Kydex- what I need

H

Hulkie

Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
30
G'day , I want to learn how to make kydex sheath but I'm confused as to what I need. Can anyone guide me , as far as what I need to purchase. I need to make some sheaths for blades oal of 12" for the bigger ones and 7" for the smaller knives. Much appreciated: Hulk
 
The definition of the knife imprinted into the kydex for that Gavkoo video is not that good.

Watch these too and see how it differs

Oven with heat gun tweaking,not just the heat gun.

Better press with full compression area, not a hinge= a hinged press only applies pressure on one edge near the hinge and pushes it all sideways..

Foam that will compress like sleeping bag foam from walmart or go buy the stuff from a knife supply house ,but not t shirts and towels

It cools off quickly, don't dawdle from heat to press the softer it it the better it will form.
Too high of a heat like 375 or so will off gas formaldehyde and damage the kydex, 300 to 325 seems to work.

[video=youtube;wntntfsrfEQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wntntfsrfEQ[/video]

[video=youtube;4iZ8v_NHIAE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iZ8v_NHIAE[/video]

[video=youtube;Be1OCHiJPNM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be1OCHiJPNM[/video]

You can buy this video, but it's not only poor, but misleading.

I think those linked Youtubes ones above are better than the purchase one in instruction and production value
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?products_id=288
 
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Tracy mickley at USA Knifemaker supply will save you a ton of headache and heartache. Get all kydex materials there! Get a set of his 1/4 kydex dies, and get the siska rivets, no other will do! Any other brand will not flare properly and crack on you, believe it. The dies are worth every dime.

Make your own press. I have a couple of 12x24 pieces of plywood and door hinges. Get your foam from Tracy too. I used to just stand on top of mine. Walmart has some pretty cheap quick release clamps now, so I use those now.

Use your kitchen oven at 300 degrees and put your kydex on a cookie sheet.

One more step I forgot, One layer of gorilla tape on your blade leaves perfect spacing between the kydex and the blade. Tape one side, cut around with a razor blade. Repeat for other side.
 
I've had better luck with using multiple layers (two layers per side) of the cheap blue camping mats than with the foam you get at the knife supply places.

Also, building your own press out of 2x4s is better than clamps or the store bought presses. If you build your own you can give it nice long arms to gain leverage. The press I made has arms that extend out about two feet. I stand on the legs the. Just tie the legs together with rope.
 
I would also suggest not working with .060 kydex to begin with. It molds a little too good. The smallest hair or speck of dust will transfer to your finished product. The standard rivets have a longer route to flare and roll down, so they're more at risk for splitting. I think .080 and .093 sizes are easier to handle, and more forgiving. Things just come out more evenly.
 
Have a look at what Edcaffrey did for a press here, he used a hardwood flooring jack to create a fast straight press

http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56939


KydexPress1.jpg




They are not available any more and I've never found them in Canada

Has anyone got any other ideas for what may work like that?

Yes I've thought of bottle jacks, but they are so slow in comparison.
 
My setup

Mold - Two plywood scraps cut to size with blue foam spray glued on
One C Clamp and two heavy duty clips for my standard "taco" fold over sheath - 2 c clamps for a "pancake" or stacked kydex sheath
Gloves - light enough to handle the hot kydex but heavy enough to avoid burns, I use gloves for handling hot glass found at most hobby shops; they rock

Oven at 275 F - I keep trying lower temps and find that at 275 I get less off gassing and overheating

Make sure to heat the kydex in a thoroughly preheated oven with backing (I use a cookie pan or folded foil)

Move fast but deliberately! After a few it will get a bit easier. My first one took two days to complete but now I am a lot faster.

After molding you will mark and drill for holes, cut and sand to shape then install eyelets or hardware. I like to sand to 400-600 to finish the edges. You will need a drill press (hand drill will work) and a way to cut the kydex. I use a bandsaw or tin snips, kydex is tough stuff.

Score then bend to cut before heating...

Good luck with everything!
 
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if you're looking to start knife sheaths my "ultimate tutorial" or the latest kydex tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQAZ-JAurHg is all you need, unlike somebody here said. my print is perfect, sheaths are functional better then most kydex sheaths you'll see and my setup costs very little. also have video showing my home made press, forget about those fancy presses kydex professionals are trying to blow up here. hinged simple press work perfect without any disadvantage for knives if its done right. i think hundreds of sheaths i've made are proof enough...
just search gavko kydex tutorial on you tube and there is tons of videos from beginning when i started to current setup i use and you can pick up many good tips.
im not confident in many things, but one thing im certain, i can make good kydex sheaths...

and no, this is not self promotion, i dont offer any services nor sell sheaths...
just trying to help the guy out
 
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