Kydex vs Leather

I can see situations where both have there place.

But for a using knife, the only knives I own, Kydex/Concealex is it. Try a neck sheath of leather....

The belt rig for my TOPS Talonite Shadow Hunter is a dream, no rattle, and not hard to draw but very secure. And no retaining strap, I find those very annoying.

The thing with Kydex and Concealex is this...

The skill of the worker, and the workers design skill, a well made Kyd/Concealex sheath is a functional masterpiece, a bad one is usually really bad.

Leather though is pretty easy to do...

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Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com
Coeur D'Alene, ID
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

Allen Blade Custom Knives including MEUK Talonite Knives
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff/allenblade.html

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
Maskwa...

I'll keep you posted on the cold weather..
It may be cold enough to do it not..
I'll set one out tonight and test in the morning...

As far as the finish on the CRK.. I have no idea...
I was working with brand new CRK blades,, that were Murray's at Pro Edge,, and I wasn't taking any chances on scratching anything...
Blades were all taped up entire time I had them...

Have a look...

project1shadow4.jpg



Send me over that sheath and I'll build you a new belt loop for it.. Ok!

ttyle Eric....




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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom made, High Quality
Concealex Sheaths and Tool Holsters
Canada's Only Custom Concealex Shop!

 
Originally posted by Marion David Poff:
...Try a neck sheath of leather...
Click to expand...

OK...
biggrin.gif

View

This is a leather sheath I made for a HI Kagas Katne one day when I was bored w/nothing better to do. I made the welts thinner than usual for a friction fit plus the leather is lined with rubberized magnets to improve hold. The knife is NOT coming out unless you want it to.

Don't get me wrong. If you follow the link in my sig, you'll see I have some really fine Kydex/Concealex rigs. However, don't sell leather short either. (BTW, the other custom leather in my photo album is my work as well.)

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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

He who finishes with the most toys wins.

[This message has been edited by bcaffrey (edited 01-21-2000).]
 
Brian,

Thank you for making my point. You had to add to the leather, rubber and magnets to make it work to your satisfaction. With Kydex/Concealex you simply form.

I like Leather in some applications, like gun holsters. But in all of my knife use I have never seen the need for a leather sheath.

But, they shur r purty.

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Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com
Coeur D'Alene, ID
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

Allen Blade Custom Knives including MEUK Talonite Knives
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff/allenblade.html

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
Kevin Wilkins of Ultima Ratio Regis (that was from memory, hope I got the name right) uses leather for neck knives. No magnets etc., holds the knife very securely, is thin and comfortable, silent to draw and won't scratch. Works great.

Jack

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Two degrees in be-bop, a Ph.D in swing, he's a master of rhythm, he's a rock and roll king.

[This message has been edited by donovan (edited 01-22-2000).]
 
Well, Marion, yes & no. Yup, in this case I did augment the leather. I'd had the rubberized magnets laying around for a while & I wanted to see how they'd work. However, I'm confident that the friction fit alone would have held it just fine.

I'll try to post a couple of additional pics by tomorrow. One is the original AG Russell sheath that came w/my Sting II -- thin leather that really molds itself around the handle. The other is a custom sheath I made for a very small push dagger. On that, I made the welt so that it curves in a bit behind the blade when it is sheathed. Both are very secure for even inverted carry.

Rant mode on >> I just received a custom, Bowie w/satin finished blade & Kydex sheath. You know what's coming... The blade already has rub marks from the bloody plastic! << rant mode off.
wink.gif


I'm not knocking thermoplastics -- in fact, I'm going to try making my first next week. It's just that I don't think they're the "be all & end all" for all knives & applications.

As to the durability of leather, take a look at the sheath for the Puma Bowie on my page. It is 20+ years old & has endured every type of weather condition in North America. I feel that it has a thinner profile, spine to edge, than could ever be achieved w/Kydex.

BTW, can anyone suggest a good adhesive for bonding thin leather to Kydex?



