Kydex sheaths for a beginner

R

Russ Josephson

Joined
Apr 21, 2003
Messages
14
Hello from Alaska. I'm new to all of this. I have a few knives I'd like to make Kydex sheaths for. I know nothing about this. I've made leather goods for a long time, but for some knives and situations, Kydex makes more sense, I think.

I'm looking for basic information, including what type of material to use (I see various thicknesses are available), where to get what I need, what type of designs are good (including any reasons NOT to put in a drainhole for use in wet conditions, suggestions how to use Kydex, etc. I don't know where to begin and I don't have money to burn screwing up a lot!

Many thanks for the help.

Russ Josephson
 
Texas Knifemaker's Supply also has a page on their website that talks you through it pretty well. I've made 4 neck sheaths with a heat gun and some grommets, a little trial and error and you get the hang of it pretty quick. The neat thing about kydex is you can use it over and over. If it gets screwed up the first time, just re-heat it and try again.
 
Thanks for the info and suggestions! I'll have to get busy reading all this stuff.

A couple of quick questions (but if the answers are in the info you've referenced, don't make the effort to reply; I'll get there eventually):

1. Which thickness of Kydex or Concealex should I use?
2. When making a belt loop, is there any reason to try to make a one-piece sheath, including the belt loop, or should I just cut a loop and rivet it on?

Thanks!
 
Hey Russ....

If you look around you will find a lot of info on the subject. I've personally writen volumes on the subject in various forums around...

The thickness of your material will vary depending on what you want to do with it...

Some sheaths I've seen are so thick the knife feels like its being pushed into clay.. That isn't always the desired effect...Other sheaths are so thick, and still don't hold the knife worth crap...

All depends what you want to do..
You want speed, security or both ?

as far as making a one piece sheath..
Let me ask you a question.

With the knowledge that it is usually the belt loop the breaks first...
Would you rather just screw on a new belt loop, or swap it out for something else?

Or would you rather replace the entire sheath when the belt loop breaks ?

Modular designs are Always the better bet, and are no less secure than anything else...

Also Don't rivet the loop on rather use posts and screws...

The Instructions on Assaultweb will get you started,, but are very,very basic instructions)No offense to Bossman). 208 pounds are not even in the ballpark of the pressure your going to need to press a sheath... More like, park your car ontop of the mold is heading in the right direction...

It will however get you going...

Hope that helps...

ttyle

Eric...
 
As usual Normark has all the answers when it comes to this subject, follow his advice :D

I'll second the advice on making the belt loop a second peice. I learned the hard way by breaking one off though, so consider yourself agead of the game now.

Don't get stressed out over setting up a million pound press set up. If you want professional looking results, yes you need it. Obviously Normark's success relies on a sheath that is sharp looking as well as functional.
If your just making the sheaths for yourself you can get by with a lot less. You definitely have to have the foam and some boards to press it all between though.
 
Thanks for the information, folks. I am finding this all very interesting. I will have to order some materials and get going on this.

On the issue of pressure, I have envisioned using two vises to hold the two boards, two foam sheets, and the knife taco/sandwich in the middle. Is this workable?
I'll check the link.

One thing I've wondered about is when to trim the excess material away. Say you've ordered a square foot piece of material and the knife is only 8 1/2 inches long overall. If you heat the whole sheet and fold it over, it obviously is too long. Are you able to cut away the excess right then? I assume it's easier when the Kydex is hot, but I picture the Kydex simply sticking to the shears (I assume metal-cutting shears would work for this). I don't see cutting the Kydex cold, either. I'll have to read the instructions on the link.

Thanks for your patience with a beginner.

Russ
 
Hi Russ..

To answer some of your questions.

Yes two vises side by side would work,although cumbersome.. Pipe clamps and C-clamps will also work well... I prefer straight, strong downward pressure rather than vertical pressure...Easier to handle I guess...

As far as trimming....

Just measure your knife add 1-2" on the sides that need trimming, heat and press.
Lay out your hole pattern, drill and them trim with a bandsaw, shears or whatever.

If you start cutting while the plastic is hot, you will majorly deform the seam and it will look like $hit. Don't do anything to it until the plastic is completely cold..

Hope that helps..

ttyle

Eric....
 
Originally posted by Russ Josephson
I don't see cutting the Kydex cold, either. I'll have to read the instructions on the link.Russ
Click to expand...

Russ,
If you don't have access to power-tools most thicknesses can be cut with some sorta heavy-duty shears. Even scoring it with a shop-knife and "snapping it" will work. Check out Normark's many posts on Kydex/Concealex toasting, he didn't hold many secrets back:D

One thing I had a problem with was skimping on material worried about waste. Be generous and trim the excess after molding.
Stay Safe,
Clyde
 
Normark si definitely our resident expert on this, and has shared more konwledge about kydex than I will ever have, so listen to him.

