Sewing Leather To Kydex

[KAYAK45]

HAS ANYBODY GOT ANY IDEAS ABOUT SEWING THROUGH KYDEX?

Any tips appreciated.

Next..can you sew Kydex and leather flat and then heat enough to get a bend without hurting the leather? Say an Avenger. Not wanting detail at all just the bend.

Just a thought going through my head..or the opposite end maybe.

Kevin

[TwinOaks]

I've tried it and most of the time the result was that the kydex doesn't punch smoothly which resulted in cut threads. Perhaps some other members had better luck, but after half a sheet of kydex and all the variations I could think of, I stopped trying to sew through it.

Now, you CAN sandwich the kydex between two thin layers. It takes a little more layout/design, but it's doable. I've found that kydex can be heated to 'flexible' by heating the kydex and having the leather very damp.

[Reaper]

Form your Kydex, the take Thermal Plastic Glue and glue a piece of 2 oz inside it. Start at one point and work your way with the glue out from the center line of the holster, Stretch the leather as you glue each small area and hold it until it stays, add some more glue and stretch and hold. Do it until you've got the leather all the way out past the Kydex and let it dry solid. Trim it with a new razor finish up the edges as you like.

I'd probably cut the leather back on an angle and glue over the edge again up top of the cut back, let dry and they burnish...

[JoelR]

You can machine sew without cutting threads by using one size larger needle. I use a size 25 needle (making sure it is sharp) with T346 and have no problems breaking thread. For hand sewing, use a drill.

[KAYAK45]

Thanks JR. I have 792x xxx needles on my Cowboy. And i like 346 thread.

I like the answer cause it'w want I want to do.

PS: Like you sub signature. Only problem when it grows back, is the scab line. Have to cut that off.

Kevin

[NoName]

Thought about trying it but I didn't want to break needles and also I didn't know if the perforation would significantly weaken the Kydex

[KAYAK45]

Needle are that not expensive, when advancing the art is the objective.

Go ahead, I need a quote for prosterity!

[JoelR]

As an aside, the patent # you generally find on the back of Safariland holsters is for the process of layering leather, thermal plastic, and vinyl with an epoxy binder and heat-forming. Originally granted to Bianchi, the patent has expired. The leather used in the last Safariland I had to disassemble was some sort of suede that felt like it had been oiled. So, I would say that if you can heat that setup to the proper temperature for moulding, you should be able to do it with vegtan. That being said, I'm not sure I would try this with a heat gun. I see posts from guys that say you can go as low as 190 degrees to soften Kydex. Wet leather will not like that temperature (trust me) but don't know how well contact cement and dry leather will fare.

[JoelR]

Should have been more specifiec with my needle recommendation. 794D needles are designed especially for this purpose and are the needles I use when having to sew through Kydex or rawhide. The design of the diamond (triangular) tip helps to keep thread from breaking. Schmetz makes this type of needle and I believe that Toledo Sewing Machine company carries them (seeing as this was the needle that came installed on my 3500) and if they don't then they can be bought from Campbell Bosworth.

[KAYAK45]

Thanks Joel:

I just bought...190 Sq. ft ...of various thickness to try. Also viewed several facebook posts. That, with you input, will cut my research time and cost down considerably.

Kevin