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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
Had a leather sheath on my Randall #14 when I was stationed on Okinawa. Guess what, the sheath lasted all of 6 months and that was using mink oil all the friggin time.

It started to rot in the Okinawa monsoon season and with mutiple trips to the Phillipeans (sp) and other exotic islands the leather just could not hold up to all the humidity. (not to mention rice paddies) Had a friend with a K-Bar and he had the exact same problem, but his leather washer handle also started to rot from all the mosture in the air.

The blades were also rusting almost every day from all the mosture the leather traped next to the steel. My Randall is SS and it still started to rust a tad.

Anybody in the military or that uses their knives in a high humidity area should stay away from Leather and try Kydex or somthing like BlackHawks line of knife sheaths.
 
Normark
I appreciate the offer to modify my sheath but it really isn't that necessary, my web belt is 3.25" wide and the sheath fits up to a 3" belt... so close
frown.gif
. However the sheath does have grommets on it which line up quite nicely with the grommets on my belt, I picked up some metal key rings and used them to lock my belt and sheath together. I am sure that my sheath is not going anywhere, not without my webbing and myself anyway
smile.gif
.

Besides I also like ptpalphas idea and think that is the way to go. I can get olive drab concealex for my webbing and use leather when I want to travel light and not look like I am "going to war".

As for the topic of Kydex vs Leather I think both have their place but I am partial to leather, I never owned a kydex jacket before and doubt it looks as good or smells as nice as a leather one
wink.gif
.

------------------
But what is strength without a double share
Of wisdom? vast, unwieldy, burdensome,
Proudly secure, yet liable to fall
By weakest subtleties; not made to rule
But to subserve where wisdom bears command. -Milton
 
I thought of a good niche for leather.

Some odd sheathing stuff. Allen Blade and I have been trying to devise a sheath for my Normark Hunter Skinner's Axe, no luck.

And my Cold Steel Reifleman's Hawk, no luck so far, though I have an idea.....

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Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com
Coeur D'Alene, ID
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

Allen Blade Custom Knives including MEUK Talonite Knives
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff/allenblade.html

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
Marion...

I just did 2 Normark hawks in Concealex for a customer...

They turned out very well,, although they aren't made for carrying on a belt,, a loop would have been no problem to add on....

Why don't you try a kydex/leather combo.Use the kydex to keep the hawk in,,and the leather for looks....
Might be an idea...

ttyle Eric...

------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom made, High Quality
Concealex Sheaths and Tool Holsters
Canada's Only Custom Concealex Shop!

 
Maskwa...

No probelm..If I can be of service,,drop me a note.


Marion....

Umm ... I just put the spine against the fold and pressed.. Put eyelets all the way around...

Not really sure how to explain it any better...
They are just a protective cover.. The fellow tosses them in his pack and doesn't want them all dinged up..

They are a Bugger to get off,,but thats the way he wanted them.

As for the e-mail I mentioned.. not quite sure what you are talking about..I Must have missed something again..LOL

ttyle Eric...

------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom made, High Quality
Concealex Sheaths and Tool Holsters
Canada's Only Custom Concealex Shop!

 
Normark, Oh I get how you did the sheath...

You mentioned the email in a thread about Allen Blade's new site.

Eye...

The site is coming along nicely...

I wanted to e-mail you something,, but couldn't find your e-mail address anywhere

First I've seen Allens Blades Nice work he does...

Good job..

ttyle Eric...
Click to expand...

------------------
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com
Coeur D'Alene, ID
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

Allen Blade Custom Knives including MEUK Talonite Knives
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff/allenblade.html

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.

[This message has been edited by Marion David Poff (edited 01-25-2000).]
 
Marion....

lol.. I was just razzing you about how many links you had to your e-mail address...
smile.gif

Nothing meant by it,,just Josh'N Ya'll..
smile.gif



Eric...

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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom made, High Quality
Concealex Sheaths and Tool Holsters
Canada's Only Custom Concealex Shop!

