Lined Kydex or Concealex sheath source?

B

blademan 13

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Jan 25, 2000
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I am looking for a high quality synthetic sheath preferably in carbon fiber Concealex. The kicker is I am also looking to have it lined with soft leather or other non-scratching material. Any ideas?
 
Jamie,

I read a post by one of the well respected leather guys on one of the forums that said that he has used the sticky-backed felt that you can get at home depot or lowes that they sell to line jewelry boxes and drawers and such.

Maybe that would work. Do you do any of your own kydex/concealex sheathmaking?

Hope that helps,

-John
 
Thanks for the tip John. That might work but ideally I was going after something along the lines of smooth pigskin or something like that. I am not being an elitist or anything, but I want it nice and worthy of a $500 dollar fighter.
 
Some of the kydex wizards, such as Normark, warn against lining kydex sheaths. That leathery, fizzy, whatevery lining will trap dirt and debris and then scratch your knife. The lining mind-of ends up like sandpaper adhered to the inside of your sheath in that respect.
 
I can see where that could happen, but then again this should be no worse than a regular leather sheath, right?
 
The only way I can see that a lined kydex sheath would be worse than a regular (leather) sheath is that the Kydex, being rigid and putting more tension on the flats of the blade might tend to squeeze grit into the blade as it is withdrawn more so than a leather sheath which is usually looser.


-John
 
The only kydex sheath I have is designed with Chicago screws (it is a fold-over design). I can take it appart in 30 seconds, rinse it under a tap, blow dry it dry, and re-assemble. No more dirt! Line akydex sheath and it will just keep getting worse.
 
Hey Guys...

What blast and Cray said is correct....

I've answer this question so many times I've saved it as a text file.. skip over any parts that may not pertain to you...

Keep in mind,, these are only my thoughts,, others may have different opinions on the subject,so take it for what it is...

Any questions,,feel free to email me..

Eric..


PASTE

Hey Guys...

Kydex and scratches...
Interesting problem...

Kydex on it's own, won't scratch a knife, it will only scuff it.
On a bead blasted blade, it will leave a small amount of material in the pours, and will also Buff the bead blasting smooth....

The actual scratching comes from trapped particals in the sheath itself, either from the manufacturing process of the material, or the making of the sheath, also introduced particals from usage and daily use.

A few years ago, I was cleaning up an old hunting that I'd been using since I was a youngster,, and was shocked what I found in the sheath... The sheath itself was a pouch design,with an open mouth...

Various seeds, sand,,a small stone, and yes,,even a smashed up,crusty spent .22 casing..Lord only knows how that got in there....

Magnets are about the worst thing one can put into a kydex sheath if you have a problem with scratches on your blade. The magnets used are rare earth magnets which are Very powerful, and easily magnetize the blade...

Once the blade is magnetized it will start introducing magnetic particals into the sheath if you aren't careful.

I had one client who sent me a sheath for a re-do because the knife was terribly scratched. After a good clening of the sheath I found a staple lodged up inside the sheath.. This was a direct result of a magnetic blade.. The knife must have picked up a rouge staple on a desk or something.

In my opinion, while a great idea,, a synthetic sheath doesn't need a magnet, and only causes problems down the road.

This is the same thing with lining a sheath with any material, such as felt, or fluff from a ducklings a$$... As someone above said,, it will attract crud and trap it forever in the sheath, making it impossible to clean....

This brings me to leather sheaths....

Leather is tried and true, a warm, comfortable sheathing material, but just like synthetics,,it has it's limitations....

Some knives are suited for synthetics,,some aren't... you probably won't find many of Dan Winklers, or for that matter Tim Herman's knives in synthetics because they simply aren't suited for synthetics.. They'd look frigging stupid.... Same goes for master bladesmiths who make traditional swords.. Leather is traditional,, synthetics aren't....

On the same hand,, a Navy seal who needs his (Insert Tactical Knife Here) to be hung inverted on his entry vest, or Scuba rig, isn't going to want to choose leather to do that with...Simply reason being,, Lether just Can't do it, no matter what you do to it,,or the best leathersmith in the world can't get a leather sheath do what a synthetic sheath can, day in and day out...

Using the right materail for the right job is the answer....

Collectors knives are just that.. If you don't want them scratched,,don't use them and don't store them in ANY type of sheath.. A glass box will keep them in beautiful condition.

I understand where the leather guys are coming from,, and you can't beat a well made leather sheath..They are works of art,,and I wish I had the skill and mind to work on them, however they have their limitations as does synthetics...

Syntherics fill a niche, I don't believe it's a fad, and it's here to stay....
There is the possiblity of having the best of both worlds though,, a leather sheath, thats warm coozy and friendly on the outside,,and synthetics with the heart of the modern day warrior inside....

Any leathersmith who would like to Colab on a sheath like this is welcome to contact me Anytime.....

These are just my thoughts,, I believe them to be accurate,,howeverever take them as you will... hopefully I didn't offend my Leathersmith Bretherend ....

Rant Mode

**OFF**

ttyle

Eric..
 
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