Suggestions, Comments, Critiques.

[jtb505]

I recently began to work with Kydex for some of the Knives that I own, and Here are some of the sheaths that have been made so far. Any Suggestions, Comments, Critiques, Ideas are welcome.


This is a Bk2 drop forward sheath. Attached is a Gen. 2 Tek Lok. The Knife is set on a slight angle for a natural draw position.

[/url]BK2 Pictures 004 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]BK2 Pictures 008 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]BK2 Pictures 011 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]BK2 Pictures 010 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]


These are a Few Tops B.O.B Drop forward sheath Pictures. Attached is a Gen 1 Tek Lok. A slight angle for a natural draw of the knife.

[/url]kydex sheath 004 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]kydex sheath 002 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]kydex sheath 006 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]kydex sheath 005 by jaebaetens, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Very nice! I love using danglers on my leather sheaths, I bet your design is pretty comfortable. I also like the cant (angle) for drawing.

Did you find kydex to have a big learning curve? I have some pieces to try, I just haven't gotten around to ordering the hardware.

 

[Salolan]

The only comments I might add jtb are purely aesthetic and you have worked with kydex more than me even so take it for what it is worth. I would make sure and place your rivets evenly and spaced the same distance off the blade profile. A good idea might be to use the tek lok as your hole spacing(and maybe you did) even though you are using a dangler just in case you want to switch it up. Also, you rounded the edges really well at the top of the sheath, I would like to see you round off the edges all along the profile. All in all, great job. It looks like your fit and tension are very good and that is the most important part.

Strig, in my limited experience the hardest part about kydex is learning to hit the correct temperature. Other than that if you have a decent press, it does all the work for you.

Chris

 

[jtb505]

Thank you Strigamort. There is a lot of very useful information on Kydex.com under technical briefs that made learning a bit easier. Finding the right temp for the type of Kydex helped me in a lot of areas. I found that the angle helps a lot, but I ran in to a slight rigidity problem when re-sheathing the knife. Part of it was the thickness I used (.080), and I think that some of might have to do with the angled attachment angle of the knife/drop forward connection. I also ran into some motivation problems along the way. Wanted things to be a certain way, and left it at that. Index Fasteners has a wide selection of hardware and kydex at very affordable prices, if your interested.

 

[jtb505]

Salolan, thanks for the comments. I'll have to give the tek lok idea a try.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Hey thanks for the advice on suppliers. That's exactly what I needed.

 

[Warrior108]

Nice work. I like the drop and the cant angle too.

For constructive advice ...

I agree with the comment on more spacing between rivets and also add that you just don't need that many. That being said, more rivets allow for more fastening options later so more is not necessarily a bad thing.

The most difficult part also is heating and juggling the kydex for initial forming - oven temp, heating time, thickness of kydex, how quickly you get it in your press and your press.


As far as finishing touches go, high level process for holes, rivets and sanding:
1) After pressing/forming, determine your hole locations, mark them and drill them if possible. Make sure the rivets fit. You may need to do some rough cuts to get extra kydex out of the way.
2) Use a band saw or dremel cutoff wheel to cut away larger outer pieces of kydex you know will not be needed.
3) Whether kydex is a 1 piece wraparound sheath or 2 separate pieces of kydex, you can choose a couple rivets to be your "sanding rivets" that will get thrown away eventually. Just push the rivets through to keep your work lined up while sanding (do not press them yet). If using very thin kydex, the rivets may not help and blue painters tape would be another option if needed. Having sacrificial rivets in your work while belt sanding allows you to remove material evenly along where the rivets will be and to not remove too much material either.
4) In step #2 above, I'd leave more material on the outer edges so that when you're sanding, the overall edges can be more streamlined. Recommend using a bench belt sander to round off all of those corners with longer sweeps to give it a more finished look. Harbor Freight has them pretty cheap now and then.
5) I do touch-ups with a dremel tool and small sanding drum to round the edges down to take off sharp corners/angles. I don't recall the direction you want to go but only apply it in one direction or the dremel will bite off kydex and make it not smooth.
6) Then use a 000 steel wool along the edges to smooth it out.
7) Remove the rivets, rinse with water, dry thoroughly.
8) Press rivets in.

Along the way there, you may want to do some fine tune forming like your curled edge. A heat gun as mentioned above works best for that as well as adjustments to retention.


Hope that is helpful.