Miscellaneous Non-Metallic Materials used in Knife Making.

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BLACK WOVEN GRAPHITE COMPOSITE

Works best cutting with a diamond blade and drill with carbide twist drill using water for a lubricant.

CARBON FIBER SHEET

is carried by Masecraft Supply Co.
Safety - Use respirator when working with it.

SHEET	.062", .084", .110" x 5-1/2" x 11-1/2" Hi Gloss 1 side .135" x 5-1/2" x 11-1/2" Hi Gloss 2 sides .065" Hi Gloss 2 x 2 Twill /3k Plain
SCALES	1/8" and 3/18" x 1-1/2" x 5" 1/8" and 3/18" x 5" x 12" 1/8" and 3/18" x 10" x 12" 1/8" and 3/18" x 15" x 12"

As listed in the catalog of:

Masecraft Supply Co.

Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply

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CELLULOID

This material is flammable and should be worked with caution.

SIZES	.130" x 3" x 4" .130" x 4" x 6"
PRODUCT	TORTOISE #1 or #2 CHRISTMAS TREE CANDY STRIPE ABALONE WATERFALL MOSAIC OPAL

Listed in the catalog of:

Masecraft Supply. Co

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CONCEALEX

Not much information on this material except that it works and looks like KYDEX® Sheet, but better
COLORS - Black, Camo, Carbon Fiber
PRICE - a bit higher than KYDEX® Sheet, priced per square foot.

Listed in the catalog of:

Texas Knifemaker's Supply

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ATLANTE

Plastic resin material, 8 available colors, no information on the material in the catalog.
Displayed colors: #1 M.O.P., #33 Pinkl, #4 Copper Cream, #10 Black Lip

Listed in the catalog of:

Masecraft Supply. Co

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CORIAN

No description about this material is given in the catalog. But it is cheap and many colors are available.

SIZES	COLORS
1/4" x 1-1/2" x 5"	AURORA, DUSK, ECLIPSE, MIDNIGHT, PINK CORAL
1/4" x 1-1/2" x 5"	BLACK RIDGE, BLACK PEARL, BURNT AMBER, JADE EVEREST, EVERGREEN, GARNET, KILIMANJARO MALACHITE, MATTERHORN, OCEANIC, PYRENNES SAPPHIRE, SEQUOIA, SUNSET, SPRUCE, VESUVIUS

Listed in the catalog of:

Masecraft Supply. Co

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STONITE

Listed in the catalog of:

Masecraft Supply. Co

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DELRIN

It is a pure white plastic material for knife handles. Feels and handles like an industrial UMHW used for wear strips.

Size - 3/8" x 1-1/2" x 5"

As listed in the catalog of:

Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply

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KYDEX® Sheet

KYDEX® sheet This Acrylic-PVC Alloy is a thermoplastic material which has been manufactured by the Kleerdex Company, LLC LLC since 1988.
The Kleerdex Company, LLC LLC web page address is www.kydex.com, Inquiries - Customer Service Department
Almac was acquired by Laird Plastics about 10 years ago and has service centers all over the U.S. and Canada.
Suppliers of knife making materials carry a very limited variety in basic colors.

Grade	KYDEX®100 KYDEX®101 KYDEX®107 KYDEX®115 KYDEX®130	KYDEX®150 KYDEX®160 KYDEX®200 KYDEX®510 KYDEX®550	KYDEX®L KYDEX®T KYDEX®V KYDEX®6185 KYDEX®6200	KYDEX®6565 Vinyloy-100 Vinyloy-102
Colors	Kleerdex Company, LLC LLC manufactures 34 Standard colors and 1600 Custom blended colors, plus KYDEX®130 Granite - Rosestone - Red/Black - Green - Navy - Black KYDEX®510 Granite - 6 colors with - Black/White, Rust/Gray or Clear cap. but carries only the inventory of the most popular combination of color, thickness and texture. Jantz Supply - Black, Brown, Gray Texas Knifemaker's Supply - Colors are not listed K & G Finishing Supplies - Black or Gray Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply - Black Brown
Textures (Pictures samples)	The surface textures are produced by Large embossing rolls that require several hours to install so that the P-7 textures are scheduled for production once a month if there are any orders for it. P-F texture is run every other month. P-H texture is produced during the first week of the month at our Reno, NV plant only.
Textures (Pictures samples)	P-A Smooth P-C Level haircell	P-E Smooth Nap P-H Seville	P-1 Haircell	P-3 Velour matte P-8 Suede
Thickness	.028" (0.7mm) .040" (1.0mm) .060" (1.5mm)	.080" (2.0mm) .093" (2.4mm) .125" (3.2mm) .156" (4.0mm)	.187" (4.8mm) .250" (6.4mm) .312" (7.9mm)	.325" (8.3mm) .375" (9.6mm) .425" (10.8mm) .500" (12.7mm)
Size	Kleerdex Company, LLC wholesales only in large quantities - 48" x 96" full sheets in lots of 12 12" x 12" 12" x 24"

