Make your own Kydex Digger Sheath

[denwag]

After Making several sheaths out of kydex I finally designed one that is very functional. One of the problems that you run into with a sheath for your digger is that it fills up with mud and packs solid until you cannot get your digger back into the sheath( see photos below). I experimented with drill holes in the back and that still didn't solve the problem. I have a few diggers that I use a lot and wanted to make something functional that would work with all of them. My solution was to not plug the pointed end rather cover past it and leave it open on the bottom. This still completely covers the blade but does not inhibit the mud and dirt from falling out or being easily remove.

This is made of of .080 kydex and I used 1/4" chicago bolts. The bolts allow the kydex some room to expand if your digger is packed with mud and can also be taken apart should you nee to clean the inside out completely.

I might add that kydex if very easy to work with. All I used to make this was a drill, carpenter knife, straight edge and a heat gun. Get on Youtube and look at videos on how to make a kydex knife sheath.

Regards

 

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[SusanMN]

So, what is Kydex, and where do you buy it?

 

[denwag]

Kydex is a plastic material that under mild heat (heat gun) takes on the feel of soft leather. When it cools it retains the shape it has been molded into in the form of a very hard abrasion resistant plastic. It can be remolded many times without compromise. I buy mine on ebay. 2-12"x12"x .080" sheets cost $18 that easily makes a couple of sheaths.

 

[Crappies-n-Coins]

So, what is Kydex, and where do you buy it?

Look at "knifekits" (dot com), they're GTG, ordered from them many times.

 

[Troller]

Tandy Leather Search | Tandy Leather
This is where I go for Kydex. A lot of the tools you need to work with leather you can use to work with Kydex. Kydex is a great material to make sheaths and holsters out of. It is pretty durable stuff. You can get by with a heat gun, hole punch, rivet setter and some good rivets. As the pattern becomes more complex you will need more specialized tools. Rivets can also be found on the site provided. I have seen leather sheaths with some amazing carving done on them with a Kydex insert.

 

[Troller]

Nice Work! Do you work with leather at all?

 

[denwag]

No
Just kydex. Its very easy and durable. All of these I made on my first try. If you make a mistake you can always reheat and form it again.

 

[Troller]

Yea leather can get pretty expensive. I have a fair amount invested already in my leather working tools but fortunately you can use a lot of the same tools for Kydex that you would use for leather working. Leather isn't that difficult to work with once you get the hang of it. It really depend a lot on the quality of the pattern that you start with. Any how Great work on those sheaths, especially for a first try. You should look at purchasing some TAC holster patterns. There's good money to be made in that market.