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Thankyou, This forum really is a nice place to hang out.


On a related note, How the fark do the other kydex sheath makers get a firm grasp on the knife without abrading the res-c? I've got the mouth flared open at the moment but before I cut it down to where most of the pro sheaths are I wanted an opinion. Any chance that it will still grab well enough for inverted carry once its not grabbing the res-c? Or do the other kydex sheaths still have a small amount of friction between handle and sheath?

(didn't want to start a whole new topic for a silly question like that)

If you want to post pics of your sheath, it might be easier to offer you advice. If you can contact the person who made the sheath, I would do that as well, especially before removing any material.

For res-c I use blue painters tape (typically one layer) around the edge of the res-c (and the blade for the initial forming) so that the Kydex does not bite too hard on the handle. One way to set the tension on a res-c type knife is to have the Kydex tension point where your index finger goes on the bottom of the handle as opposed to on the sides of the handle (see the picture 1 below). The tension is set not on the sides of knife where the Kydex comes up but where the red arrow is below (see pic 2 how the Kydex bends around to trap the handle). Note, this is one of several ways to accomplish this. Other makers may do it differently.

You mentioned the mouth is flared at the moment. You can re-mold the mouth of your sheath with a hair dryer or better yet a heat gun. If the mouth is screwing up the res-c, try putting a layer of tape around the sides of the res-c, one layer should do. Then heat up the mouth of the sheath, focus the heat to the mouth only, don't heat up any rivets and apply the heat only where you need it. Once the kydex can be formed, use a glove and mold the Kydex with your fingers trying to apply even pressure to both sides of the mouth. Using my method, the tension will be set where the red arrow is in my picture below. Keep pressure held for a couple of minutes then leave the knife for about 10 minutes to cool. Pull the knife out, remove the tape and see if the fit is where you want it. If it's not, then repeat the process, maybe you need 2 layers of tape on the side. I would try not to remove any Kydex unless you have to, because you can't put it back. It's kind of tough to put in to words to explain this without seeing a pic of your sheath, but hopefully others can chime in if I am not being clear. Post a pic and I will see if I can offer any clearer advice.


J33psrOck your advise sounds great to me. There's not much I would add. The Res-c can be a little tricky. I pretty much do the same thing in molding kydex for it except that for the blade a make a fitted thin card board sleeve that can be removed and reused. The only other thing I would add would be to make sure the edges of the kydex are smooth and don't have any sharp or rough edges. I usually finish mine with a fine scotch brite buffing, after sanding and smoothing.

Also Tuff Cloth rocks. I've had to clean deep pitting from some of my dads old tools. I usually sand or buff or rub out the rust with a thin thin oil and then, clean and apply Tuff Cloth it protects excellently. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />


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