Kydex pressing foam question

The 710 said:
I noticed that anything higher than that burns it... besides if its not hot enough to play with leave it in for an extra few seconds or minutes... once it gets to hot there is no trying to fix it you just end up with a big melted scrap. just like wood "measure twice cut once" I dunno maybe it's the carpenter in me....
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Oh, no no, I was wondering what you use to measure the temps with, like an IR thermometer or just by the "oven gauge"... I'm still trying to get a sheath that is worth me posting about...

I shoot mine with an IR from sears and have found that I need to push upwards of 325 for good impressions... how ever my "press" may not be the best... I've just built a new one but am waiting on some new foam, the stuff that I get from sports authority seems to fade quickly. Any ways I don't want to hijack this thread from the OP

NeverMore1701 said:
I use the oven and an old cookie sheet.
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I use a griddle...
 
It may sound really primitive but when I first started useing Kydex for my press I used two plywood boards and two Life jackets from out of my boat. Considering I was kinda pressed on cash they turned out quite well. I just heated the kydex until it was flimsy enough to bend and sent sandwiched it between the life jackets, and then put a wieght on top of the plywood to add pressure. If your low on cash and looking for a quick fix it works.
 
Needle Mouse said:
It may sound really primitive but when I first started useing Kydex for my press I used two plywood boards and two Life jackets from out of my boat. Considering I was kinda pressed on cash they turned out quite well. I just heated the kydex until it was flimsy enough to bend and sent sandwiched it between the life jackets, and then put a wieght on top of the plywood to add pressure. If your low on cash and looking for a quick fix it works.
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I may live in Hawaii, but that does not mean I own a boat... them thing cost an arm and a leg... and then some!

My first press was similar to yours, just the foam was from a different source. I don't think that cost is really an issue since we're (those who posted pics) use pretty much the same scrapwood press, oh except for that one guy with the CKK press...
 
my first press was a phone book...i placed the knife between the pages and sat on it.... for eyelets i used hardware store rivets...that was before the internet :)
 
theHobbyist said:
Oh, no no, I was wondering what you use to measure the temps with, like an IR thermometer or just by the "oven gauge"... I'm still trying to get a sheath that is worth me posting about...

I shoot mine with an IR from sears and have found that I need to push upwards of 325 for good impressions... how ever my "press" may not be the best... I've just built a new one but am waiting on some new foam, the stuff that I get from sports authority seems to fade quickly. Any ways I don't want to hijack this thread from the OP


I use a griddle...
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I use a toaster oven and go by what it says on the dial, I used to use the kitchen oven until my wife found out... just try a lower setting and work your way up until you find what works for you. I usually get my press, knife, prep, etc.. while preheating my oven
 
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Whenever my kydex is too hot the foam melts to the sheath. Have over-heated lots of kydex and cant see how it would leave such a deep imprint. The kydex itself will most times shine and be more melty then pliable when overheated (if that even makes sense)

My $ says Pressure/weight and how its distributed is whats causing it.

Here is My set up op, never has it given me similar issues
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1353513650.848980.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1353513774.250367.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1353513800.396007.jpg
 
I think the strong imprint is from an awesome press job and great definition. Mine never effected any other kydex but I usually don't make any more then 2 sheaths in one day. I usually set my oven on 325 and let the kydex get to around 300 and that seems to work fine. I think the foam is just a sign that you are doing a great job
 
whatever happened with this, did knife kits ever answered?
also check this out, i thought of it few days ago:
DSC01880.jpg

i used a 1/4 bolt with a T nut to create a press stop for more consistency when making multyple sheaths for the same knife
 
I was just wondering the same thing. I just got some new foam from knife kits, they're using a new source/brand of foam, it no longer has a "shiny and dull" sides, and it seems less porous.

@sonil I like the idea of stops like that, I might try something like that when I build my next press... When heh... if I guess that all depends on how many sheaths I start making...
 
Here is my old press which I used for over a year, same foam for a year too

IMAG0129.jpg


Here is my new press I made and had welded together

FB_IMG_13541924862401817.jpg
 
So I've been trying to make this sheath for a while, I won't get into details but I did do a little experiment. I over heated my kydex (362 when I pulled it off the griddle) and used a bit more pressure than usual (I don't have away of measuring that... yet)

In any case I think it's a temperature thing I was able to almost recreate the result

wp000199n.jpg


It didn't cut into the foam but it left one hell of an impression!
 
You don't need to press so much of the handle - leave most of it outside your press for less imprint.
 
Here is another thought... WD-40 is flammable might be an issue with post office regulations
 
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