kydex questions

SHOKR

SHOKR

Well-Known Member
hey guys

im getting everything ready to make kydex sheaths

have few questions

  1. are those kydex drill bits necessary? do they go by another name?
  2. is it better to fold kydex over a knife or make a sandwich out of two seperate pieces?
  3. electric oven/toaster vs. heat gun, pros and cons?

also i am bit confused about all the attachments and accessories, rivets, screws, taklock and stuff like it
so far i plan on using 0.060 for small knives and 0.080 for large ones, sohow to figure sizing of rivets and screws?


thanks a lot guys
 
Shokr I use the bit and they do make cleaner holes for me however if I have a sharp bit and place the floor press on its slowest speed I can get a nice clean hole as well.

It does not matter whether you make a pancake or a taco with the kydex, its just different ways of doing it. I like the pancake for some applications and the taco for others. If I need to add a small nylon pocket to the sheath or mount it to mollie gear then I use pancake style. If its a simple neck knife or belt sheath then its the taco. Kydex can also be used as a liner with a leather outer covering which is the direction I am working on currently. Here is a link to Martin sheaths. He does some very nice stuff with the leather kydex combo. http://www.martinsheaths.com/

I use a 12 by 24" long electric griddle that I picked up at a clearance sale for 10 bucks. I am not an expert but the griddle is by far the best for me and easiest to use. I also use a heatgun to make minor adjustments and to aid in making the swell at the top of the sheath to aid in pulling the knife out.

Currently I use .080 - .093 for sheaths and holsters. I use the .060 for ferro rods and pockets that are either molded onto the sheath or attached with rivets. As for rivet size I pretty much use all 1/4" to secure the sheaths. If you decide to do a pancake style you need to add the thickness of the sheets to see how long of a rivet you will need. If adding a tec-lok use the rivets spaced appropriatly for the size lok you will be using. I use the Chicago screws as well to secure the body if I want to ever take the sheath apart but mostly I use just one to adjust the tension at the mouth of the sheath. Again add up the thickness of all the pieces of kydex you will be going through to get the correct length screw set.

You many know this already but just incase I will add it, when you get ready to prep your blade for the press putt 3 layers of tape on each side of the blade and trim the tape back to the blade shape. This will give the blade some room inside the sheath as well as help with the scratches to the blade.

shane
 
Go to the WIP section and look there. You should find some good videos and WIPS that are far better than anything I say
 
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