bi-color micarta handle

Wade Jones

Wade Jones

Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
183
Hey gang.

I'm getting ready to put a handle on my latest disaster. ;) I'm wanting to do two color slabs with micarta. I cut the pieces last night, but they don't mate quite right, so I need to sand them down some before I glue them up.

Couple quick questions.
Any tips on getting the joining edges nice and square?
I was thinking of using the disc sanding pad on my HF 4" belt sander. If I square up the little table it should be good, no?

Any tips on gluing this pieces together? Types of glue/epoxy that work best, gluing fixture, etc.

Lastly, I'm debating doing a spacer (vulcanized) between the two micarta pieces. Any issues I'll have with that?

Thanks all!
-Wade
 
When assembling handle materials, I prefer to assemble first and sand/grind to shape once the pieces are fused. This prevents problems with hole and slot alignment, and insures smooth clean transition lines.
 
Yes, but I'm talking about the sufaces where the materials will be glued up prior to being attached to the handle.
Thanks!
 
Wade, that's going to be a real pain. A lot of work to get things squared up.
You're going to have to use some kind of tool rest or jig. Freehand is going to be tough.
- Sorry, I know this didn't help much.
 
Do you have a known flat surface (such as a piece of marble)? If so, you could secure flat sandpaper to the stone and use it as a grinding surface. Lay the stone on the table and rub the pieces against the secured sandpaper.

Do you have large flat files? If the file is wider than the pieces you are leveling, you can lay the file on a table and rub the micarta over the file until it levels.

I used those approaches on the ivory pieces and antler pieces I've worked, and it does quite well.
 
I would sand using you disk very carefully, easy to roll over the edges. I have a marble tile from home depot that I glue (spray glue) sandpaper to and use it to flatten anything that needs to be really flat, I would use 100 grit paper. Use a square to make sure the edge is at 90 degress, and lay flat to check how well they mate.

A space helps fill the gaps if needed, the other trick is to dye your expoxy the same color as one of the materials. I use expoxy but gorillia super glue (not the regular gorillia glue) is the thoughest I have found.
 
Thanks guys.
I have a marble tile I use for flat sanding, I just tend to lean when doing long pieces on their narrow faces, especially when trying to maintain a 45°ish angle. :o
Maybe I'll give it a go with a square to guide me. Does it make sense to do the pieces to be joined at the same time, or even all 4 slabs at once? Or is it preferable to do them individually?

Sorry for the dumb questions, but this is my first attempt (obviously) at a multi colored handle.

I'm looking to make scales somewhat like this, but with different materials and colors... same sort of slant though.
conwood6-lrg.jpg
 
I may be overly cautious, but I prefer building the "block" in pieces, particularly if using angles other than 90 degrees. The more complex the stack, the more I focus on building out the layers of the stack.

By the way you asked about glue, someone recommended Brownell's Acraglas (not the gel, but the original resin kits), and I find that works VERY well. It is pricey and hard to find. It is also slow to set, which gives you a lot of time to fiddle with the jig.
 
I use a steel rule to check the surface to make sure its flat, I then mark the entire surface with pencil lines (just squiggles), sand a few strokes to see where I am removing material and make sure this is where I want to sand. This developes some real decipline in sanding and prevents just scrubbing away. If I could I would glue up blocks at an angle an then cut scales, but if you have scale I would do one at a time. When mounting just make sure you line up your inset pieces because they will show on the top and bottom.
 
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