Kydex neck sheath

cpirtle

cpirtle

Leathercrafter
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Mar 28, 2001
Messages
4,640
I made a custom neck sheath as part of the deal for the forumite who bought this Spyderco Endura from me.

Since it's only the 3rd thing I've made from Kydex I wanted to solicit some feedback on it.

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Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions on design changes.



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Very cool....what is that little roller thingy? Looks good.
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Ken
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"Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
----Abraham Lincoln
 
Does the Endura snap open as it is being drawn from the sheath? Looks like it would do that. Very nice work.

The cord is hung from that little thing at the top and is attached by a rivet. Is that thing made of steel or kydex? Could prove to be a weak point. There are a few other ways of attaching the cord, but I don't which are better.
 
Overall design is very good. A few ideas. Ditch the cord, its a garret hazard. Go with Mil-Spec dog tag beaded chain. The chain is designed to break before it can be used as a weapon against the wearer. Second attach the chain/cord to the main body of the sheath. The fewer links in construction = fewer failure points.

Well, you asked
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R.W.Clark

Proud Member : California Knifemakers Association
 
I like the “pulley”. If this gadget is working failure-free, it’s certainly an innovative add-on.

Horus
 
Thanks for the compliments and suggestions. I have a thick skin so no one will offend me, but I do have some reasons for the design choice.

The roller thingy is actually a link of industrial chain link that I re-fabricated. I like it because it allows the knife to glide across the string with body movement and not cause the cord to rub your neck as many 2-holed Kydex sheaths do. It's attached with an aluminum Rivet and steel pin so I think it would be at least as strong as the Kydex. Since I use neckers mainly when mountain biking I often wind up with rope burn on the back of my neck from it rubbing.

The knife will not open as it is removed, I think if I tightened up the indent at the thumb hole a little and removed some of the material along the spine I might be able to get it to do it. That's a cool idea that I'll play with.

I personally like Para Cord over bead chain because of comfort, the chain rips at my hairs. I know it's down sides and think it would depend on the wearer's preference, this sheath will work with either.

I don't know why you would reccomend a chain because it breaks easier but then say to reduce the failure points
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I'd bet a beer that a dog tag chain would break before my attachment method. But based on the reason why I did it this way I think it's a trade off.

I'll do some testing on one and let you guys know which breaks first if your interested.

I have no intention of going into business selling these, just soliciting feedback. But e-mail me if you want one and we'll talk.

Thanks for all of the comments
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[This message has been edited by cpirtle (edited 05-25-2001).]
 
WOW that is a really nice sheath you made there CHAD are you taking orders??? They guy who is getting this will be a very happy camper......HAHA I am glad its me.......LATER Chad and great work. Chad is a great guy to deal with...murray

 
Excellent! I don't see anything wrong with it, but of course having it in my hand may be different. The press is incredible with great definition, shape is minimal and you left just what was needed there. Nothing bothers me more than sheathmakers who leave a foot of border around the knife and make the sheath way too bulky! Looks like the edges are nicely rounded for comfort and looks. As long as it holds the knife, it looks great! The roller is cool, too. I do a lot of cycling (road and mountain) and I know what you mean about the rope burns! I always wear a neck knife when I'm on the bike and it can be abrasive. The only thing I would change would be to ditch the rivets in exchange for screws. I just like screws better myself. Otherwise, A+!

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Dr. Steve Agocs
http://www.geocities.com/Chiro75/frames.html


agocs_s@hotmail.com
 
Very nice. One of these days I need to try my hand at that kydex stuff. Anyone know where I can get a small amount to play with?

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Have you noticed that time flies like the wind, but fruit flies like bananas ?
 
Most knifemaker supply places sell it by the square foot. I know Koval does, at least. If you want a bombproof sheath, go with 0.090" thick. If you are doing smaller or thin pieces or you want to get better definition in the press, then go with 0.060" thick. When I bought my first run of Kydex from a local supply house, a 4'x8' sheet (32 sq. ft.) cost me about $110 once I paid taxes. That was 0.090", and it was Kydex. I would check out Blade-Tech's website, too. Prices on Concealex are very competitive.

