Kydex, lined with leather

gunfixrjoe

gunfixrjoe

Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
2,553
I've been considering trying this for some time now. I would like to Try lining my kydex with a good thin leather(synthetic or natural?), for various reasons. Does anyone have any insight on this, as I am not sure how I'm going to accomplish this..
 
I've seen plenty of kydex sheaths covered with leather...
But not the other way around.
Good luck with your project and be sure to let us know how it works out :)
 
Up-Armored Knives (bladeforums id 308sniper) offers a leather-lined kydex sheath with the knives he makes. Perhaps he could be some help.
 
Daniel Winkler line some of his sheaths with something, keeps them quiet on the draw.
 
I use Kydex with a leather cover and gun holster lining or felt. The leather and the lining is glued on the Kydex before the pattern is cut out. You will need to stitch around the edges as the glue will let go after a while. The leather looks good and is more comfortable than plain plastic and the lining helps protect the blade finish as well as makes for a quiet draw.

Daniel
 
Joe- I just emailed with contact for a friend who makes the finest lined Kydex sheaths ever.
lmk if you got it.
rolf
 
DWinkler said:
I use Kydex with a leather cover and gun holster lining or felt. The leather and the lining is glued on the Kydex before the pattern is cut out. You will need to stitch around the edges as the glue will let go after a while. The leather looks good and is more comfortable than plain plastic and the lining helps protect the blade finish as well as makes for a quiet draw.

Daniel
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Many thanks sir. It's an honor to get advice from the man himself.
 
I've found that lined Kydex sheaths tend to pick up grit which scratches the blade. Kydex makes a great liner for a leather sheath, though.
 
Good, Joe.
lmk what you think if you get one of Frank's sheaths. The wooly-like lining is a great idea. I wish I thought of it.
rolf
 
My issue with kydex sheaths has not been scratches on blades (scratches happen from general use anyway), but premature dulling of the cutting edge from scraping/rubbing on the kydex when being drawn or sheathed. I don't like to have to sharpen a knife more often than necessary.

I have a WIP for a Kabar Mk2 sheath using a leather welt sandwiched between layers of kydex. It would be a finish project if my pop rivet riveter had not decided to take a permanent siesta. (Yes I use pop rivets... when you are a frugal Texas farm boy and you have thousands of them laying around in boxes, you find uses for them :D )
 
zzyzzogeton said:
My issue with kydex sheaths has not been scratches on blades (scratches happen from general use anyway), but premature dulling of the cutting edge from scraping/rubbing on the kydex when being drawn or sheathed. I don't like to have to sharpen a knife more often than necessary.

I have a WIP for a Kabar Mk2 sheath using a leather welt sandwiched between layers of kydex. It would be a finish project if my pop rivet riveter had not decided to take a permanent siesta. (Yes I use pop rivets... when you are a frugal Texas farm boy and you have thousands of them laying around in boxes, you find uses for them :D )
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Honestly sir, if the Kydex is dulling your blade, you've got bigger problems. Its just plastic, it shouldn't be dulling a blade that quickly.
 
gunfixrjoe said:
Honestly sir, if the Kydex is dulling your blade, you've got bigger problems. Its just plastic, it shouldn't be dulling a blade that quickly.
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To be honest, I only have 2 kydex sheaths. One came from the gun shop with the Busse Basic 7 I found under a pile of bayonets and is hard as hell to draw from. The other is a home-made one that I made for a Kabar MK2 (modern version) for use when putting out hay bales, cleaning fence lines, clearing brush and other farm work. Mesquite, prickly pear, mud and cows##t, high humidity causes my leather sheaths get scraped, heavily scratched, salty sweat encrusted, and mucked up. So I figured I'd try kydex. When using the home-made kydex sheath, the MK2 blade just seems to get dull quicker. I don't know if it's my imagination, or if it's how I'm pulling/re-sheathing the knife along with how I made the sheath (two pieces heated up and molded around the blade under pressure). So the best I can think of to stay with the kydex is to add a welt and see what happens. I can replace a welt fairly easily when it molds out.
 
I've thought about it but I find it purpose defeating. Leather works by friction. Fiction over the surface of the entire object. Therefore that will eventually be lots of wear over the item. Furthermore leather takes a long time to break in (gun holsters). You spend the first 1/3 breaking it it, the middle 1/3 is its perfect (if you're lucky), and last third it's wearing out.

Kydex is great because your retention is immediate and long lasting. It's adjustable and will keep that same retention until its changed. I have only seen one holster lose its retention over time and that was a 8yr old original raven holster.
Kydex is good because it limits the wear to specific points.

To combine the two gives you no advantage over having just one. You will have wear everywhere with extra points of wear.

To the knife dulling, a.) something's wrong with the blade steel b.)the way the edge is maintained. C.) that holster was made very poorly. Probably a combo of all three.
 
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ShepardCC said:
To the knife dulling, a.) something's wrong with the blade steel b.)the way the edge is maintained. C.) that holster was made very poorly. Probably a combo of all three.
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I choose "C" since "A" and "B" are eliminated by going back to a plain leather sheath. :rolleyes: I've been using the knife for 5 -6 years prior to trying to monkey with kydex. I figured (correctly) that removing cows##t and honey (am also a beekeeper) from a plastic sheath would be easier than from leather.

I also figured "how hard can it be to make a kydex sheath" -- easy
One that that fits right? -- obviously harder than I thought. So back to the drawing board (or rather pressing boards).
 
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