 
I have a few comments to make about leather for sheaths. There are a number of differently tanned types of leather, all of which have different properties. One mistake that some people do is that they use Chrome tanned leather. This has the unfortunate effect of making almost any type of steel rust in no time flat! The leather you use for a knife sheath should be oak tanned for the best results. For use in extremely humid environments there is a special grade of leather that is oiltanned. This stuff is normally used for divers weightbelts and will shrug off even fairly long term exposure to saltwater. For low profile work, such as IWB sheaths and neck sheaths, a third grade of leather is available. This leather isn't tanned all the way through, meaning that the core of the leather is still "raw". This makes it very stiff, all the while remaining very thin. This stuff, when wet, can be shaped almost like Kydex and will retain a knife securely for years even in an upside-down position without any straps, magnets or other accessories. Even sheaths made from heavier grades of leather can be fashioned in a way such as to negate the need for retention straps. The secret is design and good worksmanship. Also, a well-designed leather sheath will not allow the knife to cut through it and will without a doubt keep you safe. My father made a sheath for his Cold Steel Kukhri that not only took up less space than the original sheath, but also provided a more secure means of transporting the blade. This was done by laminating leather with glass fiber, providing a rigid, water proof sheath.
So, in many cases, leather will serve admirably and for many years if taken care of properly. For applications like shoulder-holsters and sheaths for diving knives I would probably go with Kydex or some other synthetic, but for most other applications it is a matter of taste and personal preference. The key is proper care and worksmanship.
My 2 cents

Regards

Carnifex

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"Move like Water, strike like Thunder..."
 
The things I miss by not checking the 'forums for a couple of days. I originally started using Kydex when I needed to make several holsters for firearms I was testing for my department. Kydex was fairly easy to work with, and the need for special tooling was minimal. I had made some leather pouch sheaths for a few knives, and found making them time consuming and rough on the fingers. Therefore, I chose kydex for my knives when I started to produce knives as a business. Kydex was easy to get, mold and finish. It's strong and adapts itself well to different modes of carry. To solve the scratching problem, I line my sheaths with a synthetic material. To make a long story short, for my using knives, Kydex did, and Concealex does now, serve my purpose well. As far as beauty goes, the Carbonfiber-look Concealex is way cool.

Granted, there have been knives I have made that just didn't go well with kydex, so I enlisted the services of my friend, Chris Kravitt of Treestump leather. (a real artist!)

I think it's all been said when comparing the two. To each his own - they both have there place!
 
The things I miss by not checking the 'forums for a couple of days. I originally started using Kydex when I needed to make several holsters for firearms I was testing for my department. Kydex was fairly easy to work with, and the need for special tooling was minimal. I had made some leather pouch sheaths for a few knives, and found making them time consuming and rough on the fingers. Therefore, I chose kydex for my knives when I started to produce knives as a business. Kydex was easy to get, mold and finish. It's strong and adapts itself well to different modes of carry. To solve the scratching problem, I line my sheaths with a synthetic material. To make a long story short, for my using knives, Kydex did, and Concealex does now, serve my purpose well. As far as beauty goes, the Carbonfiber-look Concealex is way cool.

Granted, there have been knives I have made that just didn't go well with kydex, so I enlisted the services of my friend, Chris Kravitt of Treestump leather. (a real artist!)

I think it's all been said when comparing the two. To each his own - they both have there place!

------------------
Chris Hatin
hatintec@dellnet.com

www.geocities.com/chrishatin/hatintec.html

"Are you ready for the defendant, Judge?"
"Yup. Bring the guilty bastard in."
 
Normark, sorry to see your comments so late...when I said .25" I meant it...1/4" thick! I think I also have 1/2" thick, too! When I ordered Kydex from a local plastics ditributor, I was sent a package from Kleerdex that had samples of a bunch of colors, all the thicknesses, all the textures, etc. Very cool! I have enough 1/2" to make a sheath for a small knife. Any takers?
biggrin.gif


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My Custom Kydex Sheath page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/frames.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
agocs_s@dd.palmer.edu
Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/madpoet/main.html

 
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