Question on the BUSSE kydex sheaths

D

dvcavall

Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Messages
38
I recently received two kydex sheaths from BUSSE for my BM-E and SH-E. All looked great except they had the unmistakable outline for a blade that was ground as a Tanto type grind, and not a drop point? Well, I could swear that BUSSE had a picture on their Home page that showed a magazine cover with Tanto like ground blades, so I thought...simple mistake, and contacted BUSSE. I also saw a picture of a "BUSSE production" kydex sheath on eBay that someone was selling for a SH that had the correct blade shape. Well, today I received an email from BUSSE saying that the kydex I received was correct, inspite of the blade shape, because they mold the sheaths with micarta and not the actual blade shape??

I don't question what I was told, :confused: , but I am confused by all that I have seen before, and the fact that the beauty of kydex is that it is molded to the blade shape!

Can one of you more informed folks explain to me why BUSSE is making their sheaths this way???
 
Dave,I understand what you are talking about as far as the sheath design,however I do not know why this is.I have a SJ sheath and it to displays these qualities.But my sheath fits my CG perfect with no rattle.I thought that maybe this was designed to fit the ZT and CG both,thus being more versatile.This design may add more strength to the sheath as well?Hope this helps.
 
I just got a sheath for my NO from Eric at On/Scene, and all I can say is put me in line with all the other folks to tell you how great they are and what a pleasure it is doing business with him. Anyone looking for a another sheath should get in touch with him.

Mark
 
Dave Roberson was kind enough to give me a nice reply, and explained that my sheaths were made by First Position. I also have a sheath from On-Scene tactial, which is molded to the blade outline, and is a great sheath.

I finally tried the First Position sheaths with the knives, and they seem to fit just fine. A secure fit with no rattles. It's still a mistery to me why the sheaths are not molded to the specific blade shape, but hey, it appears that they are well made and will get the job done, just like BUSSE's knives.
 
Hey Dave....

Dave writes...

""It's still a mistery to me why the sheaths are not molded to the specific blade shape,""

One of the reasons is so the sheaths can be made quickly, without having actual blades present...Generic if you will..
This is done to be cost effective and with speed in mind.

The sheath may also fit variants of the same blade type,such as the CG SH-E or the ZT SH-E.

Mine are blade specific..If it's molded for the CG SH-E, thats the knife that goes in that sheath..
Not to say a ZT SH-E won't fit..It's just not made for that particular blade.

Mass produced sheaths have to fit the vast majority of the knives they are made for..
These types of sheaths are much more forgiving than one that is molded to the blade such as mine.

Since I mold from an actual blade, I have taken precautions that keep tolerences in mind when I build my sheaths so that they will fit 99% of the blades.

Hope that explains things a little better...

ttyle

Eric...
 
Thanks Eric. I never new there was such a thing as a generic kydex sheath. Up until this point, I had only seen sheaths and gun holsters made for a particular model, molded to the particular shape.

I guess we the consumer are lucky to have makers like you and First Position to provide good products, at varying price points, for varying tastes and needs? Since I'm starting to sound sound like a politician, time to shut-up.
 
Hey Dave..

No worries..
This is interesting stuff...

When I started this business over two years ago,, I knew Sweet Dick Squat about High end knives and sheaths...

I kept my mouth shut for the most part anyway,,listened,,talekd to people,,then came up with my own methods,terchniques and designs..

I'll tell you,,many nights spent in the basement til 3-4AM..It's a wonder i'm still married..:)

As for the gun holsters..Thats a Whole different ball of wax...

Companies such as Blade-tech have Aluminum mock ups,,slightly larger the the original,,with built in features for molding....

Alot of the CS sheaths you see are molded from mock ups..The Kuks Especially..

ttyle

Eric...
 
When I received my ZT NO in a First Position sheath, I ended up having quite a converstation about Kydex with Normark and others. Eric and I exchanged some images while we were at it.

The First Position sheath is not molded for any particular knife at all. It has a "dimple" pushed into the back that pinches the blade of the knife when it comes forward. There's a slight dimple that pushes on the first handle rivet, when the knife is in the sheath. As far as I can tell, this second dimple is just about the only blade retention device.

After getting a bit of heat gun advice from Eric, I tried modifying my sheath slightly. I formed around the guard a bit, and added a screw, well up above the Tek-Lok (carefully spaced holes to allow the Tek-lok to be moved up when I want to). The knife no longer shakes out easily when carried inverted. The sheath still rubs a streak on the blade. I'm not sure how fast I'm wearing the sheath near the guard, but I did slightly "break" the square edge of the steel at the guard.

When the other two knives I ordered in June, and the other two sheaths I ordered on August 3rd, have all arrived, I'll decide how many really good sheaths I want to order from On Scene Tactical.

I do have images on file, if anyone wants to discuss the First Position sheath for the NO.

Lane

madison_6@hotmail.com
 
Hey Guys..

Just to let you know..
I've got a clients ZT NO in my Fat little fingers as we speak...
Pretty cool blade..

I'll be fitting it for a new pair of pants this weekend..I'll let you know how it goes...


ttyle

Eric...
 
Lane and Eric,
Can you post or point me to the information on using a heat gun, and modifying the sheath. I also need to open the sheath mouth, and on the SH-E, the sheath is also rubbing a line near the bevel. I was thinking of putting the knife in the sheath and heating with the heat gun to possibly relieve some of the tension there that is working on the finish. The mouth is also very tight and rubbing on the handle slabs, so I thought of trying to mould the entry closer to Eric's sheaths,but not certain how I should go about it.

