kydex information needed

R

rachet197

Joined
Jul 16, 2011
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Any information about buying eyelets?(knifekits are they good?)
Or about putting in eyelets?
Also what heat gun should I buy?(I only wanna spend like $20)
Kydex thickness?(my first sheath is going to be a mora MG sheath, but I wanna do bowie sheaths with the same kydex)


THX in advance...
 
.08 or .093 thickness. There's little downside to the thick stuff unless you start doing small stuff.
I rarely use the heat gun these days, toaster oven for the win. A cheapo heat gun from lowes/homedepot is fine
Knifekits has decent eyelets. They also have inexpensive tools to seat them with. I use their journeyman series tools. They're ok, very good for the money. Make sure you get the matching size drill bits for your eyelets, regular drill bits aren't as good in kydex, it's worth having the right ones.
 
This is just my opinion, but I use chicago screws so the sheath can be dismantled for cleaning. As for thickness go for the heavy stuff, 0.93 I think it for you guys, about 2-3mm
 
I have only made a few knife sheaths but tons of holsters. I like .08 an .06 for sheaths. Buying you plan in doing some larger blades go with the .08. I use Chicago screws a lot for holsters but for sheaths I use the eyelets from knife kits. I would also suggest getting the manual setter, it works great. I have been using a heat gun from harbor freight for a year an a half with no problems. I do most of the molding with the oven an use the heat gun for detail an retention.

IMO 93 is overkill and it's tougher to work with an doesn't form as nice. I use it for holsters a lot but even then .080 is plenty for firearms from my experiance.
 
I'll just pass along what I was told when I had issues with 93, and they were right. Let it soak longer. It WILL mold very well, but it takes significantly longer to really soak up the heat. I think I get my best knife results with .08 but with larger sheaths it might be different. I'm planning to use .06 for some firearm stuff. I think the different retention methods and larger volume of the opening changes things a bit. I can't speak from experience, but most of the holsters and mag pouches I've seen used thin stuff and that seems to be the consensus so that's where I'll start.

Lately with the knife sheaths I've not needed the heat gun but you do need to have one. Those little adjustments require it, but I highly suggest the toaster oven for getting the actual molding done. The heat gun is to make adjustments at the mouth more than anything else.
 
elasmonut said:
This is just my opinion, but I use chicago screws so the sheath can be dismantled for cleaning. As for thickness go for the heavy stuff, 0.93 I think it for you guys, about 2-3mm
Click to expand...

Thx all of you for the info.

But, where do you get your chicago screws for .093 kydex?
Can you use lock tight on chicago screws?
What tools do you need for eyelets?
 
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I use 0.63", which is 1/16" thick. folded over that's 1/8". Thicker is really overkill, IMO, unless your blades are up in the 5"+ size or quite thick and heavy.
My chicago screws probably came from Jantz - the female half is too long, I grind them to length. I put a little rubber gasket under one side to provide some tension and prevent loosening. Lok-tite should work.

Agreed on the toaster oven. They're often free, or frequently $20 at the discount store. A spare toaster oven for the shop is indispensable - you can temper in them too, if you're careful (ideally pre-heat the thing).

-Daizee
 
Since most of my knives that I use kydex on are 4" or less, I use 063. Have used 08 on occasion but don't see a need for it on smaller knives. I use my toaster oven to heat the kydex. For mouth adjustments, I just use my propane torch. Be careful not to get the flame too close. I buy my eyelets from Jantz as well.
 
For me, the .08 works better than the thinner stuff on nearly every knife. I don't have to adjust the mouth, I get a nice clean crisp hold and release, and the difference in final thickness isn't that big a deal really. It seems like it at first, but after a couple it stops seeming odd. The thickness isn't needed for most of the sheath, it's for how it works at the mouth.
wolfhound5.JPG

That's a 3.5" blade in .08 kydex. The top of the sheath just barely bends in around the lower portion of the handle scales. The point of contact is small and engages and releases over a very short distance. With .06 that wouldn't hold well enough since it flexes too easily, I'd have to have a much larger hold area and it starts to lose the crisp clean feel. Obviously it depends on the design, but I was a big .06 guy myself until someone pointed out the advantages of the thicker stuff and the increased soak times needed to get a crisp mold. Let's just say that no one was complimenting me on my sheaths until after I made the switch.
Same general setup, better angle.
jameslycaon24.JPG
 
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Make sure you buy the right length rivets for the thickness..I bought some S-61 siska rivets to use on .93 kydex..They are long enough to hold well but not really long enough to roll over correctly and look good..Ill save them for the .60 stuff. I went ahead and ordered some S-66 rivets..I bought a set of Tracys eyelet dies and they are nice..Make a very nice clean roll..Im using my drill press to hold the dies right now but whenever I get around to a harbor frieght store Ill pick up a cheap arbor press and modify it..I cant stand buying a $27 press and paying $30 for shipping:p
 
I am planning on making the belt loop out of 1.5 inch wide nylon webbing, with .093 kydex.
Could I use a .250 chicago screws with the nylon webbing plus the two sheets of kydex is .257 thick?
Also at knifekits why does it say size 8-9?

THX for the help......
 
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