Brighter red for liner?

I have seen bright red linen micarta in 1/8" thick. That's too thick for a liner but it would add a nice contrast and is opaque unlike the G10.
 
How about Corian?
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Red kydex would be great, except it's almost impossible to get it to adhere to things reliably from what I hear. I may have to test that out and do some more research. If it won't bond really strongly but enough to stay in place on the handle scales I may just use it on screw on/take down handles where it doesn't need to adhere to the steel strongly enough to keep the handle in place for life.

Corian comes back to needing it in liner thicknesses rather than the whole handle, though that's a really nice handle. I've never seen corian that shade before. Love it.
 
Re-saw the corian on a band saw. I've cut it as thin as 3/32".
Kydex glues well with PVC cement. Will glue up with epovy if the surface is roughed up.
 
Cut your kydex or corian down and then glue it to the handle material. Mill it down to whatever thickness you want.
 
Argel, the only way I have to reduce the thickness would be on the grinder or by hand sanding on a flat surface, trying to get it an even .04 - .07 or so is probably going to be pretty tough. It's an option though. If I go the kydex route I'd just use .06 or .08 thick kydex, my only concern there is the bond strength. I'll test that out next time I'm doing gluing, no need to rush it just to save a day or two. I'm really hoping it holds well to both micarta and steel, that would be an excellent option.
Still, good ideas folks, even if a particular solution doesn't work for me it may for someone else or lead to other ideas. This is why I asked here, you get all sorts of ideas and suggestions.
 
I use kydex from time to time, roughed with sand paper first , and never had any issue with the epoxy detaching, the thing to watch for is when you sand the handle to its final shape and finish, check for the deepest scratches in the kydex liner and make sure you remove them, because its a pretty soft material after all :)
so far it worked fine on my knives, and it makes for some nice thick liners..
 
Thanks. What epoxy do you use? I haven't actually gotten to mess with this yet so adding to my knowledge base before I start is helpful.
 
Greg, that looks great!

Remyrw - what's wrong with the vulcanized liner material? I've never had any problems with it at all. I just epoxy it to the scales before assembling the knife and it practically becomes one with the handle

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It attracts moisture and is not particularly stable, it grows when wet so it starts sticking up around the edge. There are ways to try to seal it, but they all create additional steps, generally involving sanding that surface again after applying the sealant. That's not always something I want to do.
Basically, it's not a great material for the job unless you're completely sealing the handle afterward with a clearcoat or something.
 
Well like I said I've never had any issues with it. Maybe the epoxy I use penetrates it enough to stabilize it. After all if it absorbs moisture that easily then I can't imagine why it wouldn't also take in epoxy...

For what it's worth I know one ABS MS that uses good old construction paper as a liner. It's very thin but works pretty well if thin is what wou want. It absorbs the epoxy and is also flexible enough that it can be used on integrals with radiused bolsters.
 
The problem seems to develop down the road, but yeah, if your epoxy soaks into it far enough it will solve the problem. There are other solutions, and sealing it isn't usually a big deal. Other options are nice though, and in most cases I much prefer the G10 liners. I haven't heard back from anyone that they were unhappy with the fiber liners I've used in the past, just looking for possible improvements. Particularly when I'm acid blackening the tang, fiber's a poor material choice.
 
A few years back I had an ol'timer (forget who told me) tell me when I was asking this very same question to use red SOLO plastic plates, the color runs through won't absorb moisture and can be bought cheap at any grocery store.
 
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