Kydex & Leather for Swamprat Bandicoot

Martin Swinkels

Martin Swinkels

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Mar 6, 2005
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The idea was to have a Kydex liner incased in stiff leather. This to accomplish a supertough sheath..

2.4mm Kydex with 3 mm halftanned leather pouch. Glued, and Doublestitched with waxed tigerthread.

This is the idea;

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The leather is painted, and then waxed inside out.
The Kydex/Leather fusion makes a very strong and stiff sheath. The kydex provides stiffnes and the ability to rinse it clean once i a while, while the leather reduces noise, and looks good..

I'd like some feedback from you guys concerning this concept..

I also made one for my Ratmandu which I'll show in another thread


Nice Day!!
martin
 
I think its great..very nice.
 
Thanks for the compliments guys!

But what do the pro's think of this way of sheathmaking?

I don't see anybody make them this way, and I really wonder why.
I'm not Einstein you know :p, so I figure there are some very good reasons why you don't offer this option..

Thanks again!
martin
 
I'm not that pro you're looking for...but in the Scandi world, a lot of the sheath makers make liners for leather sheaths, only they are made of wood. From what i understand it's mostly for tradition sake.....seems to be over-kill to me, but they (the Scandinavians) made them that way hundreds of years ago, I guess, so there must be a good reason.

I can see yours will last a life-time as well...as for the reason they don't mass produce them this way....again, I would think over-kill factor. If a leather sheath is made well, why would a liner be needed? Plus it must be pretty costly to produce.
BTW, what is the function of the rivet (snap?) towards the bottom of the sheath? Is it to secure the liner in place?
 
rayban said:
again, I would think over-kill factor. If a leather sheath is made well, why would a liner be needed? Plus it must be pretty costly to produce.

BTW, what is the function of the rivet (snap?) towards the bottom of the sheath? Is it to secure the liner in place?
Click to expand...

It´s a chicago screw.
My first idea was to have a liner that was removable so it could be cleaned out every once in a while.
as it turned out the ´removable´ thing was overkill, it made no difference basically, so my third and fourth sheath don´t have that option. They have draining holes in the bottom, and that suffices.. By wetforming the leather around the opening of the liner it will be permanently sealed inside.
btw. the second hole is a missdrill (euh, drill... I mean SAK reamer) that didn´t hurt, so I left it there..

This whole kydex liner things comes from my experience that even the `best` leather sheaths collect all kinds off dirt. Sand, oxidation, food, blood, guts etc. as time passes. After a couple a years of heavy outdoor use (trekkings, bushcraft etc.) all my leather sheaths tend to fall apart. No custom maker could satisfie me, so I started to make my own.
I admit, they are meant for heavy use knives. No fancy stuff..
Kydex WILL scratch knife..
But Kydex isn´t that pretty. It feels cold in winter, makes noise when making contact with stuff and is very often offered wth very little carry/options.. So that´s why I ´degrade´ it to a liner (which usually are very poor made) for a nice leather pouch.
 
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That's the good thing about the style sheath you show...in leather, would take about an hour to make.....not counting drying time for the dye....so it don't last forever...fine.....make another in about an hour.
Good luck with your concept tho.
:thumbup:
 
mrrrtn said:
The leather is painted, and then waxed inside out.
The Kydex/Leather fusion makes a very strong and stiff sheath. The kydex provides stiffnes and the ability to rinse it clean once i a while, while the leather reduces noise, and looks good..

I'd like some feedback from you guys concerning this concept..

I also made one for my Ratmandu which I'll show in another thread


Nice Day!!
martin
Click to expand...

Kydex fusion, sounds familiar. ;)
 
rayban said:
That's the good thing about the style sheath you show...in leather, would take about an hour to make.....not counting drying time for the dye....so it don't last forever...fine.....make another in about an hour.
Good luck with your concept tho.
:thumbup:
Click to expand...

That's one way of looking at it.
But I'm a romantic, and imagine my sheaths being used by generations to come.
"My grandchildren will use grandpa's Knives AND Sheath's.." :rolleyes:

But seriously.
adding the kydex liner thing adds maybe half an hour to the process of making a new sheath. It's quite simple really, once you get the hang of it.


edit to add:
I don't like the idea of seeing a handcrafted leather sheath as some disposable object. I do repair my old and worn leather sheaths cause they collected scars during their years of use. Some scars connected to stories..
 
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ah ok, thats a relief. :D
 
leatherman said:
Kydex fusion, sounds familiar. ;)
Click to expand...

But what is your opinion on this interpretation?
does it have potence? does it suck?
what would you change, and why, from a professional point of view?

I'd really like this to be as good as possible, and your knowhow sure could help..

I'd really like to hear your professional opinion Dwayne..
(& others also of course)

Thanks!
martin
 
New to posting here, been lurking for a few years, enjoyed all your comments. I have a friend that has a Murr with a kydex inner liner with leather outer sheath. Positive retention, snaps tight, and the leather work was great as well. It has been the only one I have seen and it seems to work great with his sharp D2 steel Knife. Regards, Loosearrow
 
mrrrtn said:
But what is your opinion on this interpretation?
does it have potence? does it suck?
what would you change, and why, from a professional point of view?

I'd really like this to be as good as possible, and your knowhow sure could help..

I'd really like to hear your professional opinion Dwayne..
(& others also of course)

Thanks!
martin
Click to expand...

I'm off and running early this morning but I want you to know that I have a bunch of comments for you (most are good :D ) So far your work is looking great! Through watching, and leading, a few sessions with kydex/leather benders I can see some differences, and different can be a good thing. :)

I'll be back this evening to talk with you.
 
I'ma baaaaaad leatherbender. :o

Getting real busy with Blade coming up, I'll be totin nearly 100 sheaths there. The poor little skateboard car is going to be full.

I'll make time soon, promise
 
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