Show off your homemade gear....

[misanthropist]

 

[flyfishrman]

This thread has gotten pretty impressive. My tent stakes are starting to look a little embarassing. Keep 'em coming folks!

 

[hikeeba]

My kydex press. I stand on it and then tie it closed:

The first three sheaths that I have made:

The WSK sheath:

An the Bushman sheath that still needs tweaking:

 

[tknife]

hikeeba, nice press and sheaths. I am looking to getting some supplies and try my hand and Kydex sheaths, I'll definitely be using your pics for reference.

 

[hikeeba]

That's great tknife! Good luck with your kydex forming adventures!

It is fun. Time consuming for me yet, but still fun. I am still learning the kydex sheath making thing, so it takes me several tries before I have a sheath near the form I want it. And after that point, I usually need to do some fine tuning with a heat gun.

The press is made of a scrap 2x6. The black foam is some 1" foam rubber stuff i had lying around, and the blue stuff is from a closed-cell sleeping pad I picked up at Kmart for around $7. The press is held together with paracord attached to screws. Pretty simple, and it does the job.

For shinng examples Check out Normark's stuff: http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel/. His work is scattered around these forums, too. Very nice stuff!

 

[tknife]

Don't want to hijack this too much, but others may be interested as well. Where do you get your Kydex and the rivets? How do you heat it up? I already have a heat gun and have reformed many ill fitting sheaths. How do you cut it? (Hope you don't mind my questions )

 

[kr1]

This is really an excellant thread. All of you guys have some pretty cool stuff. I'm really impressed with the use of the weatherby case as a ferrule on the atlatl. Doc, your traps and nets are really cool. Some really nice knifes and leather work and I like the stove a lot as well. Reminds me of the stove the army had. Very simular design except that stove would burn anything from coal to wood to mogas.

Very impressive stuff by all of you.

KR

 

[Racerx2oo3]

Don't want to hijack this too much, but others may be interested as well. Where do you get your Kydex and the rivets? How do you heat it up? I already have a heat gun and have reformed many ill fitting sheaths. How do you cut it? (Hope you don't mind my questions )

Tknife,

Depending on the size of the sheath, you can use a couple of different methods to heat kydex. On a small piece your heat gun would work pretty well, or a toaster oven is a good bet. I just did a 16.5" khukri, so in addition to having to buy over sized kydex, I also need to heat in a full sized oven. In an oven you'll want to heat the kydex to around 285 degrees. Make sure you place it on a cookie sheet or something similar as, it will mold to the shape of the wire rack if you place it directly on the rack. I ruined a test piece of kydex placing it on the toasting rack in my gas grill to see if it would work in there. (I don't recommend it). You can order all the parts you might need from knifekits.com. Kydex rivets are the prefered method of joining Kydex, however I'm real happy with the results I got with standard pop-rivets. 3/16 inch "short" pop rivets work perfectly, although if I were doing it again, I'd use a rivet washer on the back for a cleaner look.

Sean

 

[Racerx2oo3]

It is fun. Time consuming for me yet, but still fun. I am still learning the kydex sheath making thing, so it takes me several tries before I have a sheath near the form I want it. And after that point, I usually need to do some fine tuning with a heat gun.

Hikeeba,

How are you flaring your Kydex rivets?

Sean

 

[hikeeba]

Sean, are you a true Speed Racer fan, or is that just a clever name? If you're a fan, I have 3 words for you: Melange still races...


Yes, Knifekits.com for the kydex rivets and kydex. I believe I acquired my rivet flaring tool (the kind you hit with a hammer) at knifekits, as well. Occasionally one can find kydex on eBay, but desireable thicknesses are few and far between. For hardware, I also use an aluminum 'Chicago screw' thingie that I have found at a local hardware store. I used the back of the Chicago screw thingie and a pan head screw to join the belt clip for the Bushman sheath to the sheath itself through the rivets. My idea with this was to be able to facilitate a few different carry options or devices. A similar setup was used for the snaps on the WSK sheath, but with a flat head screw.

Depending on the size of the sheath/sheath component, I will either use a toaster oven, conventional oven, or a heat gun. My wife doesn't like when I use our oven in the kitchen. If I have a big piece to form, I'll wait for a day when she is out of the house.

I cut my kydex with either a set of tin snips or a compass saw.


For me, and as infrequently as I do, working with the kydex is still a trial and error thing. But as long as you don't scorch or melt the piece, you can make many attempts at forming it. If it doesn't happen the way you want it to, back into the oven or under the gun she goes for another try.

 

[tknife]

Thanks guys, looks like I will be hitting up knifekits for some supplies. I was going to ask about the oven thing, I will have to do it secretly when my wife isn't home too Also better get another cookie sheet, so our cookies don't taste like plastic, lol!

 

[Racerx2oo3]

Sean, are you a true Speed Racer fan, or is that just a clever name? If you're a fan, I have 3 words for you: Melange still races...

I've been RacerX online in one form or another when "Online" meant a 14,000 baud modem and knowing the dial-up numbers to the local BBS systems.

I've been a Speed Racer fan even longer. I loved the show when I was a kid, and watching them years later I realized how cheesy they really are, but I still love them. My favorite character has always been: Racer X

Sean

 

[hikeeba]

Rock on Sean! I watched all the classic episodes again a few months ago. It was my favorite series when I was a kid, and it still has all of the appeal and excitement that I remember. Ah yes, the good 'ol days when children's shows could feature copius amounts of fighting and gun play, wreckless driving, and cars flipping over and exploding at least twice per episode!

Ok, I'm done reliving my childhood. Back to homemade gear!

 

[bikermikearchery]

[/IMG]
After more hours than I care to admite I'm still trying to learn how to post a picture.
Kydex sheath with a bushman and a SAK.

 

[bikermikearchery]

And I still working out the bugs of the camera, I'm not a digital generation guy. Second view of the one sheath two knives kydex.

 

[bikermikearchery]

kydex neck sheath for SAK. Not a one hand rig, it was done for those days on the boat when you don't have pockets.

 

[bikermikearchery]

Last one for the day, as I think I have the picture posting figured out. This is a kydex shoulder rig, and neck sheaths. The idea is still for those days in my homemade kayak when you don't have pockets.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

Here's a sheath I made for my Scrapper4, which I'm falling in love with as a wilderness knife, very tough, takes a mean edge (not thin enough for crazy sharp) and handles well, is light. I think this is a great outdoor package. Gene

 

[nemoaz]

This thread has gotten pretty impressive. My tent stakes are starting to look a little embarassing. Keep 'em coming folks!

It's dangerous to be on here. First, I got addicted to weaving paracord for everything. My wife thinks I'm nuts. I can barely drive by an outdoor store without stopping for cord.

Now, I'm looking at Kydex and leather and wondering if that isn't a hobby I must get into....

 

[penls]

leather is fun definetly beats my plastic mora sheaths( maybe not the clipper). A good idea for leather sheaths is pre-fabricated brass rivets. I used one at the collar and 2 to attatch the belt loop instead of stitches. Adds a lot to sheaths :thumbup: