Ugh, I've had it with kydex sheaths!

L6steel

L6steel

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
5,855
Just finished some neck knives and got the kydex sheaths fit up fine but the picky part, where you get the sheath to release the knife easy but hold onto it tight enough is driving me crazy with this batch. Not to mention putting the little lips at the mouth of the sheath so the knife slides in easier. I get the tension just right and then when I heat the mouth up to put the lips in I lose the tension.
These are the last neckers I'm foolin with for along time!
Let someone else bang their head against the wall, lol!
Oh yeah, never cut a choil in a knife you intend to put in a kydex sheath, lmao!
It makes it ten times harder to get the darn thing to go into the sheath right.
 
Let me share what I do....

I heat only once, clamp in the foam for 10 minutes and then finish the sheath.

Everything must be right before the heat.

I use three layers of masking tape over the entire area to be enclosed within the sheath. These are a little wider and longer than the blade and give a sleek look to the finished sheath. The tape will reduce the indents and curves just a little for a smoother sheath. I use two more 1" wide pieces of tape that lie across the blade centered on where the sheath top ends around the handle.

Then I form as hard to the blade as possible using a heat gun with everything all layed out the way I want.

The three layers allow enough space for the blade to be held very tight but still slip in and out.

The two layers at the mouth give just enough 'extra' room for the knife to start into the sheath smoothly and prevent scratch marks after many insertions and removals.

Give this a try if you ever decide to try another and let us know how it worked for you.

Dave
 
I put a screw at the top(retention area)allows for tightening or loosening... Sort of like a tension screw on a holster... Kydex sheaths are so simple and so complex at the same time.. A few tricks, and the right stuff, makes all the difference..
I HATE making leather sheaths, its like jabbing a hot fork in my eye.. I would rather do Kydex/Concealex ANYDAY...
 
Michael,
I run into the same problem all the time. What I do is take the heat gun and loosen the side that doesn't show around the choil.
I also use 5layers of tape on each side so the blade pretty much free floats. Then when I am satisfied with the sheath I put an indent (Again on the side that doesn't show) at the last half inch of the blade tip. This holds the knife plenty tight and just a tug gets it loose. After that I sometimes adjust the throat to snug the handle some.
 
Hey L6...

Welcome to my world!! :)

When you say "choil" are you talking about a Spanish Notch ??

Drop me a note and a picture if you like and i'll shoot you back some specific feedback...

If you want,,shoot me one over. I'll have a look at it for you.If your specs are close I can keep it here and you just order up what you need...

Drop me a note anyway..

ttyle

Eric....
 
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