New to sheath making

TheSnakeman

TheSnakeman

Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
810
im new to sheath making. and i am interesting in making sheaths out of kydex or maybe BOLTARON. what do i need to get started... i am just looking to make sheaths for my self right now but would like to make sheaths for other people. is their a kit that you would recommend to get started or how to i attack this without spending more then 30-50 bucks
thanks,
Thomas
 
There's a kit over at knifekits.com... BUT you're going to need a heat source, easily solved with an oven... (now for where the cost comes in) a press there's tons of those around and can be cheap (my press cost $5. to make) the foam, and your eyelet setter...
 
If you are just starting out, or only making things for yourself, you can get away with spending only $30-$50, but expect to have to invest more if you plan on doing things on a professional level. You'll need a press (homemade or commercial), heat source, a way cutting and sizing the material, a way of holding the pieces together (eyelet setter), and away to finish the edges and shapes. Many ways to accomplish all these, some better than others, some easier than others, depending on the tools you have on hand. I've made things using a heat gun, two kitchen pot holders, and a block of wood with sandpaper, but it's a heck of a lot easier using an oven, press, and a grinder. The more you make, the more you learn, and the better your projects will be. When starting out, you can make and sell items with the idea of reinvesting in equipment and tools to make the job easier and better.
 
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Mike Sastre said:
If you are just starting out, or only making things for yourself, you can get away with spending only $30-$50, but expect to have to invest more if you plan on doing things on a professional level. You'll need a press (homemade or commercial), heat source, a way cutting and sizing the material, a way of holding the pieces together (eyelet setter), and away to finish the edges and shapes. Many ways to accomplish all these, some better than others, some easier than others, depending on the tools you have on hand. I've made things using a heat gun, two kitchen pot holders, and a block of wood with sandpaper, but it's a heck of a lot easier using an oven, press, and a grinder. The more you make, the more you learn, and the better your projects will be. When starting out, you can make and sell items with the idea of reinvesting in equipment and tools to make the job easier and better.
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very solid advice,you can not get any better (advice) than that....when i started every $$$ i was making was going right back in for upgrading equipment tools and getting materials...i took awhile to have enough $$ left to fill up my gas tank....
 
Your biggest cost will be a rivet flaring die and a press. The die can be bought from most websites and stores that sell kydex.

For the press, you basically just need 2 flat pieces of wood and 2 flat pieces of foam that you can clamp together. You can recycle foam from a number of sources, like cheap self inflating sleeping pads.

Then you just heat the kydex in an oven, cut it to shape while it's hot with a boxcutter or something similar, reheat it, then press it around the knife. You'll also need a drill with the correct size bit for the rivets you have, and a hammer to set the rivets with the flaring die.
 
You can get away without rivets by using Chicago screws. Those work pretty well and are easier to set. They do not leave the nice holes for lashing that the hollow rivets do however. It can be hard to find them small enough so they'll tighten down.
 
Grease said:
Your biggest cost will be a rivet flaring die and a press. The die can be bought from most websites and stores that sell kydex.
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When you get to this point, shop around, I got my press for half the price of what they are sold for on most knife making sites.
 
theHobbyist said:
When you get to this point, shop around, I got my press for half the price of what they are sold for on most knife making sites.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure one really needs a press at all. I just use the flaring die and a hammer. One solid tap on the top piece of the die and the rivet is set nicely. I've only had a couple rivets that looked bad, and they were some of the first ones I tried... Good aim and a solid work bench are all you really need that way.
 
Grease said:
I'm not sure one really needs a press at all. I just use the flaring die and a hammer. One solid tap on the top piece of the die and the rivet is set nicely. I've only had a couple rivets that looked bad, and they were some of the first ones I tried... Good aim and a solid work bench are all you really need that way.
Click to expand...

This is true, I've set many eyelets with my hammer, but with the press they've all come out perfect, I guess it's all in preference. And yes in the beginning to keep cost down manual is the way to go... but i would advise not to skimp on the dies... it makes a world of difference.
 
Try a used toaster oven if you can find one at a flea market or yard sale. A microwave will not work IMHO. I use a heat gun that I already had. I think it was twenty bucks at Wally world a few years ago. It takes only a couple minutes making passes over the kydex and flipping frequently until it is floppy.
 
TheSnakeman said:
ok is their any other heating method other then the oven or a heat gun? microwave?
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Yep, toaster oven is what most people I know use, I personally use a hotplate, I picked mine up from a college kid moving out of his dorm for $5 bucks. Either way you go you should get a non-contact thermometer. That's what helped me the most.


Edit: by hotplate I mean electric griddle
 
Very well said. I couldn't have said it better myself.
Jose

Mike Sastre said:
If you are just starting out, or only making things for yourself, you can get away with spending only $30-$50, but expect to have to invest more if you plan on doing things on a professional level. You'll need a press (homemade or commercial), heat source, a way cutting and sizing the material, a way of holding the pieces together (eyelet setter), and away to finish the edges and shapes. Many ways to accomplish all these, some better than others, some easier than others, depending on the tools you have on hand. I've made things using a heat gun, two kitchen pot holders, and a block of wood with sandpaper, but it's a heck of a lot easier using an oven, press, and a grinder. The more you make, the more you learn, and the better your projects will be. When starting out, you can make and sell items with the idea of reinvesting in equipment and tools to make the job easier and better.
Click to expand...
 
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