade loop. After I opened up the belt loop, I would then finish the shaping of the sheath.

The glue I use is Oatey orange for CPVC. Just skuff up the inside of both parts of the Kydex with some 220 grit sandpaper. Apply the glue to both sides. Keep pressure on the two parts for a minimum of 4 hours. If you will check with your local Plastic Suppliers, you will be able to purchase Kydex fairly inexpensively.

A.T.
http://www.customknives.com