All Else Equal, Are All Micartas Practically Created Equal?

[St33L]

Assuming it's the same epoxy or resin, and the craftsmanship and process are the same, if the fabric or material being combined from one micarta to another are different, will they exhibit practically the same qualities? So, if canvas is used to make one micarta, and, say, silk is used to make another, will they practically perform the same? In other words, is the epoxy or resin the primary and practically the reason why micarta has its qualities?

But, if you were to go more extreme by using, say, Kevlar, then will that Kevlar micarta be superior to most other fabric micartas? Then does that make Kevlar and other advanced materials the exception? Or, will all fabrics exhibit the same practical qualities, because the epoxy and its infusion into the material is what makes the material robust and hard? In which case, will printing paper micarta effectively perform the same as Kevlar or denim micarta?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Superdave1]

I have several micarta scaled knives, with various types. The are just handles...haven't noticed any major differences....none have broken, cracked, or experienced major color changes....don't overthink it, they're just handle scales...

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[St33L]

I have several micarta scaled knives, with various types. The are just handles...haven't noticed any major differences....none have broken, cracked, or experienced major color changes....don't overthink it, they're just handle scales...

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

If you're going custom, I wanted to make sure that I could practically use any fabric and expect the same results with more popular choices like canvas or even denim.

 

[popedandy]

Different materials combined with the resin will have different pros and cons. I'm not sure how important that is when you are taking a thin slice of the composite and applying it to a full-tang fixed blade knife where the steel is providing the strength. For other applications, such as a linerless folder, you would want to be more particular.

The basic idea is that the fiber reinforcement helps keep the composite from cracking, but you really need to look at the specific application to see which composites are appropriate and which aren't.

 

[St33L]

Different materials combined with the resin will have different pros and cons. I'm not sure how important that is when you are taking a thin slice of the composite and applying it to a full-tang fixed blade knife where the steel is providing the strength. For other applications, such as a linerless folder, you would want to be more particular.

The basic idea is that the fiber reinforcement helps keep the composite from cracking, but you really need to look at the specific application to see which composites are appropriate and which aren't.

For fixed blade knives, if we compare say, canvas, Kevlar, leather, paper, and nothing but the full tang (maybe a little wider than a stick tang or with holes in it), would each micarta version practically perform the same?

 

[marthinus]

One generally have

1. Paper
2. Linen
3. Canvas Micarta.

This was by Jerry Busse a few years back:



"Micarta was developed by Westinghouse earlier in the last century. It has a higher tensile strength than steel, it is impervious to changes in temperature and it will not swell, warp, or crack, even under adverse conditions, once it is on the knife.

There are three types of micarta and several grades of these three types. They all consist of layers of either paper, linen, or canvas. Paper is the most decorative of the three. I have seen paper micarta handles that are 20-30 years old that continue to look great and perform like the day the were made. Linen micarta is the middle grade when it comes to toughness and durability. I used linen exclusively throughout the 80's and very early 90's. It is very attractive when smoothed out and very strong. Canvas is the toughest of the three grades. It surpasses linen micarta by a large margin for strength and durability. Canvas also offers the best overall texture for slip resistance. It is probably the least attractive looking of the three grades unless you suffer from Busse Combat Nuclear Syndrome. In that case you can only find "beauty in the performance". Cosmetics be damned!

It would be difficult to go wrong with any of these three grades."


Hope this helps somewhat in your decision.

I have used all three. Love paper as it develops character over time, linen has good character when contoured and canvas is the most durable in my experience.

 

[St33L]

One generally have

1. Paper
2. Linen
3. Canvas Micarta.

This was by Jerry Busse a few years back:



"Micarta was developed by Westinghouse earlier in the last century. It has a higher tensile strength than steel, it is impervious to changes in temperature and it will not swell, warp, or crack, even under adverse conditions, once it is on the knife.

There are three types of micarta and several grades of these three types. They all consist of layers of either paper, linen, or canvas. Paper is the most decorative of the three. I have seen paper micarta handles that are 20-30 years old that continue to look great and perform like the day the were made. Linen micarta is the middle grade when it comes to toughness and durability. I used linen exclusively throughout the 80's and very early 90's. It is very attractive when smoothed out and very strong. Canvas is the toughest of the three grades. It surpasses linen micarta by a large margin for strength and durability. Canvas also offers the best overall texture for slip resistance. It is probably the least attractive looking of the three grades unless you suffer from Busse Combat Nuclear Syndrome. In that case you can only find "beauty in the performance". Cosmetics be damned!

It would be difficult to go wrong with any of these three grades."


Hope this helps somewhat in your decision.

I have used all three. Love paper as it develops character over time, linen has good character when contoured and canvas is the most durable in my experience.

+1 Thanks! So there most definitely is a difference besides aesthetics.

Now I'm interested to see what would happen if various materials are mixed in, sort of like differential ht.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

The thing is the original Westinghouse Micarta used thermosetting plastic not epoxy.

Different materials will create different properties in the finished material as they form the strength, like glass in fiberglass & resin, sort of like reinforcing in concrete.