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KYDEX® sheet properties

It is a heat-molded plastic that, when heated to 350-380 degrees F, behaves like a piece of inner tube rubber. it can be molded to the shape of a knife and will retain its shape after only about one minute of cooling.
It is just about unbreakable and does not retain moisture. Perfect for diving knives, combat and survival knives, and as a liner you can't cut through inside your fancy leather scabbards or sheaths.

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Working KYDEX® sheet

KYDEX® sheet can be sawed, ground, milled, sanded and polished, welded and heat formed.
It has a "memory", it can be molded to a knife, allowing for a build in lug for a locking a knife in the sheath for that nice "click" fit.

Mold method
First trace the outline of the blade on the piece of plywood, masonite or other material approximately of the same thickness as the blade. Than cut it out, shape it to resemble your blade if you want or leave it flat. This is your male half of the mold - easier to use than the finished knife with the handle and all, for the initial molding process. Nail or glue it to the rectangular piece of plywood at least 1.5" larger in all directions.
Second step is to make female half of the mold. You already have a piece from which you have cut out the male mold, just make it 1/8" - 3/18" larger all around, to allow for the thickness of KYDEX® sheet.
Nail or glue to the rectangular piece of plywood (same size as for the male half. Try to place it so both halves of mold fit together nicely, sides of the backing plywood parallel for easy visual positioning of molds after the hot KYDEX® sheet is placed over one half.
Now to fit the sheath around your knife, slip it in the sheath , heat the front and back of the sheet
with a heat gun or propane torch until the KYDEX® sheet will form itself around your knife.
Heat gun is a good investment - open flame is too risky since you can burn KYDEX® sheet. Now you can form or add a belt loop and finish the sheath, add locking dimples etc. For mold use - Cut the KYDEX® sheet to size (of your plywood mold back), place the cut KYDEX® sheet
onto a cookie sheet and stick in the preheated oven for about one minute (350-380).
When hot, place over one die, than place the opposite half of the die over it and squeeze.
Leave clamped till cool, than scribe the outside shape leaving at least 1/2" for glue and rivets.

TACO wrap method
You can also just wrap the rubbery hot KYDEX® sheet around your blade without any mold
(like Taco shell), and use hard foam rubber pads and squeeze the shell in the wise.
(I found it slow cooling and prefer smooth 4" angle iron jaws). In the cool metal jaws the KYDEX® sheet forms around the blade smoothly and I mold the remainder of the sheath around the handle by hand. Fingers dipped in cold water can take a lots of heat out of the KYDEX® sheet, and are best in molding the finger groove locks - - Dip often :)
Keep the pressure on till you feel KYDEX® sheet stiffening up and hold shape. Do not worry about producing the sheath in one step, reheat and redo whole or parts as many times as you need.
Tip:
Leave a drain slot or hole in the bottom of the sheath - it will allow for easy cleaning and drying.

Stainless pop rivets from any marine supply will do fine with proper size stainless washers, remove the nails after, or use any type of leather rivets.
Trim to finish outline, than smooth with belt grinder.

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Technical information on cementing KYDEX® sheet to KYDEX® sheet

Due to its excellent chemical resistance, KYDEX® sheet can be more difficult to cement than other plastics. When bonding KYDEX® sheet to itself, strong excellent bonds - joints and adhesion can be obtained using solvents in one of the following ways:
Solvent Cementing:
1 - The best joints can be obtained using a viscous solvent cement consisting of about 10% KYDEX® sheet shavings or sawdust dissolved in a 50-50 mixture of TETRAHYDROFURAN (THF) and METHYL ETHYL KETONE (MEK).
The KYDEX® sheet shavings should be dissolved in the straight THF first before adding the appropriate amount of MEK. Both these solvents are available from lab supply companies such as Fisher scientific, Aldrich Chemicals, or other chemical distributors.

