Kydex glue

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Edwardshandmadeknives

Well-Known Member
For the people who work with kydex, what glue should I use to glue it up? I don’t want to use rivets, just glue. Is there a glue that works good for this? Thanks, Nate
 
I would probably sandblast, degrease, epoxy (gflex or blade pro ) and clamp. You could try CA glue as well on a couple scrap pieces and see if it has enough holding power for you
 
Has anyone tried PVC cement? Does that make the acrylic-polyvinylchloride composite melt and seal like pieces of PVC?

By the way, safety note: don't get PVC cement on you. The THF in there carries whatever's on the skin through the skin, so bad idea.
 
bladegrinder said:
Whoever invents a glue that actually works on kydex will be an overnight millionaire. :confused:
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I lined a kydex sheath with leather using CA glue and it's holding up amazing, no peeling whatsoever.

But personally for connecting kydex to kydex I prefer rivets since you can drill them out and remove to clean down the road
 
I think I’ve tried everything under the sun and while a few things appeared promising, nothing worked well enough to keep two pieces of kydex bonded together forever. Which leads me to this question, if anyone has an answer, if nothing sticks in a Teflon pan…how do they get the Teflon to stick to the pan?
 
Teflon: Clean surface to remove oils, etc., sandblast to roughen, spray the coating and bake to cure.
Kydex to Kydex: Devon Plastic Welder works. CA glue works as well for small areas that are not subject to flexing. I've not tried the rubber reinforced CA glues yet.
 
fitzo said:
Has anyone tried PVC cement? Does that make the acrylic-polyvinylchloride composite melt and seal like pieces of PVC?

By the way, safety note: don't get PVC cement on you. The THF in there carries whatever's on the skin through the skin, so bad idea.
Click to expand...
Oops.
 
REK Knives said:
I would probably sandblast, degrease, epoxy (gflex or blade pro ) and clamp. You could try CA glue as well on a couple scrap pieces and see if it has enough holding power for you
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I’ve tried epoxy and CA, and they don’t hold well enough to use without rivets. I am trying to avoid rivets. It’s some tough stuff to glue, for sure
 
MEK is another "permeator" like THF, meaning it will cross the fat/skin barrier and carry anything sitting there along with it.
THF is more hazardous by health "Safety" standards, but it's splitting hairs.

Really, with these hazardous solvents, it's important to wear the proper gloves and a chemical respirator, maybe a face shield if one is splashing like birds in a bath, but they can certainly be handled safely. Here's a chart of glove resistance. It is wise to have a couple different types of gloves in the shop, i.e., nitrile and latex if one is tolerant of it.

Sorry for the safety lecture, fellow knife makers. I was the department safety officer for several years when I worked in pharma and worry about what all that incidental exposure for 30 years is doing to me inside. I used to audit/support a production process that used thousands of liters of MEK. I don't like that stank, but THF bothers me more.

@Edwardshandmadeknives Please let us know how your experiment goes. Thanks.
 
fitzo said:
MEK is another "permeator" like THF, meaning it will cross the fat/skin barrier and carry anything sitting there along with it.
THF is more hazardous by health "Safety" standards, but it's splitting hairs.

Really, with these hazardous solvents, it's important to wear the proper gloves and a chemical respirator, maybe a face shield if one is splashing like birds in a bath, but they can certainly be handled safely. Here's a chart of glove resistance. It is wise to have a couple different types of gloves in the shop, i.e., nitrile and latex if one is tolerant of it.

Sorry for the safety lecture, fellow knife makers. I was the department safety officer for several years when I worked in pharma and worry about what all that incidental exposure for 30 years is doing to me inside. I used to audit/support a production process that used thousands of liters of MEK. I don't like that stank, but THF bothers me more.

@Edwardshandmadeknives Please let us know how your experiment goes. Thanks.
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I will keep ya posted. I don’t have either solvent so it will be a while till I get around to it. The safety stuff is always good to know. People are always messing around with acid and solvent and other nasty stuff, often without any ppe and some of that stuff can really mess you up bad. Lot of it can end up giving you cancer. I’ve had cancer. It’s not fun. Always a good idea to be careful.
 
I wish luck to everyone trying to find a solution for a good bond, even the manufacturer has a method, but I’m still not a believer. If it was doable I’d think you’d see a lot of people jumping on board and gluing up kydex sheaths. But being most of us use kydex for razor sharp knives and loaded handguns I’ll stick to the proven mechanical connector method. I wouldn’t want a knife or handgun to hit a concrete floor inside a Walmart from a broken glue joint on some kydex that I charged a customer for.
 
bladegrinder said:
I wish luck to everyone trying to find a solution for a good bond, even the manufacturer has a method, but I’m still not a believer. If it was doable I’d think you’d see a lot of people jumping on board and gluing up kydex sheaths. But being most of us use kydex for razor sharp knives and loaded handguns I’ll stick to the proven mechanical connector method. I wouldn’t want a knife or handgun to hit a concrete floor inside a Walmart from a broken glue joint on some kydex that I charged a customer for.
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Well, that wouldn’t happen in Wally World! That’s a gun free zone, they have signs by the door!
 
Taz575 said:

Thermoform Adhesives | KnifeKits.com

These are thermoform adhesives that bind two pieces of thermoform sheets together. E-Weld™ and M-Weld are a clear solvents that will join two thermoform plastic sheet surfaces like KYDEX™, HOLSTEX™, Boltaron™, and other PVC sheeting together in a bonded, yet flexible manner. Applying an even...
www.knifekits.com
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I like the sound of this stuff. I’ll order some up and try it.
 
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