Silencing kydex?

[Cole#357.30]

I’m looking to get into my own kydex sheath and holster business but I’d like to try to set myself apart from most others work. I already have a few new ways I want to do this but I would appreciate some advice on one thing especially. I would like to more effectively silence kydex. Anyone who hunts knows what I’m talking about when I say kydex is loud and unnatural sounding walking through the bush. That’s why most of us simply don’t carry it, except maybe for the majority of rifle hunters Anyways I’ve overcome this problem before by simply applying leather, felt, or a rubberized coating from a can to the outside. The one problem that still remains when doing this is the cacophony that’s made when drawing the knife or pistol, I encountered this when handgun hunting. I know leather is the next best thing and can be made to have spring retention just like kydex but that seems like a much more complicated process. This excludes wet molding which does work great but it doesn’t have that positive retention and tactile lockup that I prefer. You also have to submerge much more of the gun or knife into the holster when wet molding to get good retention sacrificing the ease of drawing in some cases. I just like using kydex mainly because it feels like it’s a lot easier to work with in some cases. Does anyone have a method for silencing the draw of a holster or sheath?

 

[Alberta Ed]

Felt inside a sheath tends to collect grit that can scratch the blade, so not a good idea. Maybe there is a somewhat softer material that would offer similar tension but not be as noisy as Kydex/Concealex. There must be some engineers/chemists in this forum who could offer suggestions. FWIW, I prefer leather sheaths, sealed with SnowSeal to inhibit moisture absorption.

 

[Cole#357.30]

Felt inside a sheath tends to collect grit that can scratch the blade, so not a good idea. Maybe there is a somewhat softer material that would offer similar tension but not be as noisy as Kydex/Concealex. There must be some engineers/chemists in this forum who could offer suggestions. FWIW, I prefer leather sheaths, sealed with SnowSeal to inhibit moisture absorption.

Thanks for that info man, I’m also a big fan of snow seal.

 

[Redmeadow Knives]

There's always the tactical velcro option...

(Sorry couldn't resist)

I started working with kydex and hated it, didn't like working with it, carrying it, or drawing from it much less the look of it. Before strictly moving to leather I made a couple that were kydex with a thin leather lining on the inside with decent results. One thing to note is kydex welts can be used in leather sheaths and can provide some stiffness and retention as well.

 

[w.deast]

Apply a spray type coating to the "inside" side of the kydex before molding. If the coating can handle the molding temperatures maybe you get a quiet draw.