2 - Without the KYDEX® sheet shavings, a relatively acting capillary adhesive can be made up by using only the 50-50 THF and MEK mixture. THF works well at 100%, but it tends to flash off too quickly resulting in a poor joint. Addition of MEK slows down the evaporation rate and affords greater time to work with the joint.

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KYDEX® sheet adhesives

In addition to chemical solvents, good bonds (both KYDEX® sheet to itself and KYDEX® sheet to other materials) can be obtained from various commercially available adhesives.
Some examples are:
· Cyanoacrylate adhesives (e.g."Super Glue"),
such as Henkel's 51000 Power Series (Henbl 800-934-9401), yield very high joint strength for bonding KYDEX® sheet to itself or to other materials. They are especially suitable for smaller areas of application where a very fast cure is desired.
· THF based adhesives
by IFS work extremely well for KYDEX® sheet to KYDEX® sheet applications. Any of the following IFS Weld-On adhesives can be used: #4052, #4007, and #1007. For more information on these products, please contact IFS at (800) 421-2677. These adhesives also work well for KYDEX® sheet to PVC and KYDEX® sheet to ABS applications.
· A pre mixed thickened, THF gel cement
called "PVC Cold Welding Gel" can be obtained from the Sealtec Company.
Contact - Ed Strauch at 116 North Janesville Street, Milton WI 53663, or call 608-868-7555.
· Urethane adhesives
are available in easy-to-use two-part cartridge dispensers and result in excellent bonds. One such example is Ciba's Uralane 5774 adhesive. Ciba can be reached at (818) 247-6210.
· P-part adhesives
Devcon's 'Plastic Welder ' or 'Flex Welder' can be used to form strong bonds with KYDEX® sheet. Both of the 'Welder' products are available in cartridges. The 'Plastic Welder' produces a strong bond which cures in about 15 minutes; the adhesive is white in color. The 'Flex Welder' produces a somewhat flexible bond which cures in roughly a half an hour; the adhesive is yellow in color. You may order the Welder' products from Devcon at (508) 777-1100.
· An adhesive for PVC pipe.
Most hardware stores carry it and all of these types of adhesives usually work successfully with KYDEX® sheet.

Click here for
The Comprehensive List of different types of Adhesives for KYDEX® sheet
Adhesives, types, manufacturers and their contact phone numbers.

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Hot gas welding KYDEX® sheet

KYDEX® sheet can be joined to itself and to other materials by hot gas welding.
The KYDEX® sheet edges to be Joined should be bevelled to accommodate the bead which produces the weld. For best results, sheet thickness should be within a range of 0.080" to 0.125^ (2.0 to 3.2 mm).
Considerable skill is required in hot-gas welding to obtain consistent high strength joints.
The tools required for the hot-gas welding of seams Include:
· Leister Hot Jet "S" welding gun or appropriate substitute.
· Speed welding nozzle for 4 mm welding rod.
· Trim plate and spatula knife for removing excess PVC welding rod.
· Router or groover to provide the specified bevel to the edges of the KYDEX® sheet.

These tools may be purchased from one of the following sources:

Columbine Int'l	Janser Inc.	Winkleman Sales
Placerville, CA	Benton Harbor, MI	Buffalo,NY
(800) 63C6693	(800) 245-2120	(716) 826-M14

KYDEX® sheet welding rod can be purchased by contacting V 8 A Processors Inc., Lorain OH. (Ph: 440-288-8137-Fax: 440-288-2323

For best results when hot gas welding, the following steps should be done prior to welding:
· Provide a continuous uniform gap of 1/16 inch (1.6 mrn)between the KYDEX® sheet sheets.
· Bevel the edges of the KYDEX® sheet with a router or groover to make a "V" shape. In plan view, the open end of the "V" should be exposed to the welding gun. The edges of the open end "V" should be no more than 1/B inch (3.2mm) apart.
· Wipe the seams with mineral spirits.
· Set the temperature and air flow settings on the welding gun. Start with a temperature setting of about'"4" and an air flow setting of "3"
· Practice the welding procedure on scrap pieces of KYDEX® sheet to test the acceptability of the welding rod and to adjust the welding gun controls to what works best for your welding style.

