My first and second attempt at a kydex sheath

A

acerpower

Joined
Apr 27, 2013
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I wanted "taco" style sheaths for bot my ESEE-4 and 11/14's, and since I enjoy making things for myself I figured I'd try my hand at some kydex bending.

First I made the sheath for the ESSE seen in the picture with a Tek Lok mounted sideways.



Somehow my fist sheath came out better than my second one for the 14/11, but they're both functional so I guess that's all that matters.

Here's a picture of how I wear the ESSE along side my pistol with IWB holster strong side.



I was going to go with a scout style carry but I find carrying the knife behind my back to be a bit clumsy.


Anyways, bending kydex was a little tougher than I thought and I give props to all the professional kydex sheath makers.:thumbup:

I'm going to get some more kydex and give another try at the 14 sheath since I could use a spare for my 11 too.

Next big project is matching G10 scales for my ESSE-4 and Eskabar 14.
 
First try? Looks pretty good to me! Retention looks good, too. Color me impressed - I've been gathering materials (& ideas & courage to break something that ain't broke) and I can only hope my first attempt comes out half that nice.
 
Thanks.
It took a few tries to get the retention just right.
I think that if I decide to make a few more sheaths I'm going to build a nice jig for molding.
For these I just put the heated kydex between 2 foam mats and used a toolbox to apply pressure.
I'd really like to try working with leather too since I live in Minnesota and I'm not sure how kydex will hold up in the sub zero temps we get here in winter.
 
get some plywood & hinge it and also get the kydex foam, it's worth the money and will outlast any other foam. Remember to tape the blade with masking or carpenter tape and dont hesitate to throw the piece back in the oven if you are not satisfied. Thin leather gloves are your friends. Main retention point is the "throat" where it hugs the top of the scales so a hot air gun is a very practical tool to have.

I'm out of tips. Have fun and great job on those 2 :thumbup:
 
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Excellent design and fabrication. Will you be making your own G10 scales? Cant wait to see your work.
 
Thanks for the tips zuluninja. I didn't even know about the tape on the blades.:confused:
Might have to heat them up again and try that.

Thanks for the compliment hawkhead.
I will be making my own scales from G10 and they'll look something like the first scales I made for my BK11.




I'll contour the next scales a bit more so the color comes through better, plus I'll probably do some finger groves for the ESEE scales to make it fit the hand better.
I already have the G10 just have to make the time for it.
 
Good looking first attempts Acer! For your kydex, temperature makes a huge difference in the amount of detail as well as "snap" you get out of the end product. Tape on the blades works well, but can sometimes lead to a slight rattle inside the sheath if the rest isn't really secure. In those cases you can heat up a small point on the blade portion of the kydex and push it in to make a "dimple" that will capture the blade and stop any rattle.

For your G10 have you considered some of the different types of texturing people will do to show off the colors and patterns?

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To achieve those they are using a cone shaped grinding bit on a dremel pressed into the material at alternating intervals to achieve that. Something like that would really show off those colors well, and it doesn't take much to really show off the different layers you have in your G10.

Keep us posted and show us your next results, we love seeing stuff like this around here!
 
Thanks.
Since I got the retention just right maybe I'll just leave them alone.
For the G10 texturing I'll have to pick up a new cone shaped bit since I don't the think I have the one that came with my dremel anymore.
 
with the tape you can do a single layer on each side and don't use tape 1" from the tip. That way the sheath won't "grip" the blade as it slides in and the tip would be secure, aiding to avoid rattle.
 
I might have to give that a try on the neck sheath.
It grabs a bit on my 14's coating, but my stripped 11 slides in and out just fine.
I don't want to wear the finish it my 14 prematurely.
 
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