Another Kydex sheath tutorial

[PS_Bond]

This was just posted over on Bladeforums -

http://www.chiro75knives.com/tutorials/plasticsheath/plasticsheathtutorial.html

Pretty good.

[Basemetal]

Good timing!
Thanks Peter :D

[HPFlashman]

Link is dead...

[Stuart Mitchell]

Link is dead...
It's well over three years old that mate, there's loads dead since then....

[PS_Bond]

And it didn't seem right to rip the content wholesale - even with permission.

Quick Kydex tutorial:

Cover your blade with a layer of masking tape; this gives some clearance on the blade and *hopefully* reduces the scratching problem - but be assured, it will scratch.

Cut a piece of paper to a rough shape of the sheath (wrap it around the knife) - bear in mind that you want the spring of the Kydex to act as a retaining mechanism in most cases. Cut that shape out of Kydex (0.060 for blades under 6" as a general rule, 0.090" for larger or more heavy-duty; thicker Kydex takes more force to flex).

Warm the Kydex with a hot air paint stripper or in an oven until it goes limp & looks like wet leather. *Quickly* - and wearing cotton gloves - wrap the blade in the Kydex, then sandwich in a press - I use 2 1" thick closed cell pads backed up with thick plywood & pop it in a 2 ton press, which gives very good definition. In a pinch, a Workmate will do.

Wait about 1 min for the Kydex to cool. Remove the knife, drill & fit rivets or what have you, then cut back the edges to neaten the profile and polish the edges. Check retention; this can be adjusted with some careful work with a heat gun. Wear gloves.

Of course, there's more than one way to skin a cat and I've left loads out as it's just a quick & dirty "tutorial". Plenty around.

[Bazza]

Nicely condensed down to the essentials Peter. :)
For finishing the edges here a tip I picked up from a US custom maker; for a professional finish, mix a small quantity of WD40 and acetone, use a clean cloth and wipe the edges with this........smooth and shiny! :D

Barry

[PS_Bond]

I use a buffing wheel... Not much need for compound. Why WD40? The acetone will blur the scratches as is.