Being left handed means learning to do work-arounds, especially with tools. Most fixed blade knives come with right handed sheaths and I've had Kydex sheath making on the round-to-it list for a long time. I finally gathered enough tools to make an attempt at it.
I bought two Mora knives in the last year. One Light My Fire model with a firesteel in the handle, and also a Bushcraft. Both came with typical Mora molded plastic sheaths.
Light My Fire Swedish Fire Knife at the top and Mora Bushcraft below with a piggy-backed mini firesteel holder.
After trimming the Kydex sheet on a jigsaw, I heated it up on a thrift store electric griddle and formed it by hand with a piece of foam. I don't have a press and I wasn't too worried about getting the typical "vacuum formed" look of many Kydex projects.
I started with the Bushcraft and came up with a way to make the belt loop an integral part of the sheath. I cut the "tang" for the belt loop and let it be until after I had formed the sheath, then heated it to make an offset at the top of the sheath and then simply folded it over. It works and with the knife seated, it tends to lock the belt loop in place. It is possible to put the sheath without taking the belt all the way off– if it is loose, it can be rolled and slipped under the belt loop. Many sheath designs use a separate belt loop that is bolted in place, or add a Tek Lok mount.
With the Swedish Fire Knife, I thought I would go with the look of a traditional leather "pouch" style sheath. I like the look and it retains the knife well. Using my folded belt loop at the top of the long sheath sets the knife lower than the shorter sheath above.
And the belt loop detail:
I would like smaller fasteners. The "Chicago post" style screws are quick and easy, but they need a lot more room and the look isn't my favorite. If I do a bunch of Kydex work, it looks like an eyelet press is on my wish list. I will keep looking for smaller screw options too.
Kydex is forgiving stuff. If at first you don't succeed, re-heat and try again. I used a jigsaw, a small drill press (a hand drill would be fine) and a 1"x30" bench belt sander. Heating was done with a griddle and a heat gun. I touched up with ordinary sandpaper.
Keep the scraps– they are great for small stuff like Leatherman Micra tools.
