Kydex Questions

[Walkindude]

Ok, so I decided I would try my hand at bending some Kydex. Picked up a Kydex kit from knfekiits, a few odds and ends. Made me a press, got a heat gun and went for it !

First experiment was pants for my Hairy Carry, turned out pretty good overall, except for I overheated the Kydex, it turned glossy in a few places :grumpy: I ran into trouble trying to tweak it though, initail fit was ok, but rattled a little, so I tried to tighten it up

My question is this, after trying my Hairy Carry in it a few times, I noticed scratching on the blade Is this just the nature of the beast and get over it, or are there ways to prevent it?

I didnt notice any scratches until I tried tweaking it to get a tighter fit. I'm thinking I should have left it alone

I covered the blade with 3 layers of masking tape before molding the kydex around it, would more help? Or maybe a thin layer of cardboard covering the blade, making it a little thicker help?

Or should I just quiet my whining and get on with bending?

 

[Mike Sastre]

Masking tape helps build in "freeplay". Scatches are caused by dirt or debris in sheath; rub marks are caused by too tight a fit (no "freeplay"). When you adjusted, you probably went too tight in an area. Adjusting can be akin to voodoo sometimes - more experience will help.

 

[Walkindude]

Thanks Mike, thats kind of what I figured, its more rub marks than scratches.I made sure the sheath was clean inside.

I'll just try it again, now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing !