Stock sheath for BK-11...

[GingivitisKahn]

... any decent ways to tighten these things up? I plan to use mine this season while hunting deer and it is a little rattleish. Granted, if it's rattling, I'm probably moving too fast, but if anyone has a good way to quiet that thing down, I'm interested.

 

[Bladite]

... any decent ways to tighten these things up? I plan to use mine this season while hunting deer and it is a little rattleish. Granted, if it's rattling, I'm probably moving too fast, but if anyone has a good way to quiet that thing down, I'm interested.

insert a shim?


Bladite

 

[Bridgeman]

I've had mine in and out of the sheath quite a few times and retention is minimum. Not having problems with rattle, and no intention to hijack the thread, but while the collective Becker-hive is considering ways to reduce rattle, please also think of ways to tighten retention.
Thanks,
greg

 

[GingivitisKahn]

insert a shim?


Bladite

Hrm - some super thin bit of plastic or something? Is that what you're thinking?

I've had mine in and out of the sheath quite a few times and retention is minimum. Not having problems with rattle, and no intention to hijack the thread, but while the collective Becker-hive is considering ways to reduce rattle, please also think of ways to tighten retention.
Thanks,
greg

I don't see that as a hijack at all. I could see how retention would be an issue if my sheath were a bit looser.

I was flirting with the idea of dunking the sheath in some boiling water and then squeezing the snot out of it (with hot pads). It's a working strategy with plastic arrow nocks but I'm reluctant to dry that with my sheath.

 

[Bladite]

I've had mine in and out of the sheath quite a few times and retention is minimum. Not having problems with rattle, and no intention to hijack the thread, but while the collective Becker-hive is considering ways to reduce rattle, please also think of ways to tighten retention.
Thanks,
greg

Hrm - some super thin bit of plastic or something? Is that what you're thinking?

I don't see that as a hijack at all. I could see how retention would be an issue if my sheath were a bit looser.

I was flirting with the idea of dunking the sheath in some boiling water and then squeezing the snot out of it (with hot pads). It's a working strategy with plastic arrow nocks but I'm reluctant to dry that with my sheath.

yes, something like that. i took the "seal" from a can of MonsterDrink, some kind of tough but thin material that's fairly good sized; cut two parallel edges on it, and i've inserted those into some marginal sheaths... left a little bit out as well. aids retension and sound/rattling in one go. for the BK11 sheaths, i might even put some adhesive on one side.

the heat/squeeze worked well with the original Camillus kydex sheaths. not sure what you're going to get with the new ones (as they are glass filled plastic?)

perhaps one could drill out the rivets, and line the sheath with either plastic, or some kind of leather? reassemble with rivets or screws (esp if you are using a TekLok)... the right kind of screws with the right thickness of liner would allow some adjustment on tension as well.


Bladite

 

[Bridgeman]

Hrm - some super thin bit of plastic or something? Is that what you're thinking?



I don't see that as a hijack at all. I could see how retention would be an issue if my sheath were a bit looser.

I was flirting with the idea of dunking the sheath in some boiling water and then squeezing the snot out of it (with hot pads). It's a working strategy with plastic arrow nocks but I'm reluctant to dry that with my sheath.

Save your time. It didn't help much.

 

[Bladite]

Save your time. It didn't help much.

can't speak to the BK11's but it was essential to fix a $$$++ knive's rather ... non impressive sheath. that or spend $300 on a sheath

there's always custom kydex

Bladite

 

[GingivitisKahn]

yes, something like that. i took the "seal" from a can of MonsterDrink, some kind of tough but thin material that's fairly good sized; cut two parallel edges on it, and i've inserted those into some marginal sheaths... left a little bit out as well. aids retension and sound/rattling in one go. for the BK11 sheaths, i might even put some adhesive on one side.

the heat/squeeze worked well with the original Camillus kydex sheaths. not sure what you're going to get with the new ones (as they are glass filled plastic?)

perhaps one could drill out the rivets, and line the sheath with either plastic, or some kind of leather? reassemble with rivets or screws (esp if you are using a TekLok)... the right kind of screws with the right thickness of liner would allow some adjustment on tension as well.


Bladite

Ok interesting - I may have to mess with that. Thanks for the tips!

Save your time. It <hot water> didn't help much.

Fair enough - I was afraid of that. Thanks.

 

[PropThePolecat]

Try heating the plastic up with a hot-air gun, or if you dont have that, your girlfriends blowdryer. When it has warmed up, you then put a clamp on it and allow it to cool down again. That might give it that little extra retention.

 

[GingivitisKahn]

Try heating the plastic up with a hot-air gun, or if you dont have that, your girlfriends blowdryer. When it has warmed up, you then put a clamp on it and allow it to cool down again. That might give it that little extra retention.

That should be easy enough to at least try w/ little risk. Though if my wife suspects I have a girlfriend (with or without a blowdryer) then the risk level increases some.

