I own a Fallkniven TK2 knife and have never used the supplied leather sheath as it’s not something that would be easily cleaned after using the knife for gralloching etc
So, I was told the Fallkniven F1 Zytel sheath would be a good alternative, nope, its not great, not the best of fits and tended to rattle about with the TK2 in it due to the different blade and handle profile
This then led me onto making my own sheath from Kydex.
I’ve made several Kydex comb raiser/Cheek pieces for my rifle stocks but never a knife sheath so though it might (or might not ..) be of any interest to the forum members who like to give it a bash
I bought 1 x sheet of Kydex from the popular auction site and ¼” Nickel Chicago screws from Tandy.
I was going to source & use rivets and rivet the sheath together but decided on the Chicago’s so I could unscrew them & open the sheath slightly to give it a good scrub/disinfectant after use. The rivets wouldn’t let this be possible.
I made a rough..no very rough..Kydex press from scrap wood, an old camping mat and a couple of spare hinges I had in the garage. I cut the foam up into rough squares and used spray carpet adhesive to keep them from slipping
You will need some kind of clamps to hold the Press shut , I just used mini G Clamps in had in the tool box.
Cut the Kydex to size after making a few cardboard mock up’s to test sizing etc, I went with the “Taco” style, folded over sheath, lots of other styles on the net for ideas. I left a longer top section to enabled me to fit a belt loop at a later stage too.
Next up is preheat your oven to 190°C and bang in the Kydex for 60-90 seconds to get it nice and supple (this was for 3mm Kydex) , you’ll know if its ready as soon as you pick it up.
Remove from oven, bend over knife and whack it in the press (Do use gloves as the Kydex holds its heat well), Clamp it up tight and allow it to cool
I left mine outside for 10 mins then opened to see what was what
Next up was installing the Chicago screws (I used M5 spring washers on the screw head side as there was about 0.5mm gap on the screws when fully tightened, I might replace with Neoprene washers later)
I left sufficient space near the top of the sheath to allow it to flex when removing / installing the knife, you don’t want it too tight or it wil be a real pain but tight enough to have a firm hold. Position the uppermost screw wisely..
Mine can be carried vertical and won’t fall out. No rattling either..
I used a 5mm drill bit after roughly gauging distances and spacing whilst marking rough profile to cut the excess off.
Once roughly cut to shape and Chicago’s installed, its starting to look like a sheath..
Aft view
Next up belt hanger, I cut an old piece of webbing I found in garage and once again used two chicago’s to install. (I melted the holes in the webbing with soldering iron )
I had to pay attention to placement so they wouldn’t constantly run on the handle
Aft view
So, after a trim and sand, its almost done, I need to rub the edges with course scotch brite to bring them to a smoother finish but it really is quite easy. No more rattles…wahey
There are probably a million and one different ways of doing this, and as many styles as you want, I just wanted a simple, basic and relatively inexpensive sheath and it works a treat.
Hope this spurs you to maybe try something similar for yourself
Cheers
RB
So, I was told the Fallkniven F1 Zytel sheath would be a good alternative, nope, its not great, not the best of fits and tended to rattle about with the TK2 in it due to the different blade and handle profile
This then led me onto making my own sheath from Kydex.
I’ve made several Kydex comb raiser/Cheek pieces for my rifle stocks but never a knife sheath so though it might (or might not ..) be of any interest to the forum members who like to give it a bash
I bought 1 x sheet of Kydex from the popular auction site and ¼” Nickel Chicago screws from Tandy.
I was going to source & use rivets and rivet the sheath together but decided on the Chicago’s so I could unscrew them & open the sheath slightly to give it a good scrub/disinfectant after use. The rivets wouldn’t let this be possible.
I made a rough..no very rough..Kydex press from scrap wood, an old camping mat and a couple of spare hinges I had in the garage. I cut the foam up into rough squares and used spray carpet adhesive to keep them from slipping
You will need some kind of clamps to hold the Press shut , I just used mini G Clamps in had in the tool box.
Cut the Kydex to size after making a few cardboard mock up’s to test sizing etc, I went with the “Taco” style, folded over sheath, lots of other styles on the net for ideas. I left a longer top section to enabled me to fit a belt loop at a later stage too.
Next up is preheat your oven to 190°C and bang in the Kydex for 60-90 seconds to get it nice and supple (this was for 3mm Kydex) , you’ll know if its ready as soon as you pick it up.
Remove from oven, bend over knife and whack it in the press (Do use gloves as the Kydex holds its heat well), Clamp it up tight and allow it to cool
I left mine outside for 10 mins then opened to see what was what
Next up was installing the Chicago screws (I used M5 spring washers on the screw head side as there was about 0.5mm gap on the screws when fully tightened, I might replace with Neoprene washers later)
I left sufficient space near the top of the sheath to allow it to flex when removing / installing the knife, you don’t want it too tight or it wil be a real pain but tight enough to have a firm hold. Position the uppermost screw wisely..
Mine can be carried vertical and won’t fall out. No rattling either..
I used a 5mm drill bit after roughly gauging distances and spacing whilst marking rough profile to cut the excess off.
Once roughly cut to shape and Chicago’s installed, its starting to look like a sheath..
Aft view
Next up belt hanger, I cut an old piece of webbing I found in garage and once again used two chicago’s to install. (I melted the holes in the webbing with soldering iron )
I had to pay attention to placement so they wouldn’t constantly run on the handle
Aft view
So, after a trim and sand, its almost done, I need to rub the edges with course scotch brite to bring them to a smoother finish but it really is quite easy. No more rattles…wahey
There are probably a million and one different ways of doing this, and as many styles as you want, I just wanted a simple, basic and relatively inexpensive sheath and it works a treat.
Hope this spurs you to maybe try something similar for yourself
Cheers
RB
