One of the few specialized tools you need, but well worth the $10. The plywood will do that to a certain extent; however, if you have all of the pressure on one spot at the point where a narrow vice's jaws meet, you could have quite a bit less pressure the farther away from the meeting point. These are what hold the 2 parts of the sheath together. Its a lot easier than most people think. Often I use a goodwill toaster oven. Click the Learn More button below for details. Built your press, and bought a griddle. If they are open, put something over them to prevent air and water from coming in and out. Most are quite expensive, coming around $80-$120. That is a gorgeous blade with a really cool handle! The lid is clamped shut and the vacuum turned on. Once this is done, place the wrapped item in the molding press and apply pressure (chain locking optional). Because Kydex does not have a lot of directions, this process can be tricky. How To Mold Kydex Holster - MoldProTips.com The order is - 1. To make a kydex sheath you really only need 7 ingredients: A section of Kydex sheeting Some rivets and rivet punch A Belt fastener (for carrying your knife on a belt) An oven or toaster oven A drill with some bits Hobby saw or Band Saw A foam press for pressure molding the heated/soft kydex around your knife (homemade) Ive owned several types of knives and sharpeners over the last few years and have become obsessed with everything to do with knives. Im Ahmed, the guy behind Knifepulse.com. For this I used a belt sander, it removes the burs and can be used for final shaping of the KYDEX. So cut two pieces a little bigger than the blade itself. Now that youve got that line laid out, cut to it. very cool press i will have to make me one. Either way, you need some way to squish the kydex to shape, 6. Normally I find the oven works best to begin the project, and I use a heat gun to spot heat for adjustments. I had lost some heat taking pictures but it will work just fine. If you don't have any, Harbor Freight is an excellent source, 3 inch C clamps are only a few bucks and are extremely useful, Sorry, that should read "doesn't require buying extra materials than what's listed". The handle is attached on the top so the you can maneuver it when needed. Sharpie, preferably red. Now, im making what im going to call a 'hamburger' style sheath, theres a layer of kydex (bun), the knife (patty), then another layer of kydex (other bun). There are many different ones, so let your creativity take you! 8 Steps. Once your Kydex is sealed, all theres left to do is trim it. You will love it! At the very least i recommend using some sandpaper to smooth the rough edges, they can be a little rough from the saw cut. Also the size of the piece your molding will impact on your heat source. Our Master Series press also comes with (2) Allen wrenches for making press adjustments and securing set screw in tool holder. Total investment? If you're not careful, you might end up scorching more than just the plastic. The Black and Decker Workmate is my workaroundnot a wood vise, per se; but it has the length, at least; and you can augment that with 2x4s for surface area. Make sure there is plenty of pressure since you are molding the Kydex. Make your own Adjustable Kydex Magazine / Handcuff Combo Carrier. I'm building one this week. Thanks now I can finish mine! I hope this article is of some help to those who might be interested in making their own KYDEX sheaths. For making a sheath by using two pieces of KYDEX the process is pretty much the same as above, you just need to be careful during the molding process because the two pieces will want to shift while you are clamping them together. If you were to drill all the holes at once, you run the risk of mis-drilling a hole and messing everything up. First, cut a small piece of leather about one inch long and about half an inch wide. 1 1/4" Hole saw or drill bit Weather strip Big cardboard box Aluminum foil Caulk Garage Heater Shop Vac Plastic of your choice (ABS, Lexan, Polystyrene.) You can use either a patterned paste or liquid adhesive to place your decorations on the Kydex. Step 1: Heat the Kydex Until It Has the Consistency of Wet Leather, the Griddle Does a Great Job of Heating the Kydex Evenly. Trim the leather 8. The majority of holsters I use on a daily basis are either Kydex or combinations of both leather and Kydex. I got mine from Tandy Leather. Color wise, there are some colors that do not work with each other. How to make a kydex holster/sheath press - B+C Guides Pinch Forming Press Forming Vacuum Forming Molding Foams New Products For April Sheath/Holster Making Foam - Thermoform Molding - (Xtreme Form) - (8x12x1.5) $29.95 View Buy Luckily, we have a few tips to make your second press perfect! Being a carry permit holder I have a thing for gun holsters, being a big guy, I spend a lot of time baking sure that my holsters are comfortable and work well with the clothing I wear. A good kydex sheath will be every bit as functional as a hand-tooled leather sheath, if not as good looking. They range from $75 to $150 or so, depending on the model. A hand drill would work just as well. Attach these boards to a cheap wood vise and you have your Kydex press for under $30. The important thing to note here is that where you put the 2 fasteners closest to the throat, where you insert the knife, changes how well the sheath will retain said knife. Be sure to check out his great photos on Flickr! Now, you should have one bun for the proverbial hamburger. You have almost everything you need to make this in your house! Now, mark out the spots for the rest of the eyelets. Leave it in the press for 3 or 4 minutes. Tips on staying active, fueled and ready to overcome all obstacles. But when Im not spending time with my hobby, Im here, writing about Knives and Sharpeners on KnifePulse to share with you what I learn along the way. Since the padding touching the hot kydex has "give", you want as large a surface area of pressure that you can get so that you have as much force against the entire area of the sheath without crushing anything. Now is the time to add your decorations! This time around, im going to show you how to make a basic sheath from a material called kydex, so you actually have a place to store your stabby new toy. Once youve got that all attached, meet me at the saw! if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'knifepulse_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_15',172,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-knifepulse_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');The concept is the same for whatever you have. Once you open your Kydex press, youll find that the Kydex has shapeshifted into a sheath. If your knife is short, 5-6 should be enough. For those of you that do not know, Kydex is the trade name for a propriety thermoplastic sheet. Seriously, youre done. The heated Kydex is wrapped around whatever it will sheathe, and then sandwiched between the two pieces and then clamped or weighted heavily until the plastic cools. Participated in the Knives and Blades Challenge.