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+-- Thread: Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing (/showthread.php?tid=7353946)
Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing - paulmon - 03-26-2020
This week I've been experimenting using Kydex as a custom shaped sanding block. Fun stuff!
RE: Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing - Cooler - 03-26-2020
It was originally designed to use for aircraft interiors. If you have ever flown on a passenger jet, all the wall panels and most of the ceiling panels are Kydex. The tooling is cheap, and the material is durable. The fun part is a toaster oven is pretty much all you need to get started.
Seat backs are often made from kydex.
![[Image: THERMO2-1.jpg]](https://www.universalplastics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/THERMO2-1.jpg)
It was then borrowed by the holster manufacturers, for the very same reason plus it had very little friction when pulling the weapon.
It is now available in translucent panels for lighting. Using fiber optics they can light all or part of an interior panel.
https://www.plasticstoday.com/content/kydex-sheet-brings-designer-look-color-aircraft-interiors/56501567918075
Of course compared to leather holsters the Kydex holsters are dreadfully ugly:
![[Image: 71lvXIWrY2L._AC_SX425_.jpg]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71lvXIWrY2L._AC_SX425_.jpg)
RE: Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing - paulmon - 03-26-2020
I'm not sure how I feel about Kydex in an airplane. Of course, if there is enough heat to melt it, there are other problems to consider.
RE: Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing - MsNomer - 03-26-2020
I have two large rolls of the stuff from a salvage yard in Wichita—scraps from aircraft manufacture. Just deciding what to do with it.
RE: Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing - jppierson - 03-26-2020
(03-26-2020, 07:07 PM)MsNomer Wrote: I have two large rolls of the stuff from a salvage yard in Wichita—scraps from aircraft manufacture. Just deciding what to do with it.
First thing I thought of was to have a sanding block for various carving gouges, or perhaps molding plane blades.
RE: Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing - Cooler - 03-27-2020
(03-26-2020, 06:57 PM)paulmon Wrote: I'm not sure how I feel about Kydex in an airplane. Of course, if there is enough heat to melt it, there are other problems to consider.
It is light and strong and easy to clean. And listed as "low flammability". It has been around since 1965, so if it were a problem, we probably would have heard about it by now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kydex
Low flammability, UL 94 classification V-0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UL_94
V-0: burning stops within 10 seconds on a vertical specimen; drips of particles allowed as long as they are not inflamed.
That means that once the fire source is removed, the kydex will self-extinguish within 10 seconds. That is very good for horizontal panels, but a vertical panel where the flame starts at the bottom will continue to fuel the fire until it reaches the top.
But this is better than hardboard would rate, and that was probably the panel material it replaced (covered with formica and glue).
RE: Using Kydex in the Shop - More Anti-social Distancing - ed kerns - 04-01-2020
Up until about a year ago, I had never heard of the stuff. A buddy of mine poked a hole through the rounded part of his acoustic guitar. We patched it with Kydex and were able to heat form it over a mold to match the contour perfectly. Then we drilled and mounted 2 pre-amp control knobs in the plastic. Kind of hurt for a woodworker to use a synthetic, but it was definitely the right material for the job.