Knife sheath material

[Silverd]

Hello Helpful Members 

I have a client that has requested a custom knife sheath made from a synthetic material as frequently encounters wet conditions hich leathet may not be suitable.  Anyone know of what is commonly used for this application?  Any and all assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Silverd

[DJole]

Will a Kydex sheath work?

[Dwight]

Kydex would be my first choice, . . . 

I don't like working with it, . . . but it makes a good product when it is done.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Silverd]

Hummmm,  kydex.  I looked at a You Tube video...I was hoping I might use a sewable material.  

Silverd

[chuck123wapati]

maybe some heavy nylon strap material.

 

[Frodo]

canvas,  is what the military uses in wet condition 

 

[chiefjason]

3 hours ago, Silverd said:

Hummmm,  kydex.  I looked at a You Tube video...I was hoping I might use a sewable material.  

Silverd

 

Use eyelets as the holes and "sew" it with parachute chord.  The eyelet will actually be what holds the sheath together.  Just like leather, any stitching will be the secondary way it's held together anyway.  

[Dwight]

Leather breathes, . . . and if water gets in it, . . . eventually it will dry out.

Some synthetics can hold water and cause the knife to rust.

Seeing the  client is looking to protect his knife, . . . kydex is the best choice for THAT, . . . even if you cannot sew it.

AND, . . . it can be riveted with only a few rivets.

May God bless,

Dwight

[steven1]

Look at "Dive Knife" sheaths.  Some are Kydex, some are nylon webbing, some a a combination with Neoprene and I have even seen some leather ones.  What kind of steel is the knife made of?  What are the handles made of?  How wet are the conditions? What is the look the customer is going for?

[chuck123wapati]

I've always used leather sheaths and I have been waist deep in snow, mud and water many times , I just water proof the heck out my knife sheaths and holsters just like I do my boots. Don't know how wet he intends on being but for hunting and such in the winter and fall leather works fine if its water proofed.

[Silverd]

Good points re using well conditioned leather.  I'm not sure his exact intentions; certainly not swimming with the knife though.  The knife he wants the sheath for I believe is military style carbon steel with plastic handle.  I made him a sheath for it already albeit a more decorative style.

Thank you for the thoughtful suggestions

Silver

[OldLeatherGuy]

My suggestions would include 2 products made by Dupont, one is Cordura and the other is a heavy grade of Tyvek. Both are water resistant and very strong and will wear well in outdoors type conditions. some types like Cordura will repel water from the outside while allowing air circulation from within. 

[Silverd]

6 hours ago, OldLeatherGuy said:

My suggestions would include 2 products made by Dupont, one is Cordura and the other is a heavy grade of Tyvek. Both are water resistant and very strong and will wear well in outdoors type conditions. some types like Cordura will repel water from the outside while allowing air circulation from within. 

I like your idea of Cordura.  I had a bouyency compensator used when scuba diving, made of Cordura and it held up well for many years.

Thank you for the suggestion 

Silverd

[AzShooter]

Snake skin would work.

[ScottWolf]

On 5/17/2020 at 6:11 PM, Silverd said:

Hello Helpful Members 

I have a client that has requested a custom knife sheath made from a synthetic material as frequently encounters wet conditions hich leathet may not be suitable.  Anyone know of what is commonly used for this application?  Any and all assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Silverd

Kydex is your best non leather option. It is what all knife makers use these days, both custom makers and commercially sold. For a time, it was common to see sheaths made of Cordura with a HDPE type plastic insert in the body of the sheath to prevent the blade from cutting the sheath, but those have also gone to the wayside. Suggest you go to bladeforumsDOTcom or any of the other knife forums to get an idea what is being done with kydex if you are unfamiliar with its application. As an aside, we haven't used canvas in the military since post Vietnam for individual's equipment ( TA-50).   

[Silverd]

10 hours ago, ScottWolf said:

Kydex is your best non leather option. It is what all knife makers use these days, both custom makers and commercially sold. For a time, it was common to see sheaths made of Cordura with a HDPE type plastic insert in the body of the sheath to prevent the blade from cutting the sheath, but those have also gone to the wayside. Suggest you go to bladeforumsDOTcom or any of the other knife forums to get an idea what is being done with kydex if you are unfamiliar with its application. As an aside, we haven't used canvas in the military since post Vietnam for individual's equipment ( TA-50).   

Kydex, yes I was made aware of this material and it does seem to be the material of choice for military, police and serious hunter types.  I was hoping to use a sewable material but I'll present options to my client from the blade forums as you suggest and if he selects something from kydex, well I'll have to come up on the learning curve.  It's not unlike pulling cased leather over a form once it's warmed up a bit...trim, rivet top to bottom.  What could possibly go wrong!

Many thanks!

Silverd

21 hours ago, AzShooter said:

Snake skin would work.

That's a pretty cool idea!  

 

Silverd