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Dr. Steve Agocs
http://www.geocities.com/Chiro75/frames.html


agocs_s@hotmail.com
 
Hi Cpirtle...

I think it's a nice little neck rig..
The roller bearing shows definate creativity,,that has some merit..

The point is,, it's your design,,if it works for you Excellent..
I myself think it's Great...Nice job..
I'm also not a big fan of ball chain.. Definate risks using cord though I agree..

Chiro...

Thicker isn't always better...

In my opinion using 0.90 synthetics on this type of a rig is Way Overkill,, and anything over 0.80 will make it difficault if not impossible to draw.

There is a need for some flex when it comes to rigs like this...

The neck rigs pictured below are of 0.80 Concealex.Anything thicker and they become difficault to get out, besides being a waste of material.

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Not to take any Thunder away from cpirtle's neck rig.

Always love looking at other peoples work..
Good Stuff...

Lets see some more..

ttyle

Eric....


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On/Scene Tactical
Leading The Way In Quality Synthetic Sheathing
 
Didn't want to rain on your parade, but you did ask for input.

Given the stated use (mountian biking), and the fact that the link is steel (not what I assumed was plastic), I take it back. Don't change a thing. Was I the only one who thought the link looked liked plastic in the photo?

Reasoning behind my suggestions of beaded chain and ditching the link. There is an old saying that has been used in the training of combat firearms for some time and is now finding its way into the knife world. K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). The fewer the parts or steps needed to get the job done the better. The fewer the parts the less likely a part failure will occur. I'll give an example : In class 4+5 rock climbing, we try to take as many links out of the "chain" as possible. Now is a rope rated at 12kn stronger than a biner that is rated at 25kn, of course not. So why when we are setting an anchor do we use 5 feet of the weaker rope than 3 or 4 of the stronger biners? The rope is one part, the biners are four. The more links the more likely you will have a failure.

As for the chain. I viewed the sheath as a piece of defensive equipment. If you have ever been in a position of a hand to hand life or death struggle, you would not want to give your attacker any weapons to use against you. Been there done that. Since it primary use is as a utility, its a moot point.

Best regards and keep up the good work.

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R.W.Clark

Proud Member : California Knifemakers Association
 
Thanks again for all of the compliments and suggestions.

Murry, Everything shipped today so you should have it Saturday or Tuesday, let me know how you like it.

Bteel, I got my Kydex from Koval (www.kovalknives.com). It's $5 for a 12x12 piece (.060). They're very nice to deal with but they only carry brass screw rivets which did not make me happy, oh well.

Chiro75, Thanks for the high marks, I was going to use screws but decided on rivets because I wanted to keep the size down, they're about 2x's as big. The cell phone case I made from Kydex has all Screw rivets.

Normark, you show stealing son of a #$^%&*
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Anyway, my stuff couldn't hold a candle to yours, the sheath you made for the Nimravus Cub I have is spectacular and gave me the motivation to try this out myself. I still can't get even close to the finish on your edges so if you want to throw me a bone...

I really like the concealex but could not find it on Blade Tec's web page, is that where you get yours?

RW Clark, I never thought you were putting my stuff down that's why I used the
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if not I would have used
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I appreciate input which is why I asked for it. I knew your point immediately about the chain breaking but I was just egging you on a little.

I rarely carry a knife with the intention of defending myself, strictly utilitarian and because I like knives (
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). Self defense is relegated to the HK USP Compact (IMO the best plastic gun in the world, arguably the best gun period)


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[This message has been edited by cpirtle (edited 05-26-2001).]
 
Well, since we're showing off sheaths...Here's some of mine!

Spyderco


Benchmade

I agree .080 is the best size for this sort of thing...

Also, if you like paracord but don't want to hang yourself, use a piece of 1/4 inch heat shrink tubing from the auto parts store as a breakaway link...

