This was very eye opening for me. I’ve only owned 2 kydex sheaths and have never attempted to make one. The level of difficulty is much more than I had assumed. I certainly have a new appreciation process. Thank you for the information! 👍

Hey Walter, I come at this from another direction. As part of my job, I carry a firearm everyday, and most personal level holsters are made from thermo-plastic. I really like Safariland's approach to attachment points, and I really think it's the way to go. Since you are going to a vacuum system, try making a depression in the "body" side of the sheath that allows you to drill multiple holes for screws. That way you can orient your mounting solution in whatever way you want. My main holster has a belt loop attached, but if I wanted to I could take it off and mount a paddle, or a clip style attachment. Giving people options is good, and if they want a more time intensive mounting solution, just pass the material and time cost on to them.

I have a sheath from a company called armatus carry solutions. They do a 1 piece construction rivets on only 1 side. The kydex is folded over and is very slimline and sleek they specialize in iwb construction. The top also has a bend/ wide mouth. Hands down, one of the best kydex I own I would highly recommend poaching some of their design ideas.

Hey Walter, Really enjoyed the video and all of the manufacturing content. I have transitioned to vacuum forming all of my sheaths and it has been a game changer. The process has been challenging and I’ve made many improvements along the way. I generally prefer a taco sheath for the type of carrying I do. For IWB appendix the width of the sheath matters a lot. Half an inch in width can mean the difference between uncomfortable, and forget it’s there comfort. I see the merits of rivets on both sides too though. Have you considered adding a retention adjustment? I find that feature extremely helpful. Especially since the ideal retention can very so much between different carry positions. I cut all my scales on a CNC router so there is some variance in the thickness. The retention bolt takes up that slack when necessary. This stuff is so interesting to me, I could talk for hours about it. I’ll end my rambling here though. Thanks again for all you do. Jonah

I have two comments, one about the belt clip issue; the other is about your vacu-forming tool. I make regular belt loops but I don’t attach them at the bottom. I put snaps (two) on the bottom of the belt loop (plain old Tandy “Line 24” snaps) . They seem to work really well. On one hunting trip I either forgot to snap them or I somehow accidentally UNsnapped them. The knife sheath stayed on for the whole first day without the bottom of the belt loop attached. I discovered that fact at bed time. I don’t like thermoplastic sheaths or holsters. I grew up on a cattle ranch, so I always use leather. Now leather is never going to be as simple or as fast as Kydex or similar materials, but if you do decide to try leather in some special circumstances (or for some special knives), your vacu-forming gadget would likely be a perfect tool. For many knife sheaths you do what’s called wet forming. You make a form for the knife (essentially a plastic or wood copy), put wet (not soaking wet) leather on or around the copy, then with wooden and metal forming tools you make sure the leather stretches and conforms to the mold. Then you let it dry. You should see if your vacuum tool and your knife patterns will push damp leather into the forms. You might have a brand new tool for leather working knife makers.

My fixed bladr kydex needs falls into three categories. EDC, discreet carry and camping/hiking... EDC: My work fixed blade is a low ride taco with an over-sized belt loop for my work belt. It is a smaller pukka style knife, and it rides below the belt. My non-work blade is a similar size but different blade style and rides in a taco style sheath with an ulti-clip that can be used in pocket. It can be swapped around for IWB, but it pretty much stay in pocket carry mode. Discreet: Both of these are a pancake style sheath, one with an ulti-clip and the other is scuba loops that rides scout at the 5 o'clock. Camping/hiking: All of them are taco style sheaths that are fitted with a removable drop loop or an optional tech lock if I am going to be going into thicker brush. They also have a spot for a ferro rod or BIC lighter. This is a conundrum for any who uses and carries fixed blades on the regular. My absolute biggest pet peeves when getting holsters are: -No loctite on the hardware. -No drainage holes. -No molded in thumb ramp for easier extraction. I have bought more than I care to admit and have had the absolute best luck with my sheaths from Doug Wilson at Yellowhawk Customs. In my mind he is THE guy that all other kydex makers should aspire to reach. He is a super nice guy and seems to have the magic formula figured out..

