Wanting to get into Kydex sheath making and I have some questions

S

southernfryedyankee

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Dec 12, 2009
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How long does the foam on a Kydex press normally last? Is it worth doing sheath and holster making yourself as opposed to buying them outright from other people? I plan on using .080 Kydex, will I get a better more definedmold using slightly thinner material? Those of you that have made your own stuff and sold it have you at LEAST been able to recoup your initial investment? If I plan on making my own press to help keep cost down.
 
I have done at least 40 with the foam in my press. It does retain impressions after a while but not deep enough to make much difference in the molding. Whether it is worthwhile to set yourself up is a question only you can answer. Being a knifemaker, sheaths are an important part of the packages I offer so it is necessary to have the setup. It won't pay for itself without some intent on your part, so that is really the biggest variable.
 
You're welcome. Most makers seem to prefer the .080" thickness for moldability and retention, but I think a lot use .093" because that's usually the only thickness you can buy in 4'x8' sheets. I use .080 but your preference may depend on the retention area on the knife itself and how it engages in the molded sheath. The placement of the uppermost eyelet will also affect the retention, this last is an often overlooked but important detail. Putting a few layers of masking tape on the blade before molding to create standoff inside the sheath is also a trick that most benders learn to use to prevent scuffs on the blade.
 
Good tips from Mr. King. I have used .093 and .060 kydex/concealex, and I will go back to neither one. .080 is perfect for about any small and medium knife. .060 is too thin for me, and i find that it warps badly on the edges, even with a good press setup.

Try Tracy Mickley at USA Knifemaker supply for all your kydex stuff. For rivets, look for the "premium Siska" rivets. They do not have the finish issues some of the other rivets have. Invest in a set of his kydex dies. They are awesome and they make things so much easier and cleaner. I chuck mine up in my cheap harbor freight drill press and press them that way.

Like Justin says, use some masking tape and put two layers on each side. I tape my blade horizontally with two layers, and cut off the top and bottom scrap with a razor blade. Make sure the tape is flat and smooth with no ripples, bubbles, or anything under the tape. This will show right through and transfer to your sheath.

Dont forget to use a tek lock and line up your holes for multi position carry. If you don't have a tek lock, the holes are an inch and a half apart. To test retention I put the knife in the sheath and pinch near the top edge and have my girlfriend pull the knife out. Position your pinch until the knife comes out as desired, and roughly mark that spot with a lead pencil. Use a pencil on your kydex. Markers etc are hard to come off.

Don't grind your kydex all the way down to finished shape yet either. Leave some room to work with on the edge, drill the holes (1/4th regular drill bit is fine) and press your eyelets. I try to get the edge of the eyelet slightly under the knife edge to keep everything from rattling.

Another tip, after drilling, run a knife blade down the inside edge of your sheath to get any crud and plastic out. Rinse everything out under the sink and run the edge/corner of a towel in there if you can. Make sure the edge is flush. Any crap in there will make gaps after riveting. I also use a large drill bit to countersink the holes. Just twist the bit by hand around that hole to knock any burrs off.

I grind/cut to shape after riveting. A pair of tin snips will get you to your final shape with minimal grinding. Kydex dust is the enemy to your knives, and more importantly your body. I spend a second or two at the grinder now, and my sheaths are much better without having dust to deal with. Always wash your sheaths thoroughly.

Hope this helps!
 
AWESOME, you guys are AWESOME. I just ordered my supplies. Just out of curiosity how do you know where to set the rivets, especially the retention rivets toward the handle of the knife?
 
Just look at some pictures of kydex sheaths to get an idea of the eyelet placement. You have to leave room at the uppermost eyelet for the mouth of the sheath to flex, the more interference fit there is at this area, the further away the eyelet needs to be.
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear about the retention part. I usually just hold the sheath with one hand and pinch the area near the knife handle/top of the sheath with the other, and have someone pull the knife out until I find a good spot for the eyelet. If you pinch too close to the knife edge and too close to the mouth of the sheath, the knife ain't coming out. If you pinch too far down, the fit will be too loose and the knife may shake out. The "pinch" method is just acting as a temporary eyelet.

I position my thumb and finger in different spots and have someone pull it out until the knife comes out the way I think it should. I then mark that general area with a lead pencil, and drill the hole. It doesn't have to be perfect. This hole should set up your other holes. Again, make sure all holes are spaced for tek-lok compatibility.
 
Good thread guys, whilst I have a few sheaths on order I am inspired to try some of my own also.
cheers
 
Gentlemen I am having a huge problem getting my rivets to flare correctly. I do not have an arbor press but alot of the info I have read says that I can use a hammer and a vise. I bought the $35 dies from knifekits and it almost seems like the male die post is to narrow for the female die hole. Everytime I hit the die it always leaves a sharp high ridge almost like part of the rivet is going into the space where the male's guide rod should be going. Either the male is to small or the female is to big.

I just tried to set a rivet with nothing in between it to see what was happening and it is not setting correctly at all, I am starting to wonder if it is the rivets themselves.

I tried my hardest to write this as least suggestive as possible and it was hard HAHAHAHA
 
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Please disregard my last post I am a MORON AND A HALF. It would appear that I had the rivets turned upside down, it wasn't until I saw the picture on knifekits website that I saw the error of my ways. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOPS
 
Make your own press out of 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood. 1 foot squares work fine for me. I put two 24" pieces of 2x4 across the plywood and screwed them to the plywood with wood screws from inside, before I mounted the foam. I joined the top and bottom 2x4's with a leather strap screwed into the 2.4's to use as a hinge on one side. To hold them closed, I use a couple of fast-acting C-clamps. I use closed cell blue foam cut from a backpack camping mat bought at Walmart, and it seems to work fine for knife sheaths. I got some spray-on automotive trim adhesive to glue the foam onto my plywood, and I haven't worn out the foam yet, after a couple of years. For thicker sheath profiles (like for pistols), I put in an extra 2 pieces of foam, to allow deeper compression. If you have access to a drill press, you can use that as an arbor press to set the rivets.
 
Ron thank you for the reply but im already all set, I actually have some of my work posted in the sheaths section. I am having a BLAST


ronlitton said:
Make your own press out of 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood. 1 foot squares work fine for me. I put two 24" pieces of 2x4 across the plywood and screwed them to the plywood with wood screws from inside, before I mounted the foam. I joined the top and bottom 2x4's with a leather strap screwed into the 2.4's to use as a hinge on one side. To hold them closed, I use a couple of fast-acting C-clamps. I use closed cell blue foam cut from a backpack camping mat bought at Walmart, and it seems to work fine for knife sheaths. I got some spray-on automotive trim adhesive to glue the foam onto my plywood, and I haven't worn out the foam yet, after a couple of years. For thicker sheath profiles (like for pistols), I put in an extra 2 pieces of foam, to allow deeper compression. If you have access to a drill press, you can use that as an arbor press to set the rivets.
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