A quick tutorial on how to make a kydex sheath. Hopefully this video helps a little. Everyone does things differently this is just what I found works best for me. Thanks for watching!
One of the best videos I've watched on on making custom Kydex stuff, every other video I've watched they always say to have a toaster oven to heat up the kydex and I see you did it just with the heat gun alone which is AWESOME and that makes it seem EVEN MORE simple! So very big thanks for doing this video exactly the way you did it!!!
Thanks, awesome video. About to try kydex for the first time. I mostly do leather but this will be interesting. Loved the style of video and how easy but quick you were about explaining everything.
Thanks kaila , great video , i have some nice knifes always wanted kydex sheaths and now i know how , time to get making ....funny thing i ve followed you from your very first knife all those years ago ...i remember your first kydex use , look at you now and where your at , what an amazing journey 🙂👍
Wonderful practical video. Usually in most of the DIY videos people never really show you the practical tips like she does honestly for e.g. the thumb ramp to get the knife easily out of the sheath she made. It is really wonderful to see such honesty. Alas in India the local hardware store does not keep such within budget useful tools. If you buy through amazon or directly from websites you end up paying 3-4 times the price in USD (notice we have a big foreign currency exchange rate difference between USD and INR) and then custom duties and huge shipment costs. I ot some Kydex from foreign, paid up huge, tried to make a sheath for a condor knife using glue guns, manual metal clamps, etc and ended up in a super stiff extremely tight sheath that I could not use with ease. Ofcourse you need some home based machines for grinding, buffing, etc or live with sharp uncomfortable edges which I tried to do away with files and sandpapers manually. Took me hours. Kaila I really appreciate your honesty and really fast quick practical presentations, Keep up.
Cool! Great job! I was going to build a foam compression rig like yours, but remembered that I already have a side bench vise on my work bench, which works great! SO much easier & faster than those Irwin clamps, which is exactly what I used at first. I took 2, 1x6 boards, each 8 inches long, Gorilla spray glued a double layer of 3/8" thick blue yoga mat from Walmart on each board. When knife/Kydex is ready, just stack like a sandwich and clamp, could also do one side flat like you. Side bench vise can give crazy pressure, but it's easy to get a feel for the perfect pressure, super even pressure too. The blue yoga mat has held up pretty well. 20-30 knives on first set of blue foam and still going. And for $14, I still have about 40 6x8 pieces left on the roll. If I do 4-5 moldings/compressions in a row, it seems to take overnight for the blue foam to rebound, so I slap another layer of blue in there until I replace original set with new. Also, I just started building a vacuum & surge-tank rig using a (free) compressor out of an old window AC.
Excellent how to video Kaila your a great instructor. I wish I could do all that but I am a retired VET and I am handicapped so alas as much as I would like to make my own it would be difficult. Once again great video. :-)
Hi Kaila, Great video. One trick for making sure the knife comes out smoothly out of the custom sheath. Put blue painters tape on the parts the knife being molded. The tape gives the necessary space for the knife to slide out smoothly. Add tape for the necessary friction that you need. Hope that helps you out in any way. Keep up with great tutorials.
Very informative video you look great Kudos on your Naked and Afraid XL you look great and kicked ass PS I wish you showed more of your knife that you brought handmade cool handle
This video is so sexy! Instantly subscribed, which I rarely do. I have been looking for a new project so I started looking into making Sheaths for the knives I have found and restored over the years, also in making my own Mag Pouches and eventually a couple Holsters. Anyway thanks for the pro tips! this was very helpful , every other video ive watched, which isnt a bunch, theyve had padding on both sides of there press but after seeing that pro tip of the hard bottom for the non visible side it seems the only way to do it ! Loook forward to more videos
I tip I recommend is to tape the blade with masking tape so that the blade can slide in better. This also helps prevent the knife from becoming dull simply by taking it in and out of its sheath
Seriously fucking amazing. Ive been trying to get a sheath for one of my Rondel daggers for a while, and there havent been many viable options that wouldnt cost me a fortune. So glad I could see this video
Great video, Kaila! One shortcut/kydex hack to save time AND give a nice effect: put your eyelets in before you saw and sand. You'll get a "welded" seamless edge which looks beautiful, and you won't have to clean the particles out after! Keep up the great work!
