Paymeister

I have been trying to figure out how to safely and effectively carry a knife, flashlight, cell phone, and OC spray along with keys, pen, a pair of pliers, umpteen receipts, eight cents, and a dead rat.

OK, maybe not the dead rat. But I've been concerned about scratching the lens of the flashlight, and I *really* don't want to set off the OC spray in my pocket. Rather than devote a full pocket to each (as I have been), I just finished a little Kydex project to carry my flashlight, cell phone, and OC spray on my belt (see photo, below). This way I can carry my fat rolls of currency with nary a concern.

1. Make a fake cellphone out of wood, and a fake OC spray cannister so you don't overheat either;
2. Tape your flashlight, wood cellphone, and fake OC container together, with some spacing between them. I wrapped mine in paper then duct tape;
3. Measure your pack and lay out the cuts for the Kydex and cut the basic outline (see sketch for the shape - your items will determine the dimensions):
4. Heat the Kydex: I did mine at 250 degrees for five minutes or so - others run theirs hotter for a shorter time;
5. Make folds #5, 6, and 7 (specifics in steps 6-9; see sketch for which fold is which):
6. Place the Kydex on a towel with the 'outside' to the left, and the long beltloop part to the right (good side down);
7. Lay the pack on the towel with the part that will be at the top to the left and the rearmost item closest to you;
8. Arrange the pack so the right amount of 'peek out the top' is hanging over the leftmost lip of the Kydex;
9. Pull the right side of your towel up and over to your left so the beltloop part flips over the top of your pack;
10. Fold the two tab 'wings' straight up by pulling the near and far edges of the towel up;
11. Hold everything in place for a couple of minutes to allow the Kydex to cool and become rigid. Don't sweat inaccuracies: that's what the blowtorch is for;
12. Use a blowtorch to heat the tabs, and make fold 9 on both sides;
13. Figure out where to make the slots in the back (for the tabs which keep the EDC items separate, and cut with a cutting wheel on a Dremel tool. There are probably other ways to do this, but that's what I used. Note that cutting these slots ahead of time would have been easier, as the tabs were kinda in the way. But I wasn't sure where they would go, and the ugliness of the fold/slot/tuck stuff is not visible when I'm wearing it;
14. Heat the Fold #8 area with the blowtorch, and make the fold, tucking the tabs into the slots you just cut;
15. Cool the Kydex to the point where it is rigid and you can handle it;
16. Remove your forming pack and try your actual cell phone and OC spray cannister;
17. Heat with the blowtorch and make any necessary adjustments. Note: if you heat the outside too much, you'll lose the matte finish. I heated mine mostly from the inside of the holster or the back. Be careful with overheating the OC cannister: it would be rough to explain to the wife why you just maced her kitchen if it exploded. PV=nRT;
18. Heat the area for the first belt loop folds (#1 and 2) and fold the Kydex over your belt. Note: remove your belt from your waist before you do this;
19. Heat the area for final belt loop folds (#3 and 4), and finish the belt loop - slide your belt in and out a few times so the Kydex isn't too tight;
20. Using the Dremel tool (or creativity), cut the finger holes for popping out your cell phone and OC spray cannister. I used a cutting wheel then a routing bit, with a final sanding cylinder treatment;
21. Voila!

Ultimately I plan to use add a tuckable mag holder to this, and will post an update when I get to it. And the next one I make may put the flashlight a little lower: that bezel is a bit uncomfortable. Maybe I should lose weight.

Folks, if you haven't started playing with Kydex, consider it. It's great fun!
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Update: as it is now the tabs on either side of the cell phone push its buttons in and keep the display lit, killing the battery fairly quickly. If you're making a holster like this, don't make the tabs come up so high: I'll be milling mine down with the Dremel this evening.

Attached Images

	pattern.jpg (28.1 KB, 31 views)
	edcholster3.jpg (181.7 KB, 55 views)

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TerriLi

Sweet. I may try that after I finish my experiment with a FatBoy from Maxpedition. Who can say no to free gear, not me. So its time to experiment with a new way to carry all my gear.

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Ring

where do u get your Kydex, texas knife?

grady

Very nice!

Can you carry that around your work environment without being questioned about the spray?

Paymeister

I got my Kydex from Knifekits - I used .080", though that may be heavier than I need. It costs $4.95 per square foot plus shipping.

No hassles at work: their policy is that we can't bring WEAPONS onto company property. This is for the chili I have for lunch.

__________________
www.covtutor.com - a personal credentialed science/math online Pro-2A tutor for your child.
[OK, I don't expect 2A to come up, but thought you would be amused.]