 

[PropThePolecat]

That should be easy enough to at least try w/ little risk. Though if my wife suspects I have a girlfriend (with or without a blowdryer) then the risk level increases some.

We could all do with a little danger in our lives

Just remember it needs to be proper hot. And do it without the BK11 in the sheath, or it'll draw the heat away.

 

[PayetteRucker]

I despise molded plastic and kydex sheaths for this reason. My HEST and RC3 do the same... everybody raves about these sheaths but I just don't get it. I'm in the process of making my own... got a leather punch and a few cuts of 7-8oz leather to work with.

 

[Bladite]

I despise molded plastic and kydex sheaths for this reason. My HEST and RC3 do the same... everybody raves about these sheaths but I just don't get it. I'm in the process of making my own... got a leather punch and a few cuts of 7-8oz leather to work with.

was just noticing the retention on my BESH was poor, and the rivets loose... so i adjusted them a smidge, and now it's MUCH worse. terrible sheath, imho (sorry KaBar)

i am impressed by the potential for sewing the sheath into something, and the clip is nice from what i can see...

but i'll probably be calling up the Toooj for a spare sheath next week. this is a candidate for a quality kydex sheath (or something else puncture proof - perhaps even a slim leather design (with liners?)...

it's a very intriguing knife though. definitely something that could be discretely worn as the weak hand backup knife by anyone (not just women)


Bladite

 

[LG&M]

I just finished putting some wood handle scales on my necker. That took away the rattle. Gives me a better grip also. cost next to nothing using a scrap piece of oak trim.

 

[Bridgeman]

I despise molded plastic and kydex sheaths for this reason. My HEST and RC3 do the same... everybody raves about these sheaths but I just don't get it. I'm in the process of making my own... got a leather punch and a few cuts of 7-8oz leather to work with.

Post pics when you're done. I'd love to see how this turns out.

 

[GingivitisKahn]

I despise molded plastic and kydex sheaths for this reason. My HEST and RC3 do the same... everybody raves about these sheaths but I just don't get it. I'm in the process of making my own... got a leather punch and a few cuts of 7-8oz leather to work with.

I like the idea of a leather sheath too but twitch a bit at the notion of depending on a bit of prepared animal skin to protect my chest / abdomen from a very, very sharp blade that I'd like to have dangling there.

Maybe I'm overestimating the protectiveness of the plastic sheath - it could break, I suppose - but leather? The prime use to which I intend to put my BK-11 is processing game, most of which is encased with potential leather. Leather looks a heck of a lot better and I really like the idea of some fringed, Indian looking thing but I also like the idea of an intact body cavity.

 

[PayetteRucker]

You'd be simply amazed at just how resistant to puncture leather is. Unless you're being extremely deliberate it isn't going to happen. Leather was used in armor up until medieval times for a reason-the stuff is strong. Been partying all week at the Basque Jaialdi festival, gonna get some good sleep tonight and stitch hard tomorrow. It's a drop design with a pocket clip, so that it will ride low profile and concealed in my front right pocket. The Kabar fighting knife comes with a leather sheath, and leather has been the primary material used for blade retention for thousands of years. It gets the job done

 

[PayetteRucker]

I finished the HEST sheath last night. For a first time gig I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out, though I need to work on cutting technique when it comes to curves and such. Maybe a set of metal french curves are necessary for use as guides. I also need to work on being deliberate and more consistent with my stitching placement. Next step is to find a pocket clip somewhere so it can be worn as a low profile pocket, IWB or boot sheath. As you can see it's very low profile. I need to get some thicker stitching too, or a smaller punch... but definitely 100% functional and I think the design is sound. I'll start making round 2 and 3 for the RC3 and Paklite Skinner. This was about 5 dollars in leather, a 3 dollar stitching awl and a 5 dollar leather punch and a negligible amount of rubber cement, as far as materials. Total time investment was around 2 hours.
Completely possible DIY project? Yup.

PS sorry for the crappy photo quality, the L100 has the worst possible screen and I can't tell what the heck is going on while operating that thing... and for the huge images-I resized them in Photobucket but they refuse to load that way once I post em.

 

[sappyg]

I finished the HEST sheath last night. For a first time gig I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out, though I need to work on cutting technique when it comes to curves and such. Maybe a set of metal french curves are necessary for use as guides. I also need to work on being deliberate and more consistent with my stitching placement. Next step is to find a pocket clip somewhere so it can be worn as a low profile pocket, IWB or boot sheath. As you can see it's very low profile. I need to get some thicker stitching too, or a smaller punch... but definitely 100% functional and I think the design is sound. I'll start making round 2 and 3 for the RC3 and Paklite Skinner. This was about 5 dollars in leather, a 3 dollar stitching awl and a 5 dollar leather punch and a negligible amount of rubber cement, as far as materials. Total time investment was around 2 hours.
Completely possible DIY project? Yup.
.

that turned out pretty good for your first try. :thumbup:

 

[JOSH111]

I love IPA's.