Running Dog



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Running Dog Knife Company
www.runningdogknife.bigstep.com
runningdog@dog.com
 
Great work cpirtle! Very innovative design, I like it!
I started chuckling when I read your remark to Nomark. I bought a beautiful sheath from Eric a few months ago for my Nemesis, and after looking at his work, I thought I would try to make a few sheaths from some Kydex.

I ordered some rivets, screws and kydex from Texas Knifemakers supply and I'm just waiting for them to show up. I have a couple of ideas I'd like to try too!

I think I have everything I need. The hardest part was finding some dense foam rubber to use in the press. I've got some, but I'm not sure if it's thick enough or how it will hold up to the heat. We'll see?
Any tips anyone?
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"May you live in interesting times"

AKTI - A000389
 
Hey cpirtle...

First Thanks for the compliments..

Keep working at it,, it will come, you aren't far off the mark...

As far as suspension of the neck rigs go, I have a Real problem with bead chain myself, especially dog tag chain.

Mike Sastre and I have discussed this in detail many times. I believe he uses heavier than mil spec first off. It does work for him and he has had great suscess with it from what I can gather...

My problem with bead chain is this.

The weakest link in bead chain is obviously the connection.

With repeated jerking of the knife out of the sheath,, this connector Will become weak in time. The possibilities of Blowing out this connector grows each time the knife is unsheathed.

As odds would have it, the chances of this happening in a emergency situation when you Absolutely need the knife to come out,, you know that the connector will blow out. Thats just good old Bad Luck.

On the other hand with cord, this more than likely Won't happen,,, but it also puts you into a possible dangerous position by having a garotte around your throat. This is a problem.

You would want the cord to break under certain situations, but not during others. This obviously is Impossible,, or Very hard to achieve. You can't have your cake and eat it too, so to speak.

The way I see it is this.

I would much rather know that the knife is going to draw cleanly each and Every time during a defensive situation, rather than the possibility of it failing at the most inopportune moment.

This is just my personal feelings on the matter.Besides if you've let an assailant get that close to you in the first place,, you've broken the #1 rule..

Both have their good points and bad, there is not as of yet the perfect solution to the problem.. If someone comes up with it,, I'd be interested in hearing about it..

ttyle

Eric....

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On/Scene Tactical
Leading The Way In Quality Synthetic Sheathing
 
I'll tell ya what...If some jerk who was bent on doing ME any harm got close-enough to me to choke me with MY neck-knife cord, I'd shoot him off of me with my 10mm Glock.
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cpirtle,
BTW...Nice-looking sheath.
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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
Maybe this should be a new thread....anyway the sheath I got from Mike Sastre has a heavy bead chain. My emerson LaGriffe had paracord. I don't really mind either way, Both have good and bad points. If I am going to be choked with my own sheath cord...well I should already have the open knife in my hand and if you are going to get close enough to grab the cord and choke me...well, you WILL be sorry. My opinion only. Your mileage may vary. (ymmv)

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Have you noticed that time flies like the wind, but fruit flies like bananas ?
 
If you use good quality ss chain of the right weight with the proper connnectors, failure of the chain/connector from drawing the knife is not an issue at all, and the chain will still breakaway if needed. I use my personal carry sheath for demonstrations at seminars/shows and have many thousands of knife opening draws done with this unit (Spyderco Matriarch/CF Concealex neck sheath) without a hint of failure. I'm not particularly gentle with equipment 'cause I want to know how it's going to act under adverse conditions. The para cord/ball chain arguement is akin to the 9mm/45cal debate and it all boils down to using the tools that you are comfortable with.

cpirtle,

Good effort - nice and creative! A sheath can be made to cause the blade to open, but in some juristictions that makes it an illegal device and also there are some liablity issues. Better one that doesn't cause it to open, but you can still open it on the draw yourself (inertia).

Eric,

Talk to you in the near future. TC&SS

Mike Sastre
River City Sheaths

[This message has been edited by Mike Sastre (edited 05-26-2001).]
 
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