Do you find this eliminates scratches on the blade as well? I was going to put in a comment with something I found works; instead of doing the 'pancake' style as mentioned doing two separate pieces allows you to thoroughly wash each side with soap and water after grinding/sanding thus eliminating any dust, thus eliminating scratches :D If you make it pancake style, it's just too stiff to really get in there to clean it out - even using compressed air. But if riveting it first works, then the 'welded' edges definitely would be better.
@@007Jaredboy pancake is the two piece sheath, taco is the one you don't like. Honestly, I just use the same process for both styles. After pressing, drill and set eyelets. Then remove the knife (removing the knife first might separate the edges and make a welded edge more difficult to achieve) and proceed with saw, sand, buff... And I've actually started wadding up some pieces of paper towel and stuffing it into the sheath so that no debris gets inside while sanding. Works well! I also use my air compressor before sheathing the blade each time, just to be sure -- my workspace is so dirty most of the time so I take precautions.
@@BlackBearCustomKydex Actually I know that's 'taco' style; I only called it 'pancake' referencing how she described it at 3:18. That's a good idea about the paper towel, though I'll have to try that.
thanks for ur vid, I have not made 1 in a while{Sheath}. If I remember right the perfect temp is "140" and if this makes sense its 40% heat on top and 75% on bottom in a oven, it can be checked with 1 of the surface thermometers {about $12 at harbor freight}…. Thanks for the reminders... looking GREAT!
Hi Kaila - really interesting tutorial, thanks. I've never done any Kydex work. but I work a lot in leather, and it's interesting to see how you work with such a different material. Also, I've never heard fake fingernails recommended for workshop use before - think I'll have to get me some ;-)
Kaila, your intro photo caught my eye....and your video perked my interest. You probably have a slew of dudes drooling . You are more than I expected. I just subscribed and will view the other projects you have accomplished . Tools make the shop....ability makes the PERSONA, and yes, a tripod or camera mount will add to your video success. Thanks J K
Kaila, Try putting a toothpick in with the knife's tip when moulding the kydex to the blade. This will add a very handy water drip hole if the knife ever gets wet. It's a good thing to add to your sheaths and I'm sure your customers will thank you for it.
I have largely found that drain holes are unnecessary. If you have water in the sheath, draining it doesn't dry it enough to spare your blade the exposure. You'll still need to dry/oil the blade and let the sheath air out a little. That said, it doesn't hurt anything and it can look really nice! Either way, makes no difference.
@@BlackBearCustomKydex I agree; if the knife had gotten that wet, it would be best to keep everything separate until it dries out. The drain hole wouldn't do much.
Hi Kaila, thanks for sharing that, I saw the first knife you picked up is very similar to one I have, how can I see about getting one of your knives for myself, well it'll actually go up on my page but i'd like to try it first 🤣🤣 by the way my wife said she was glad you were wearing glasses cause she loves your eyes 😀
beautiful smile:) thanks for the info. I'm gonna try that. I watched a couple other videos, you explained things more clearly then the others, and it doesn't hurt that your pretty :) LOL maybe I listened better because your pretty? I'm kidding, it was a great video. Thanks again for that. I really like to see women doing shop stuff, not many are drawn to it. I have a machine shop and I've had a few in the shop and I've noticed they have distinct advantages in ways. They are more dexterous with their fingers and have patiants to stay with something sometimes where men get distracted easily, hard to explain but I love to see it when they enjoy it or get a since of accomplishment from it sometimes. doesn't happen in my corner of the world that much but its awesome whatever it is. I'm training my 20 yr old niece right now thats studying to be an engineer she started college at 16... I'm gonna stop there because I'm gonna start bragging on her LOL. something else to play with in the shop, thats all the info to get me started. Your awesome!
Could you just curve the back of the eyelet over with a ball hammer? I don't have a press... Suppose if I got aluminium eyelets then they should be soft enough to let me do that, or would they just break and crack?
Great job im looking to make a sheath for a 1911 bb gun and hoping this technique will work . Not sure if you answer any comments but i was wondering what you use on the plywood top part of your clamp to make the mold form the knife , it seemed to work great any help would be much appreciated .
