small fasteners for a low profile Kydex sheath

H

hadron

Joined
Oct 16, 2002
Messages
53
Been reading a lot about making a Kydex sheath, and it sounds fairly easy. But all of the designs that I've seen pictured have material that extends well beyond the boundaries of the blade (1/2" seems to be the absolute minimum), also every one uses 1/4" eyelets or even wider Chicago screws.

I'm questioning the need to have such a wide extension beyond the blade, given that there exist eyelets in 1/8", 1/16", and even smaller diameters; why the widespread insistance on the 1/4" ones? Surely, a few more smaller fasteners with lesser spacing will give an equal holding
capacity.

Can anyone shed any insite on this? I'm baffled.
 
I can't say I know personally, but I would look at whether or not those smaller ones are long enough to go through two layers of kydex and still hold well.

I personally thought at one time of using big staple gun and just use some black spraypaint enamel over the staples. :)

Ugly, cheap fix, but would allow less overhang
 
Yep, getting the correct length is a concern, but one can always order long and grind them down. Main problem is that you need to order several hundred minimum, wasn't planning on going into the sheath making business.

Heard rumors that CPVC glue might work, but I'd want a wider surface for that. Your staple idea has some merit, already used a similar technique to repair the plastic on some rather expensive headphones with excellent success, with a little grinding and filler it is almost completely unnoticable.
 
Another one of my wild ideas, has anyone ever trying doing a stitched Kydex sheath? What would the ideal thread be?
I'm thinking Kevlar or Spectra fibre.
 
I have seen some stitched Kydex sheaths. It could have been a Pat and Wes Crawford one from a couple of years ago. I could be wrong. I see no problem with stitching Kydex but every single holes has to be dehorned because they can have quite sharp "flash" when drilled. My concern is that the retention capabilities of Kydex is determined by its rigidity, which is significantly compromised by a softer, more flexible material like any sort of thread. I get nervous about it. If one stitch is popped, they all go.

Rivets are generally the most effective method but I see what you mean, trying to get as compact a sheath as possible. Try this method. It uses no rivets or other components at all. Its entirely Kydex.

When folding over a piece. Have one half larger than the other. The remaining side of Kydex can be moulded and folded over the edge of the other piece. In essence, instead of rivets, the sheath is held together by a fold of Kydex. I use this when I want a Kydex blade protector insert for a leather sheath. This keeps the Kydex portion as small as possible.

The problems with having no clearance around the sheath is that there is nowhere to put holes for lashing and cords. But hey, it may work for you.

Cheers. Hope it helps.
 
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