Eric. Do you always need the actual knife to create a sheath, or do you also create sheaths off of a "sample" knife, knowing that it will fit 90%+ of the same model of knife?
 
Hey Dave....

The only problem is ,,where does the rubbing come from..

If you know whats causing the rubbing,,thats one thing..If you don't know,,you could FUBAR the sheath..

Creating a mouth is not a problem..Heat both ares and spread it apart..It's tricky..but can be done..

Remember that messing with that area,,may cause the sheath to Not fit properly anymore...Like I said,,it's tricky..

As far as molding from the actual knife..

That all depends..If it's a factory Belly button knife,,then no problem..If it's a custom/semi custom or variant ofa certian model,,then there will be a problem with fit...

My SH-E sheaths are all the same..Will a ZT SH-E fit into the same sheath?? Maybe...Maybe not...Crap shoot...

If you are talking about a normal combat grade SH-E..
no problem..

ttyle

Eric...
 
Eric,
How does the FUBAR occur? I thought kydex could be molded and re-molded over and over. If I put the knife in the sheath, heat the length of the sheath with a heat gun, wouldn't that better the fit? I don't think I would need to put the thing between foam and vise it. What I don't know is whether I can properly and evenly heat the material with a heat gun? I know putting the sheath in a oven w/o the knife would probably mess it up, and putting the knife and sheath in the oven probably isn't a good idea either.

Near the blade edge, the sheath has a pinch fit, and so I'm thinking that the taper is to narrow near the blade edge, and so the knife rubs on the sheath. Neither of mine have a loose fit, inverted or otherwise. It is the opposite. The knife is in there so tight it is hard to draw. That is why I thought that if I only heated down the length of the sheath with the blade in it, it would releave some of the taper and eliminate or ease the friction on the blade? At the mouth of the sheath, I only want to put a "lip" on it like on yours to make it easier to sheath the blade. I don't want to loosen the fit there.
 
Hey Dave...

The FUBAR can occur in a couple of ways..
If you heat the area too much it will make the knife sloppy...

If you try to correct something,,and do it improperly,,you could make the sheath worse then it was to begin with..

Kydex can be molded over and over again,,thats not the problem..The problem is,,if you don't do it right,,protect the blade,,things like this,,it can turn into a real mess...

"""If I put the knife in the sheath, heat the length of the sheath with a heat gun, wouldn't that better the fit?"""

Depends what fit you are after...Yes,, you may be loosening the area that causing you problems,,but may has wicked rattle as an outcome of that process...

If you know exactly where the scuff is coming from,,then you can work on that particular area..

Hey even I get some sheaths,,that just don't work,,they end up in the scrap box..It happens,,we learn,,and move on..:)


"""I know putting the sheath in a oven w/o the knife would probably mess it up, and putting the knife and sheath in the oven probably isn't a good idea either"""

Ohhh man,,don't do that..:)

Just go slow with the heat gun..But first determine where the area is,,that is causing the problem..
As far as molding in a mouth..Do one side at a time..Push in above the guard,,and out where you want the lip to be..
Do the same on the other side..Slightly heat to adjust whatever needs adjusting...

Take you time and don't heat too much...

Good luck..

ttyle

Eric...
 
I just got my first Busse (Basic 7) and it I'm glad I did.
I'm wondering where I can find a sheath that looks like the one
that is being sold with a Basic on Ebay:

Ebay link of Busse Basic 7 and sheath.

I like the kydex but I prefer something like the one in the picture?
Anyone got an idea?

Burton
 
Burton,
Welcome to the Busse Forum and you picked great knife for your first Busse. :)

The Sheath shown in the picture is one of the Cordura Sheaths with the Kydex lining. This is the sheath that was shipping with the Basics when they were discontinued. You may want to contact the shop as they may have an extra on hand that you could purchase.

The phone number is 419-923-6471
 
Hey, thanks for the info.
I'll contact them and see if they have any more.
But if not, where can I find a suitable alternative?

Burton
 
Originally posted by Rumble
I'm wondering where I can find a sheath that looks like the one
that is being sold with a Basic on Ebay
Click to expand...
Here's a quote from Ethan Becker (of Becker Knife & Tool fame) on where the sheaths for their new Combat Utility Knife come from. Their sheaths look just like the Busse cordura/kydex combo sheath.
The sheath is a return to the second sheath design BK&T used which was pioneered by the late Al Mar and made back then by John Carver{Owner of EAGLE PRODUCT web gear} for both Al and me. I have always been partial to the design as it doesen't go bump in the night quite as badly as straight Kydex and the pouch is quite useful for a stone and multi tool or a magnesium bar,etc.
Click to expand...
So you should be able to find something pretty close to the Busse sheath at a tactical shop that carries the Eagle Product line. Otherwise, you could contact someone like Tactical Tailor, SOE, or other tactical product manufacturer to see if they could fabricate a sheath like you want.

Another alternative would be to post a request for a Busse Basic 7 cordura/kydex sheath in the "Knives, Wanted To Buy" forum here on BFC. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=683 It may be that someone who has an after-market sheath for their #7 would sell you their Busse original sheath.
 
RokJok,

Thanks for the info.
I'll look into it. I do want something that is a bit more quiet and
doesn't seem to remind me that I'm carry tupperware or something.
Thanks!

Burton
 
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