Bright/light blue liner materials?

C

chopsuey9999

Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Messages
65
Hi all,

I've been working on a knife for a friend and I'm looking for a liner material that will really pop as a pinstripe (will be sandwiched between a dark blue scale and black liner). I was hoping for a light blue or powder blue, but I had impulsively bought some royal blue vulcanized fiber. After seeing the material in person it just doesn't offer the contrast I was looking for, so in the meantime I'm settling for white. Does anyone have pics of bright blue liners (the kind from USA knife maker) or any other liner material that's similar? I've been entertaining the idea of ordering 1/16" dymondwood in turquoise, but I have no idea how it would look at the end of the day or if it would even be available in that size. Any help would be appreciated!

Cheers,

Peter
 
The SurviveKnives website has optional handles that have a very bright blue which I guess you would call an "electric blue" .That would do it !
 
Thanks for the input guys! The blue g10 may work although I was hoping for something more pale like this, not sure if such a thing exists. I just checked the Alpha knife supply site, seems they don't carry any liner or spacer materials. Any other ideas?
 
Some people have reportedly used thick disposable plastic plates for liner material. You may look at a party store or Walmart for the color that you desire.

I've never tried this, but thermoplastics are relatively inert and theoretically would work as a suitable liner material.
 
Vulcanized fiber will not hold up - it will absorb water over time. G-10 is the best liner material. If AKS doesn't have the color you want, try Masecraft Supply. They have blue .030 and up.
Tim
 
Are your other materials g10 as well? I'm wondering if you could compete the scales using dark blue, white, and black, then use some turquoise rit dye to color the whole thing.
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for all the responses. I check Alpha again, I missed that they included the liner thickness G10 with the rest of their G10 , my mistake. The materials aren't G10, it's going to be denimite, black vulcanized fiber, and white vulcanized fibre ( tentatively, unless there's something in a better colour). I understand it's not the best liner material but it's going to be a cheese knife, so not something hard use. I will be using liberal amounts of epoxy to try to hopefully seal it, thus far it hasn't been problematic in my other knives where I was generous with gluing, probably will be switching to G10 gradually when I've used up my current stock. I'm not really familiar with how rit dye works, would it work with materials other than G10?
 
The dye would almost certainly color the vulcanized fabric, but you mix the color in a pot of hot water and soak the material until dyed. Maybe not a great idea in this case.
 
You probably won't be able to find a "light" blue vulcanized fiber or G-10 sheet.

Regarding vulcanized fiber:

Bob Loveless used vulcanized fiber extensively and it didn't ruin the value of his knives, many of which were outdoor/hunting knives. I've read only one or two reports of the fiber on his knives swelling. I've use vulcanized fiber for the last 14 years and haven't noticed any negative effects or heard reports of problems with swelling or shrinkage. I like it because I think the colors are more "pure" or solid, when compared to G-10 which can appear washed-out when thin sections such as liners are viewed from the edges which show the glass fibers used in its construction.

If I were building a knife for use in the rain forest, to be stored in an unconditioned fish camp in Louisiana, or military use then I would use G-10 liners in place of vulcanized fiber.

Most people that buy or use handmade knives may use them hard for periods, but usually know to clean and store them properly in conditioned environments.

Finally, due to the potential swelling and subsequent shrinkage issues I wouldn't recommend soaking your fiber in vats of die in an attempt to color them prior to use in knife construction.

In my opinion, you are entirely justified in using vulcanized fiber for your project. If the cheese knife owner keeps and stores the knife in his back yard in Houston, then future problems may arise. Otherwise, I think you're good-to-go.
 
Once or twice in the dish washer and the vulcanized stuff may show you why it is a mistake to use. Frank
 
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