Heating big kydex

AntCaps

AntCaps

Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
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Ok so I plan on trying to make a sheath for a sword I made a while back. Last time I tried I ended up scorching the kydex on the steel rack in my oven. What I was thinking was I'd line the rack with ceramic floor tiles and use that as a smooth base for the kydex.

I would prefer steel or aluminum or even a thick silicone sheet but those options are expensive.

Anyway any thoughts? I'd get a griddle but none of the ones I've found are big enough.
 
I use a 16" x 24" T-shirt press for my sheaths. Beats the heck out of a toaster oven or griddle. It's pricier than either, but not too bad. A few sheaths will pay for it, and the consistency and ability to do big sheaths makes it well worth the money.
 
I've seen the shirt presses but I just cant justify the price right now. I want to make a sheath for that sword you heat treated for me.
 
Yeah, hard to justify it for one project. For many sheaths, it's the best thing I can recommend for a Kydex sheath maker.

The tiles will probably be your cheapest option. Remind me of the dimensions you're working with?
 
I'm going to need to heat 2 pieces about 24" long and 8 wide. I think I'm going to give the tiles a shot.
 
I've made kydex holsters for my handguns and we used a toaster oven and some foam blocks for kids playrooms that were laying around and a Tshirt in between.... Worked perfectly. I then used a heat gun to get the stubborn edges that wouldn't work in the toaster oven.
 
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I've got a nice big press that works great just dont have a good way to heat up a big sheet of kydex.
 
AntCaps said:
I'm going to need to heat 2 pieces about 24" long and 8 wide. I think I'm going to give the tiles a shot.
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Come back and let us know how the tiles work out. I'm always looking for different ways of doing things. I would think the tiles would help distribute the heat also. Just make sure their not coated with anything that could transfer.

I've also seen bigger kydex sheaths made on smaller sections and bolTed together.
 
I've seen the bolted together sheaths I guess I'm just picky but I dont like it. I found a local steel place and I was surprised that I could get an 18 by 24 inch sheet of steel for under $50.00 so that's what I'm going to do.
 
Steel plate in the oven worked great the only thing I might do is keep an eye out for a big silicone baking mat to put on the plate.
 
AntCaps said:
Steel plate in the oven worked great the only thing I might do is keep an eye out for a big silicone baking mat to put on the plate.
Click to expand...

Would parchment paper work? At least until you find the perfect silicone baking mat.

O.B.
 
It probably would but I just found a big silicone mat online for like 16 bucks so that's on the way.
 
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