Thickness of kydex for neck knife sheath?

[verisharp]

I was wondering what thickness of kydex you guys use when making custom sheaths? Do you increase the thickness of Kydex as the size of the knife increases? Will thin kydex break? And is 1/8 inch kydex a good size for making an izula sheath?

 

[Justin King]

.080 and .093 thicknesses are pretty standard for sheaths. I have never used 1/8".

 

[K Robinson]

I also only use .080 and .093 for knife sheaths, the only time I use .060 is for pack lighters, pic below.

 

[Marion David Poff]

I was wondering what thickness of kydex you guys use when making custom sheaths? Do you increase the thickness of Kydex as the size of the knife increases? Will thin kydex break? And is 1/8 inch kydex a good size for making an izula sheath?

There are multiple factors...

The weight of the knife is a factor. If lightweight, .060 works just fine. I have made probably made over 100 sheaths for Mora knives, and .060 is more than sufficient for the task. Or, I recently built a sheath for a Spyderco Moran, and since it is so light, same story...

Alternately, if the knife has a shape that is less 'kydex-friendly', then a thicker material can be employed, because it will apply more pressure to the shapes/topography where the retention is taking place. Thin skeleton knives are a good example of this...

Sometimes color is a factor, if a customer wants Coyote Brown for instance, it is only available in .093, in which case, if it is a neck knife, you make allowances, and it will sheath a neck knife, just fine.

Then again, some folks like a heavy/solid sheath. Others like a thin/lightweight sheath.


Kydex is susceptible to the cold, and will crack when it gets really cold.

1/8th inch, usually described as .125, is usually used for structural elements, like droppers, belt loops, yokes, things like that. I have not run into a sheathing problem that I felt needed .125, though I have used it for droppers...

Hope that helps.

Kind Regards,
Marion

 

[verisharp]

There are multiple factors...

The weight of the knife is a factor. If lightweight, .060 works just fine. I have made probably made over 100 sheaths for Mora knives, and .060 is more than sufficient for the task. Or, I recently built a sheath for a Spyderco Moran, and since it is so light, same story...

Alternately, if the knife has a shape that is less 'kydex-friendly', then a thicker material can be employed, because it will apply more pressure to the shapes/topography where the retention is taking place. Thin skeleton knives are a good example of this...

Sometimes color is a factor, if a customer wants Coyote Brown for instance, it is only available in .093, in which case, if it is a neck knife, you make allowances, and it will sheath a neck knife, just fine.

Then again, some folks like a heavy/solid sheath. Others like a thin/lightweight sheath.


Kydex is susceptible to the cold, and will crack when it gets really cold.

1/8th inch, usually described as .125, is usually used for structural elements, like droppers, belt loops, yokes, things like that. I have not run into a sheathing problem that I felt needed .125, though I have used it for droppers...

Hope that helps.

Kind Regards,
Marion

Thanks a lot and nice work on the sheaths in the pics... I can see your obviously experienced, so i will ask another Question while i'm here. How do you determine the space between gromet holes in order to get good retention, but not to much retention?

 

[Marion David Poff]

Thanks a lot and nice work on the sheaths in the pics... I can see your obviously experienced, so i will ask another Question while i'm here. How do you determine the space between gromet holes in order to get good retention, but not to much retention?

Thank you for your kind words!

And the answer to your question is... there is no one answer. The higher the retention inherent in the sheath, the farther away the rivet should be. The lower the retention inherent in the sheath, the closer the rivets should be... It really is alot of trial and error, and there is no universal answer that I have found.

One trick is to copy what someone else has done, right down to rivet placement. That usually yields a decent product. In the beginning, I did that a couple times.

What knife are you sheathing up?

Kind Regards,
Marion

 

[verisharp]

Thank you for your kind words!

And the answer to your question is... there is no one answer. The higher the retention inherent in the sheath, the farther away the rivet should be. The lower the retention inherent in the sheath, the closer the rivets should be... It really is alot of trial and error, and there is no universal answer that I have found.

One trick is to copy what someone else has done, right down to rivet placement. That usually yields a decent product. In the beginning, I did that a couple times.

What knife are you sheathing up?

Kind Regards,
Marion

I am planning to make a sheath for the Busse basic 4 when it is released in a few weeks! I'm just afraid that I will put the eyelits in the wrong place, screwing up the retention- either excessive or lacking retention...

 

[Marion David Poff]

I am planning to make a sheath for the Busse basic 4 when it is released in a few weeks! I'm just afraid that I will put the eyelits in the wrong place, screwing up the retention- either excessive or lacking retention...

Well, a Busse Basic is going to be a real challenge. I would not try it as your first sheath. I would be build a sheath for something else, even a buddies knife, if you don't need any sheaths.

The rubber/elastomer handle of the Basics offers it own challenges. Whole different ball game.

Kind Regards,
Marion

 

[verisharp]

Well, a Busse Basic is going to be a real challenge. I would not try it as your first sheath. I would be build a sheath for something else, even a buddies knife, if you don't need any sheaths.

The rubber/elastomer handle of the Basics offers it own challenges. Whole different ball game.

Kind Regards,
Marion

So I've heard... the RES-C handles tend to get cut up if the kydex still has sharp edges... I'll probably buy one for the basic 4 if I can find a fair price, and make one myself for a mora or something

 

[Justin King]

You can try putting the upper eyelet (s) further from the retention area and then put a chicago screw with o-rings for washers a little closer to the same area. The O-rings and chicago screw provide some adjustment to the retention.