Coming soon:

CUSTOM HOLSTERS AND SHEATHS

Jim March - 8/1/2002 - jmarch@prodigy.net

THE MARK4s WORK!  8/22/02

The text and pics below describe the "Mark2" sheath and holster design, which works OK and might be the best answer for some smaller knife sheaths - the "J-hooks" are integral to the main body of the kydex.

The Mark3 was a failure :).  Eliminating the bottom hook (fold 4) was a bad idea.

But for bigger knives and any guns, the Mark4 just rocks - it has it's own page here.

Except for the drawing and the 1911 photo, all pics below by Duane Weikum of the San Francisco Academy of Fighting Arts, http://www.fightarts.com/

I've been making my own sheaths and holsters for a long time, mostly in leather but a little bit of kydex.  Recently I had an idea for a type of IWB ("Inside Waist Band") deep concealment holster design, also applicable to knife sheaths.

The IWB setup provides the deepest cover of any holster type, but can also be converted to "as fast as any belt rig" if executed in kydex (a moldable thermoplastic) and concealed by a jacket, with your shirt tucked behind the holster.  Hence for street carry you can go with lighter cover and a "sweep back the jacket" draw, but around officeworker sheeple you can "tuck it" and the hardware just plain disappears.

First pic is an early design sketch.


Now for some fun.

I recently attended a "knife knut party" in Santa Clara with my "traveling holster kit", and brewed up some custom sheaths for people, for free.  I'm still in what computer techies call "beta test mode", giving away free samples while "working the bugs out".  All the pics you're going to see here are of "Mark2" sheaths and holsters (the basic pattern is the same either way).  The Mark2 isn't quite at the level I want for pro sales, but it's close.  The Mark3 in development will be better (more below).

Here's a closeup of a very nice Mark2 sheath made for Joe Talmadge, a Bladeforums.com regular and known as an expert in knife sharpening.  The knife involved is a 3.6" blade Benchmade model 750.  The sheath allows use with the pocket clip still on there, or removed.  (I was using a new heat gun I hadn't used before, and managed to very slightly singe the J-hooks, but given where the belt goes (see pics below) it doesn't show.  This is part of why I'm not pro yet.  Getting closer though, see bottom of page for the Mark3 project.)

Why remove the pocket clip?

Because the 750 design is flawed.

The problem is, the pocket clip interferes with the lock strength.  This knife features the "Integral Lock" first made popular on the Chris Reeve "Sebenza".  It's a type of liner lock, but with a twist: as you grip an integral lock knife, the lock gets stronger.

Unless the designer doesn't understand this, and positions the clip wrong, in a place where it blocks access to the lock by your hand. Darrel Ralph's designs are notorious for making the same mistake, as are the Mission Knife And Tool folders - they believe in tip-down carry, which is OK on any other lock.  Chris Reeve got it right, most of the others are just...well, they don't understand this lock.

In all these cases, ditching the clip and carrying in a sheath like this really improves the knife and I hope Joe does do a "clip-ectomy".

Other people have realized that pocket-clip carry is a bad idea around a sheeple-filled office, and leads to long interesting conversations with some weinie from HR.  This sheath solves that, esp. the Mark3 version :).

Here's what that same sheath looks like as modeled by Joe himself, both with a fully tucked shirt and with the rig exposed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Here's a couple pics of another sheath done that night, for a Benchmade 730 "Osborne".  The guy prefers "reverse grip" as the initial and primary defense method.  Nothing wrong with that...I'm a forward-grip guy myself, but the reverse has a theoretical advantage in very close-range situations.  As you can see, the mounting on this sheath is radically different from what Joe wanted - when I say "custom sheaths and holsters", I'm not kidding - the design and positioning is completely flexible.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


This is what a typical in-the-field workbench looks like - this one was set up for the day in the back of a pizza parlor :).  Shown are the foam rubber press-pads used to squish the hot kydex folded around the hardware, some large cookie sheets for heating the kydex on, an industrial heat gun, a file for edges (I'm working on a much better homebrew edging tool!), and...oh GOD I gotta go on a diet.  Sigh.  Too damn much sittin' around on the freakin' net :(.  We're just finishing Steve Harvey's sheath for his Benchmade Axis AFCK, done up similar to Joe's rig for the BM750 shown above.  Also shown are some small scrap kydex bits used as "heat shields" for doing folds 3 and 4.  More on that below.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


In this pic, I'm doing some of the final fitting on Steve Harvey's sheath.  The first step was to figure out approximately where he wanted the knife positioned on the hip.  From there, I can figure out where the initial folds should be.  Then, with the two long thin pieces still unfolded (folds 3 and 4 in the drawing not done yet), we position it and mark folds 3 and 4 with a pen.  On folds 3 and 4, bits of kydex are inserted behind the areas to be folded, so that the heat doesn't screw up the core of the sheath.  The positions of folds 3 and 4 determine the final placement on the customer.

Everybody's hip bones and belt placement is subtly different.  By doing work right there with the customer, with placement and angle set up for their body, their preferred carry method, their preferred weapon, and their personal draw stroke, I may never have the best looking product but functionality and comfort is absolutely first rate.
 
 
 
 


And here's proof we're not just talking about knives :).

This is a 3" barrel Springfield 1911 pattern.  The belt loops may look funny, but this is how it fit the owner.

Special features: the safety has been fully blocked from movement, making this a particularly safe cocked'n'locked setup.  The inside panel has also been clearanced just enough to allow hitting the mag release and switching mags with the gun still holstered - as the owner wanted :).  I've now done two 1911s, the other being a 5" barrel Colt Series 80 and as I suspected, the safety switch size was totally different in each case.  Only by molding to each specific gun as I plan on doing can I be sure of freezing that safety for the ultimate in SA auto worry-free carry.

I also check the trigger area for any possible clearance issues

This holster is an early "Mark2" and I've made lots of improvements to the process since.  Mind you, it's still very functional.

General notes:

These sheaths and holsters seem "floppy" when you hold 'em in your hand with the gun or knife in there, but once in between you and your belt they tighten up and offer a fast yet secure draw, and one-handed re-holstering.  If you want faster draw, tuck your shirt behind the body of the holster/sheath and rely on a jacket or similar for cover.  At the office or similar deep-cover need, your shirt can be tucked the full depth of the holster or sheath over the weapon, for a "cover and forget it" sense of security - no more frequently checking your cover and giving away it's position to anybody observant.

Total time to build up a holster or sheath is in the half hour range at present.  That'll drop as I perfect better "standard blanks" made up at home before hitting the field.

I'm shooting for a target price of about $35 for a personally-fitted gun holster, between $25 and $30 for knife sheaths.  I may do magazine holders as well at some point.

I hope to have Mark3 pics on both holsters and guns up by the weekend, and I may be ready to "go pro" (pending final R&D and improved edging) by about the second weekend in August.

This will NOT be a mail-order business, especially not at first.  I hope to have a series of gun shops, gun shows and shooting ranges where I'll make scheduled all-day appearances at throughout Northern California.  You come, you bring your gun (even weird stuff no other holstermaker supports!) or knife or whatever and I'll do it up :).  You'll take it home that same day.

Email me if you find this of interest: jmarch@prodigy.net