Hi Walter, thanks for your many excellent videos through the years. Been watching them since before I made the decision to become a knifemaker. I make most of my sheaths pancake style. I've found retention adjustment and fit with taco style to be a little less forgiving, at least with the shapes of knifes I'm making currently. Right now I still make my sheaths as one-offs, pressing the Kydex first, then drilling, riveting, profiling, and retention adjustment. I 3D print out templates that nest the formed Kydex sandwich and locate my holes to drill, which has helped with one step of the process. However, I agree with you, it's a rather messy, time consuming process that needs to be dialed in for each specific knife design, if efficient production is what you are after. Your vacuum press may be the way to go, but I have some different ideas on how to improve on my own process. My steps will end up something like this: 1) Form the kydex around the knife using a conventional press. 2) Use my 3D printed (or CNC'd) nest to quickly/consistently mark all holes to drill. 3) Install the rivets (& remove knife). Note here, I'm starting to use an adjustable retention screw with a short rubber bushing in place of the last rivet nearest the finger choil. This is the same as used in holsters but using a shorter screw and bushing (knifekits.com). Doing this, given the right placement on the sheath, should eliminate the final retention fitting (cutting, shaving or heating) which I've grown tired of. 4) Mount the riveted sheath to a fixture on my CNC and profile the entire outer shape. That would eliminate the messy bandsaw cutting and rough grinding operations which I'm also tired of. ....Anyway, that's my basic plan in theory. Haven't done all of it yet. As far as belt/pocket attachment, I primarily use the small sized TekLok or UltiClips. I feel they are among the best available, but like you said, their higher cost can affect bottom line profits. -Kurt kkustom.com

I have one of the Agent knives, and the only thing I specifically dislike about the sheath is that the side near the body seems a little short to me. I don’t know if other people feel that way or not. It could just be personal preference I guess. And while I prefer a metal J clip with the little retention tangs for IWB on a pistol, I have no complaints with the clip. Speaking of pistol- I’d like to see a pistol holster that integrates the knife also. I carry my gun in that same 4 o’clock position. So if they could be worked together, that would be pretty awesome. With regard to manufacturability, just a few questions or points: 1)have you considered waterjetting your blanks out? It would likely be less money than cutting them on the Tormach, and would take some burden off of that machine. 2) how are you buying the Kydex? You mentioned sometime back that you are near Dville. If you haven’t tried them, give Polymershapes in Austell a call. They’ll have large sheets, and you might be able to buy it better. 3)have you considered a rubber grommet between the pieces with a threaded rivet? It’s an easy way to control, or ‘tune’ the tension, but is adjustable for wear over time and personal preference. It might help get them out the door faster (?). /longest comment ever

Great video, Walter! I haven't done a ton of kydex sheaths but I since I primarily work on custom blade orders I typically just make them to the customer's specifications... However, they are never super complicated and I find kydex takes me about half the time that a leather sheath does. I like the versatility of the teklock style belt clips but have also used spring clips as well. I use the standard foam press for shaping and have a heat gun I use for minor adjustments of the tension. Hope that helps!

Was a great video. I love the kydex sheaths. I’ve made the taco and the two piece. Mostly lately I have taken up leather working and that’s what I do. Keep up the good work I have learned tons watching your videos.

i've been working Kydex and other thermoplastics for over 10 years now. At 5:38 you nailed it. Working on foam presses you have the temperature of the Kydex, clamping force on the press, and even the "memory" of the foam from being used over and over. Making knife sheaths for custom knives is difficult to repeat vacuum press mold system because your finished knives and handle have to be dead on to the mold. It's amazing what a few hundredths of an inch variation can do in the fit and feel. No one EDC sheath mounting solution is perfect. Any upgrade to the FOMI style clip you use no is the MonoBlock. It's a metal version and really bites in on the under hooks. The plastic ones have a tendency to not grab unless you have a thick gunbelt. In the same attachment to the sheath method you should check out the Ulticlip's UltiTuck. This would probably be better because you don't need to wear a belt to have this one secure. Using a knife kiln to heat up Kydex was a surprise to see. Us old timers used cheap toaster oven which sucked. Most makers who do this on scale use a heat press. You can control the temp a lot better, heats the Kydex up faster, and is more repeatable.