That being said, Insanity, that post you gave link to is from Scott Fulford here on BFC, so if you ask nicely he might still have the pictures. :) If so, I'll post them to one of my servers if it makes it easier. done it for him before. But you gotta ask, I dont' want to know about kydex right now, perfectly happy having friend make my kydex. :)
 
Thanks for more info. It just goes to show that the old saw we teachers use (No question is stupid except the one you don't ask when you really don't know and the answer isn't obvious to you) is correct. For those of us who have trouble visualizing, pictures help a lot. Seeing something done isn't as good as doing it yourself, in the end. At some point I have to jump in. Just didn't want to jump in unprepared is all.

One other thing that occurs: What's the best way to move the heated Kydex to the bottom foam before putting the knife on and folding it over, etc.? Metal spatula?
The devil is in the details.....
 
The kydex is workable at around 300 deg, any hotter and it gets super brittle once it cools. You can easily handle it wearing light cotton/jersey gloves.
I cut the foam in half so that I had 2- 6"X12" peices. Leave one ontop of a board laying on the workbench. After the kydex is hot I fold it and lay it on the foam, then lay the second peice of foam and another board on top and press.
I think I'm going to glue the foam to the boards and put a hing at one end so its just a matter of swinging it down and putting a C clamp on the open side.

If you don't have a bandsaw (wood or metal works) or scrollsaw, you can cut it easy enough with a coping saw, or probably even a hacksaw blade. Duct tape a block of wood to one end to use as a handle, if you put it in a hack saw frame you won't be able to cut clear across a sheet. It cuts easy enough that a hacksaw blade by itself will be stiff enough.
 
Originally posted by Russ Josephson
What's the best way to move the heated Kydex to the bottom foam before putting the knife on and folding it over, etc.? Metal spatula?
Click to expand...
I just grab it with heavy work gloves. The hands-on touch makes it much easier to wrap the kydex around the knife and set the whole shebang in place.
 
Thanks for the practical suggestions. I really like the hinged press idea. That sounds good. Unless the various types of sheaths are for items of greatly varying thicknesses, I imagine it would work great. (Up here we call it "skookum.")

I'm turning over ideas of other things that could be made of Kydex in my mind. I bet a lot of interesting and useful items are possible.

Thanks again for the ideas.
 
Hey Russ...

spatula ???

Heck No..

I've got the top half of a Space Suit that I bought at a NASA yardsale..
It's got grippers on it like the robot from Lost In Space, You know Danger, Danger Will Robinson...

Works Great.... :)

Cotton gloves work equally well though...:)


ttyle

Eric....
 
Exhaustive thread in the Shop Talk Archives on making kydex sheaths, including much info from Eric (Normark):
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=108946

Jens Anso has a great tutorial on kydex sheath making here:
http://pub42.ezboard.com/fcustomknifedirectoryforumfrm39.showMessage?topicID=113.topic

Jens Anso leather-wrapped kydex sheath tutorial:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=227482

Info on the foam used to form the hot kydex:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=205654

A thread with some general info on making kydex sheaths:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=222754

This page has kydex sheath-making instructions, as well as info on kydex & other materials in general:
http://www.cancom.net/~hnilica/miscellaneous.html

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"I'm turning over ideas of other things that could be made of Kydex in my mind. I bet a lot of interesting and useful items are possible."
------------------

Check out some of the items here: http://www.survivalsheath.com/flash.htm
 
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Originally posted by Matt Shade
I cut the foam in half so that I had 2- 6"X12" peices. ... If you don't have a bandsaw (wood or metal works) or scrollsaw, you can cut it easy enough with a coping saw, or probably even a hacksaw blade.
--------------

For cutting foam a good tool to use is an electric kitchen carving knife. To find one really cheap, check out garage sales. ;) I worked in a furniture factory where they used glorified versions of the electric carving knife to cut foam all day long.

efunctional_1736_121220492
 
Originally posted by RokJok
--------------
Originally posted by Matt Shade
I cut the foam in half so that I had 2- 6"X12" peices. ... If you don't have a bandsaw (wood or metal works) or scrollsaw, you can cut it easy enough with a coping saw, or probably even a hacksaw blade.
--------------

For cutting foam a good tool to use is an electric kitchen carving knife. To find one really cheap, check out garage sales. ;) I worked in a furniture factory where they used glorified versions of the electric carving knife to cut foam all day long.
Click to expand...
Um... I believe Matt Shade was referring to cutting Kydex with a saw? For the foam, all you'll need is a knife (hmm, where the heck am I gonna find one of those?!).
 
Thanks for the great ideas and links! I'd been to a few links before, but there were others I hadn't seen. Great ideas and info. My computer is so slow the tutorial took forever to load, and I didn't get the complete pictures, but it's very helpful.

For some reason, the survivalsheath.com link worked only partially. I got a mostly white screen with a bit of tan on the top and bottom. Maybe I can get it to load later. I'm really curious what others are doing. I have the idea in mind to try to do a two-pocket sheath for a small Spyderco and a Leatherman Juice that I carry daily. If that works, I'd work on one for a larger folder and pocket tool I like to carry when I venture into the great Alaska outdoors.

I guess I need to know about Tek-Loks. I'll have to search that.
Thanks again for all the help.
 
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