Kydex scratching blade - options?

O

OathofStone

Joined
Feb 1, 2021
Messages
19
Recently picked up a new blade and I'm noticing the kydex sheath is starting to scratch the blade from where the knife tip is cutting the inside when putting it in. Seems to be a reoccurring issue? I've only had black blades and kydex before.

Is there a trick to preventing this or mitigating the damage besides putting the blade in as slow as possible?

To try and smooth the inside I've tried a fine file to get rid of the burrs but it doesn't seem to work very well. I tried rolled up fine sandpaper and it's not working as well as I expected to either.

Any tips or ideas?
 
I think it’s common. You can reshape the kydex with heat from a hairdryer if there’s one specific offending spot.
 
Kydex is a lot softer than a properly heat treated blade so, by itself, it will not make much of a mark. However, dust, sand and debris in the sheath can become imbedded and turn the sheath into a lap. Leather can do that as well although generally it will not be as aggressive. The only advice is to keep it as clean as possible to minimize the scratching but, if you carry it you probably cannot stop it from happening.
 
A well-fitted Kydex/Concealex sheath shouldn't scratch the blade, although grit can get inside. Over the last few years (OK, decades:D) I've migrated to all-leather sheaths, well-sealed with SnowSeal. That said, I don't baby my knives and a few scratches from use are fine with me.
 
You can definitely get kydex clean when you make it BUT if you use it, your gonna get grit in it. Especially if your a hunter or fisherman. It’s just the way it is. I use kydex on my fishing knives(waterproof I wade fish a lot) . I expect knives to get scratched eventually if I use kydex.
 
Are you thinking your sheaths are Too tight?
Kydex will scuff the finish..... When making the sheath, I like to wrap the blade with tape.
The trick is to have a fitted sheath without too much rattle.

But kydex is for "working knives" I personally feel minor scuffs are ok.

Fancy, show knives get leather..... But Still, they aren't supposed to be stored or even used. With them..... Seems redundant to me, having a knife I can't use, idk?
 
I have used a thin plastic, think ruler or similar. i will usually rinse out the sheath with warm/hot tap water and dawn. i use a ruler and hankerchief or other thin platic to work the hankerchief in the blade channel. I do this to remove sand, dust or any foreign contaminants. all the sheaths i own have drain holes. i then let the air dry in the sun for a day or so to ensure all the moisture is gone and move on.

I have had issues with a sheath or two and have built up multiple layers of painters tape along the blade to thicken the profile then heated up the sheath and reinserted the blade and left it in untilmthe plastic has cooled. i usually the the tip wrapped less in tape so it pinches it tighter at the tip and bulked up the rest of the blade. its worked great for me. once the hotspot was fixed the blade?can be lightly sanded. on my satin finish blades i have used oiled 500 grit sandpaper run from spine to edge. Not tip to hilt, And masked off the busse logo with tape to protect it, to remove light scratches. ymmv but it worked well for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top