I feel like I save more time going the “ form, river, profile order”. Sometimes forming symmetrical and using the belt loop fasteners to tension helps get that perfect click when the sheath gets in a bit of a bind from having the rises in the sheath.

Hey Walter, a month ago I've spend over 3 weeks of RnD work, on doing a similar design sheath with a very similar process, with more than 50 sheaths that did not work. The sheath has a belt loop attachment, and adjustable retention, also is mae the pancake way, with the help of vacuum forming with molds and cnc. It's way way too complicated to explain in a comment, as you have givent so much to the knifemaker community I would be willing to share it with you over a zoom/google meets or whatever suits you.

Hey Walter, I know this doesn't pertain to Kydex but, I've been a maker all my life, (damn I'm 65 already), but mostly leather wood and knives. Every knife needs a sheath and I really don't like plastic or Kydex. Leather will stand the test of time if maintained properly, and is a natural more beautiful way to carry. Hand-forming leather around the pistol is very time consuming , until about 10 years ago when I had an idea of vacuuming my leather down over the knife or pistol with food saver. One drawback is you have to eat a new bag every time you make a sheath or a holster but it's a minimal cost for hobbiest like myself. I took a holster and a knife sheath over to Tandy where they were having a class how to make knife sheaths. The instructor was amazed at how well formed, more detailed, and beautiful they were. He commented that he would add this method to his class using vacuum molding for custom fit knife sheaths class. It's an easy process, I wrap the pistol or knife with Saran Wrap three or four layers, place the piece on top of an old plastic cutting board to keep the back of the leather flat, suck it down and seal it and then I take an antler point to help shape around the deep corners. I'll say one thing, I won't be going back to hand molding leather. It's a dynamite way to get very detailed, wet molded leather. I use the thickness of the welt to adjust retention. I also put a waterproof sealer on the inside and then heavy wax to keep the metal from corroding if the leather happens to get wet. I use the older style FoodSaver that doesn't have the bag role inside the mechanism. The older one allows you to have about 3-4" less tail sticking out of the sealing unit. I hope this helps in your endeavors or at least find it interesting. Thank you for all you have done for this community Mr Sorrels. Just my thoughts from a guy in Tucson

I certainly don't have your experience in knife making, but I've made a few of both "taco" and 2 piece sheaths. The one thing I've learned with kydex is to cover the blade and guard with one layer of painter's tape. It's enough to lock in place without rattle but also easier to draw.

Hi Walter, I have quite a few blades with Kydex or some form of thermal plastic. There has never been one belt clip on any of them that worked for me. I even tried the Multiclip. In the last month I made my first 5 Kydex sheaths and they work very well. Since my daily often has a firearm on my right side, my fixed blade is normally on my left side, inside the waist band and then the "Sam Brown" after. My solution to being able to carry the fixed blade without the included belt clip has been string! I run a piece of #36 bank line through the top eyelet and tie a single knot on either side of the eyelet. This forms a loop that I slide over the belt loop of my pants on my left hip. When I put my regular belt on it goes over the string and through the belt loop and locks the sheath to my pants and the sheath is inside my waist band. I can then put on my "Sam Brown" duty belt. The eyelet I use is the top one on the edge side so that the blade edge is forward. This makes for a very fast draw with my left hand. If it happens that I am not wearing my "Sam Brown", I often wear a vest that conceals both the sidearm and the blade. I know that this doesn't solve your questions about belt clips but I will say that it seems to me that the solution you are using to bolt on that belt sheath clip is the most practical for you and your business. Then someone like me can remove it and use what is best for me. I have a drawer full of parts for belt clips and sometimes I will use one to attach a blade to a hiking pack. I don't use the leather sheaths or nylon sheaths because they are normally outside the waist band and hang below the belt for everyone to see. It is amazing that a simple string solved my concealed carry problems. ;)

