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- Sep 28, 2005
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Aaron has a great post on how he does kydex sheaths that is going well but brought up the topic of how paddle like the sheaths get with rivets all around. I would like to show here how I have dealt with this problem. I didn't want to cloud up his thread with my not quite professional work, while still showing a valid method of sheath making IMO.
I use no rivet fold over sheaths. It's simple, instead of having pancake style sheath, make a fold over sheath with extra tab along the edge. I then taper the extra tab to a very thin edge, and heat and fold over. It works very well with straight knives, and people who like the squared off pocket sheath look popular with bushcraft knives. If the knife has a very curvy edge and you want to follow that, I make the extra tab into a series of smaller tabs and fold over each individually.
The only functional negative I have seen with this method is when left in a hot vehicle window, but that will damage any kydex sheet, regardless of grommets/pins. I have had the kydex crack and still retain the knife well. While I am working on getting these sheaths to look better, but they function beautifully. My wedding necker has been my primary neck knife for five years, is still going strong, and uses a very thin kydex as well.
My latest hunter with combo neck/belt sheath attachments- the only time I use attachment hardware so far.
Wedding knife:
Michelle's Claw:
Mule sheath I gave as a giveaway here, winner reported it going strong as a painters knife:
And the "Ugly" sheath that got blasted when I posted it here first. Took that post to maker look at the design from another's point of view. It was already gone by the time I was critiqued, but it made me relook at the esthetics. The multi-tab idea:
I wanted to show this as an alternative to the wide pancake style sheath. I've played with drilling small holes in the periphery to lace with wire or other materials, making it look more like a leather sheath. Add wood grain kydex and I feel it enhances the look. Now if only KYDEX Inc would sell small quantities of wood grain kydex to people like us- I've only been able to use the samples they send me. I find this style if sheath also gives more character than classic riveted sheaths. There are drawbacks like everything in life, but for me this is a valid method of sheath construction.
Am I the only one out there utilizing this method? Questions/critiques/thoughts I may have missed?
I use no rivet fold over sheaths. It's simple, instead of having pancake style sheath, make a fold over sheath with extra tab along the edge. I then taper the extra tab to a very thin edge, and heat and fold over. It works very well with straight knives, and people who like the squared off pocket sheath look popular with bushcraft knives. If the knife has a very curvy edge and you want to follow that, I make the extra tab into a series of smaller tabs and fold over each individually.
The only functional negative I have seen with this method is when left in a hot vehicle window, but that will damage any kydex sheet, regardless of grommets/pins. I have had the kydex crack and still retain the knife well. While I am working on getting these sheaths to look better, but they function beautifully. My wedding necker has been my primary neck knife for five years, is still going strong, and uses a very thin kydex as well.
My latest hunter with combo neck/belt sheath attachments- the only time I use attachment hardware so far.
Wedding knife:
Michelle's Claw:
Mule sheath I gave as a giveaway here, winner reported it going strong as a painters knife:
And the "Ugly" sheath that got blasted when I posted it here first. Took that post to maker look at the design from another's point of view. It was already gone by the time I was critiqued, but it made me relook at the esthetics. The multi-tab idea:
I wanted to show this as an alternative to the wide pancake style sheath. I've played with drilling small holes in the periphery to lace with wire or other materials, making it look more like a leather sheath. Add wood grain kydex and I feel it enhances the look. Now if only KYDEX Inc would sell small quantities of wood grain kydex to people like us- I've only been able to use the samples they send me. I find this style if sheath also gives more character than classic riveted sheaths. There are drawbacks like everything in life, but for me this is a valid method of sheath construction.
Am I the only one out there utilizing this method? Questions/critiques/thoughts I may have missed?
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