Technique:
· Insert the welding rod into the high speed tip. Extend an extra "6" (15.2 cm) of welding rod and hold it firmly in place.
· Slowly move the welding gun as the welding rod is fused to the KYDEX® sheet. Ideally the welding rod and KYDEX® sheet will give a "liquid" appearance as they fuse together.
· Allow the welding seam to cool to room temperature. Make a first trim of the excess welding rod with the trim plate and spatula knife. Trim the welding rod flush to the KYDEX® sheet using the spatula knife only.

Troubleshooting:
· Burning of the KYDEX® sheet or welding rod indicates that either the temperature of the welding gun is too high or you are welding the seam too slowly. · A failure of the KYDEX® sheet to fuse to the welding rod indicates that either the temperature of the welding gun is too low, you are welding the seam too quickly, or the welding rod is incompatible with the KYDEX® sheet.

Maintenance:
Small char and burn marks may be removed by wiping a small amount of acetone on the affected area. However, over-application of the acetone solvent may damage or discolor the KYDEX® sheet panel and / or welding rod.
· To remove dirt or minor scoff marks, you can use a commercially available liquid cleaner (Soff-Scrob without bleach, Fantastic, etc.), Kleerdex Company, LLC LLC Kleer Off General Purpose Cleaner, or a readily available solvent such as mineral spirits or naphtha.
· Powdered cleansers and ammonia based cleaners are NOT recommended because they tend to leave residue if not rinsed properly.
· Previous Cleaning Residue: Frequently. previous cleaning residue takes a long time to become noticeable. At other times it will be evident as soon as the wall surface dries. The residue is usually an organic substance that is trapped in the recessed areas of the KYDEX® sheet pattern. It is necessary to use special cleaners such as "Johnson Wax Step Off to remove this residue. The problem areas are scrubbed with the "Johnson Wax Step Off" and a stiff bristle brush, then rinsed with clean water.

All technical data was provided by courtesy of

Kleerdex Technical Service
6685 Low Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
Phone (800)682-8758 x 524 or (570) 387-6997 x 524
Fax (570) 387-8733

Listed in the catalog of:

Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply

Jantz Supply

Texas Knifemaker's Supply

K & G Finishing Supplies

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NEOPRENE®

Known for being used to make diving suits and inflatable boats.
This is a new rubber-like material made of neoprene. it is not real soft, but still a worm softer grip, even in cold weather. Works very well as a knife handle that is easy to grip when wet.
Working:
Simply sand to shape with 120 grit and hand finish with 320 grit for final finish.
DO NOT POLISH, as it does not look very good. Also it seems to work best with Black & Tan color Linen Micarta Rods.

Available color and sizes

BLACK
1/4 and 3/8 x 1-1/2 x 5
1/4 and 3/8 x 5 x 12
1/4 and 3/8 x 10 x 12
1/4 and 3/8 x 15 x 12

BLACK & TAN
5/18" thick only x 5" x 12" pieces 5/18" thick only x 1-1/2" x 5" pairs.

As listed in the catalog of:

Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply

Texas Knifemaker's Supply

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PARACHUTE CORD

Use to wrap the survival / combat type knives. Outer woven Nylon cover with 9 inner cords for strength and durability.

SIZE	3/18" in diameter
COLORS	OLIVE DRAB BLACK BURGUNDY WHITE

As listed in the catalog of:

Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply

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POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)

A white durable plastic that is great for handles. Can be machined and worked using standard tools. Very sensitive to heat.

THICKNESS	1/8" 3/18" 1/4" 3/8" 1"
SIZE	1-1/2" wide x 5" long 5" wide x 5" long 10" wide x 5" long 12" wide x 5" long

As listed in the catalog of:

Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply

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SPACER MATERIAL

ROUND or OVAL SPACERS	Leather ring spacer Water buffalo spacers Water buffalo spacers - thick Honey buffalo spacers
SINGLE LAYER	VULCANIZED FIBRE MATERIAL NEW - PLASTIC SPACER MATERIAL ENGRAVING PLASTIC STOCK
3 and 5 LAYER	ENGRAVING PLASTIC STOCK

As listed in the catalog of:

Sheffield's Knifemakers Supply

Jantz Supply

Texas Knifemaker's Supply

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ZYTEL®

A hard and durable NYLON being used on many kinds of cutlery.

Available sizes

1/4" and 3/8" x 1-1/2" x 5"

1/4" and 3/8" x 5" x 10"

1/4" and 3/8" x 10" x 12"

1/4" and 3/8" x 15" x 12"

As listed in the catalog of:

_{Created by Tony Hnilica - *AJH* Custom Knives & Services}