I have a Boker produced Bud Nealy designed knife (MCS) that has a rectangular bump on the inside side of the Kydex which holds a rare earth magnet for retention. The sheath doesn't have to be tight to the blade and the shape of the blade/handle isn't important for retention. I've never had it try to slide out and it's also used with a neck knife option hanging upside down.

Just started and it is definitely a learned skill. Two piece has been harder but better quality than one piece. I use molle attachments but it's just a hobby not a career so need to spend more time on the process

Hey Walter I understand your concerns but… Like I have heard you say in the past there is no do it all kind of knife. I feen the same philosophy is also try about sheaths… that being said I prefer leather over kydex. Call me old school or traditional… I just don’t like plastic for a sheath

You should look into the deep carry ambidextrous knife sheaths. Uses molds to make a sheath, in some cases one sheath can fit multiple knives.

My shirt covers my fixed blade knife, so I'm not worried about it being seen, but the clip to my folder may be seen in my pocket. It freaks some people out, until they need one...lol

Its going to be very hard to get something repeatable production wise i think unless your able to mill the area that the kydex locks onto the knife that way the handle at that point is identicle on every knife. As you said getting the right fit is crucial. I use both leather and kydex for sheaths but i prefere leather for what i do cause it suits my style. But ive tried hybred sheaths for my reaper knives and they are fantastic, you get the beauty and customisation of leather but the retention and durability of kydex. Unfortunately its an even slower process.

I don’t have any experience building sheaths but I have done a bit with holsters. I’m trying to think abstractly and maybe this has been tried and judged not good. Could one half of the sheath be moulded to the knife with the protrusion that retains it and the other side ne stiff leather to handle the tension? Depending on which side the leather was on it might improve where the comfort or the in the waistband retention.

Personally I like scout carry (horizontal)

That thumbnail knife reminds me of one of the ones I saw at GAFL like 600 years ago.

well Sir, I tend to make leather sheaths, but the Kydex ones I have made turned out "ok" but I feel they are cost prohibitive.

Using an air bladder to replace the foam would eliminate the memory problem.

I prefer the taco style. Less wide with no rivets and a built in folded over belt loop for a slim vertical carry. ✌

Never seen one rivited before its molded...is there a reason for this?

The style of clip you have there is nice for easy removal but it adds bulk at the widest point of any item you're carrying IWB. We The People holsters uses that style and that's enough to keep me from buying their product. The narrower clips fore, aft or both are more concealable and have the versatility to allow you to carry wherever you like.

I've used a press for knife sheaths, but have had mediocre results. Mostly I buy leather sheath on etsy, to keep the cost point down. I wish I could make the kydex thing work, but so far it's not to the level of my knives.

Appreciate the info Walter. Folks just don't understand the amount of time sheaths take. The hand fitting and fine tuning etc. For my press I have a series of aluminum, brass and plastic blocks of differing shapes and sizes to put in place before shaping, to assist me in getting the shape I want. I will also use a sheet of 1/8" micarta on the bottom if I want a flt back sheath with all of the forming on the top. I also like the clip like you use. I only do clamshell style.

Do you mean to say, " this is the last in the ongoing series"?????

I hate kydex, few makers do them right. I appreciate the thinness but they tent to be extra bulky beyond the outline of the knife.

Why don't you just turn the comments of and save us all time . but is some one else is scanning the comments finding things you might be interested in.

here ya go walter on your comments.....glad to hear you don't read your comments...heres one ......unsubscribed