Kydex sheaths… *#@#*@**# 🤬

[Donkey Basher]

Decided to try & make some Kydex sheaths yesterday, can’t be that hard eh?

Bought some sheets of Kydex, got some thick foam & fashioned a press then watched a selection of YouTube videos to remind me of the process. Even worked out that 5-7 mins at 170C in the oven was about right to get the Kydex ‘floppy’.

The first effort is for a David Stretton pull saw, nice & big & should be easy enough… attempt No.1 ended up back in the oven! I want a ‘taco shell’ or wrap around sheath & the spine of the saw ended up about 1/4” from the fold

Attempt No.2 was better, the spine was in the fold & things looked good. Saw came out easily enough when I opened the sheath up & after the tape came off it clicked in & out nicely.

Next I marked out & drilled holes for the rivets & using the anvil & former that came in the kit put them in - some tell tale marks from the anvil but it’s just to stop the saw snagging on things when not in use so I’ll live with them. Still to clean up the edges but overall I’m not happy with it - best I can say is it’s functional!

So that leaves me with two other knives that I’d planned on making Kydex sheaths for but which I now know I am very unlikely to be able to produce anything I’m happy with when it’s finished!

Anyone who has got the skills & kit to do a decent job & fancies helping me out please step forward…

Seriously, if anyone knows anybody who makes wrap around Kydex sheaths could you please let me have details - one knife is still in kit form at the moment so no pressing urgency.

Cheers.

DB

 

[TringSaint]

Not a fan of kydex sheaths - they have a tendency to rattle.
Much prefer a well made leather sheath for my knives.

I had a chap called Lee Bennett make me one but unfortunately he has since passed away, but there are loads of good sheath makers out there!

 

[Donkey Basher]

Not a fan of kydex sheaths - they have a tendency to rattle.
Much prefer a well made leather sheath for my knives.

I had a chap called Lee Bennett make me one but unfortunately he has since passed away, but there are loads of good sheath makers out there!

I prefer leather too, but saw a very need set up with a pair of Casstrom knives in Kydex sheaths piggy backed using leather belt hangers. Unfortunately the Kydex sheaths sold for the smaller knife I’ve got is a ‘pancake’ one not a wrap around & the longer knife is no longer made so can’t find a Kydex sheath for it!

Short Belt hanger for Kydex Sheaths

3mm vegetable-tanned European leather hanger to fit Casström Kydex sheaths. This enables two knives to be paired together in a "piggyback" combo - for greater flexibility of your hunting and deer-stalking kit. The hangers can also be used if you want to pair a smaller Safari knife with a No.10...

casstrom.co.uk

 

[nun_hunter]

I've made quite a few kydex sheaths, including for a small bonesaw, but mine are all quite "functional" rather than beautiful.

Wrap around "taco" style ones I found harder to get looking good. Using two separate sheets of kydex is easier to make them look better but means the sheath is often a little larger as you need to rivet it all the way around. This does have the benefit of making it easier to fit belt clips etc though.

 

[snake_2586]

As I'm finding out there is certainly a knack to making kydex sheaths, a lot of it comes down to positioning the knife in the kydex before pressing it, gloves helps a lot here so you dont burn your hands, so far for me it's 50/50 if it does back in the oven for a second attempt.

 

[Freeforester]

Semi-flatten a 1” longer than needed section of alkathene 1” tubing in a vice after having had it in a cup of newly boiled water for about 2-3 mins, so the blade enters and exits freely. Leave it for a few hours or overnight in the vice.

Next day you can scribe and cut the back of blade/handle angle; when taken out of the vice it may slightly contract, giving you a slight grip to your bone saw; if too loose it’s a simple matter to re-heat the pipe section in scalding water and slightly tweak the compression so as to give slightly more grip of the saw blade. Drill a hole in the rear of the handle and attach to your reach with a safety clip, etc. Unlikely to be lost, and not the end of the world even if lost.



My sheet of Kydex is meantime awaiting news of the best moulding technique!

 

[Donkey Basher]

As I'm finding out there is certainly a knack to making kydex sheaths, a lot of it comes down to positioning the knife in the kydex before pressing it, gloves helps a lot here so you dont burn your hands, so far for me it's 50/50 if it does back in the oven for a second attempt.

Glad I’m not alone in this - even with gloves the stuff was feffing hot!

I’m wondering it’s better to use some thinner Kydex & am going to give it a go on the Enzo Fisher before I sharpen it after completing the shortening & reprofiling.

 

[Donkey Basher]

Semi-flatten a 1” longer than needed section of alkathene 1” tubing in a vice after having had it in a cup of newly boiled water for about 2-3 mins, so the blade enters and exits freely. Leave it for a few hours or overnight in the vice.

Next day you can scribe and cut the back of blade/handle angle; when taken out of the vice it may slightly contract, giving you a slight grip to your bone saw; if too loose it’s a simple matter to re-heat the pipe section in scalding water and slightly tweak the compression so as to give slightly more grip of the saw blade. Drill a hole in the rear of the handle and attach to your reach with a safety clip, etc. Unlikely to be lost, and not the end of the world even if lost.

View attachment 418219

My sheet of Kydex is meantime awaiting news of the best moulding technique!

Bloody brilliant idea - if only I’d known about this sooner I might just make one anyway as I happen to have a length of blue 1” water pipe in the shed from when I made a load of chest spreaders using it (don’t tell the keeper but one of his spare coils of pipe is a bit shorter than it used to be ).

 

[snake_2586]

Glad I’m not alone in this - even with gloves the stuff was feffing hot!

I’m wondering it’s better to use some thinner Kydex & am going to give it a go on the Enzo Fisher before I sharpen it after completing the shortening & reprofiling.

I'm using 2mm kydex,

 

[Klenchblaize]

Sounds like the Op needs the services of someone with a true vacuum table if the gardener's foam kneeling mat and B&Q timber wood sandwich clamp has been found wanting.

K

 

[Donkey Basher]

I'm using 2mm kydex,

That’s what I used but I’ve a recollection I have a couple of sheets of 1mm somewhere that I bought for another purpose many years ago, might give that a try but wondering if it might be too far the other way?

 

[Donkey Basher]

Sounds like the Op needs the services of someone with a true vacuum table if the gardener's foam kneeling mat and B&Q timber wood sandwich clamp has been found wanting.

K

Do I know anyone who has one of those…

 

[Bowland blades]

Yeah it takes a time to get into doing them ! I am going to buy another 8x4 sheet very shortly as i am nearly out . After years they get a lot easier , when i get that sheet sorted i could possibly sort it ? My latest design allows for inside wipe out cleaning

 

[Simon NZ]

Crushed it using the kneeling foam pads from the hardware shop, two slabs of wood and gclamps. No rattle and works perfectly.

 

[Simon NZ]

Wet fit, then dry, then a pot of hot wax. Like Kydex but more work

 

[Simon NZ]

3D printed

 

[Bowland blades]

A very simple neckless sheath in Kydex with eyelet rivets

 

[Bowland blades]

The belt carry Kydex sheath fold standard size fold over type but with Chicago screws and a back plate

 

[Bowland blades]

Traditional leather and Kydex options , leather always wins with the aesthetics but Kydex on the practical aspects ( especially with take down cleaning included)

 

[Bowland blades]

Full cover leather , better protection for the whole knife and more discrete . Not yet come up with any kydex design that can achieve this. Yes there is a fixed blade knife inside it