Can I "burn in" with Micarta?

G

Gwinnydapooh

Joined
Jan 20, 1999
Messages
641
Still working on the wedding cake knife: http://www.geocities.com/gwinnydapooh_2000/weddingknife.jpg

Anyway, next I'd like to cut down the tang and start working on fitting the handle. I don't really want to use a thin stick tang, not so much because of strength but because the knife balances pretty well now and I don't think the handle and fittings will add enough weight to make up for that much steel. Can I cut it down to a wide hidden tang and burn it in? Can I do this with Micarta, or should I stick to something more basic like maple? Other suggestions? (I'm certainly open)

Thanks.
 

Don't do this with micarta. Have you ever heard of phenol? It is very bad stuff! That is what is released whenever micarta is heated to higer temperatures. I would be hard pressed to burn in any synthetic material. I wouldn't even do it with stabilized wood although I am sure there are those that do. "Most" woods should not present to be a problem.

C Wilkins
 
Nothing to do with burning in, but I'd stick to the wood anyway. People who don't know knife materials well see Micarta as 'plastic' = cheap. A nice piece of wood has distinct ooh-ahh appeal - stabilized of course because there is a fair chance it will wind up in a dishwasher sooner or later.

My $.02 worth.



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Rob Ridley
Ranger Original Handcrafted Knives
http://www.col.ca/rridley
 
DISHWASHER!!!!!
I'll dishwash you, wash your mouth out with dish soap that is . . . . .

OK, I'm calm now. Thanks guys, that could have been a really bad thing. I think I'll look for a nice piece of maple. And no, this knife will not go in the dishwasher. I'd consider that grounds for divorce.....
 
Sometime, when two dozen relatives come over to see the new baby unannounced, they'll take over your kitchen and all of them will be using whatever cutlery they happen to see, including your D2 skinner with the antler handle and the ebony handled ball bearing blade, along with the knives that belong in the kitchen such as the tanto-pointed butcher knife with the abs handle, and they'll ALL end up in the dishwasher...
I caught them before they started it. I hope you're as lucky. I almost became the last survivor of my clan...

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Oz

Now, what other news did I have? Oh yes, IT'S A GIRL!!!
See her and my latest blades @
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Grounds for divorce huh? Don't something like 94% of marrigaes end in divorce these days? Heck, 100% of mine ended that way!



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Rob Ridley
Ranger Original Handcrafted Knives
http://www.col.ca/rridley
 
My wife is great about things like blade care, it's the unannounced family that couldn't learn without the aid of a baseball bat that something I invested 200 manhours in might be a bit valuable to me, and still might not be too dishwasher friendly.

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Oz

Now, what other news did I have? Oh yes, IT'S A GIRL!!!
See her and my latest blades @
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Yeah, I'd have to give you the in-laws. They're not going to like my house much at first anyway (they don't allow guns in theirs) and it would be just like them--but I doubt they'd offer to do the dishes. As for Melissa, we've got all this settled ahead of time. She likes to shoot, and she likes having her own knives, and she knows how to care for both. I in return promise not to drag her to too many shows, not to appropriate her knives without asking, and in general to make an effort to be less of a dork than I am by nature.
biggrin.gif
 
The 2 things absent in my kitchen, and i despise both are- a dishwasher, and a microwave...both tools of the lazy. ;-)

On the handle, be aware that maple is a very light wood and will effect balance more than you think...its much lighter than micarta or even woods like coco bola, ebony, kingwood etc...

Matt.

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"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty"
Thomas Jefferson

www.lameyknives.com
 
Why not make your knife a rabbett tanged one ?
Then you can use micarta and have the comfort and appeal of a stick tang.It's a win win situation.

I don't understand why more makers don't utilize this handle technique. I personaly love a rabbett tanged knife if done properly.
 
Dishwashers and Microwaves tools of the lazy? Nah, efficient. At least as far as the amount of work I personally have to put into it. I suppose you use a regular ol' set of files to make knives rather than a belt grinder?
smile.gif


And what's this about a rabbett tang? I've never heard of that, would you mind explaining a bit?
 
A rabbet tang is like a hidden tang, but the handle is two pieces. You carve out grooves in both sides of the handle, then sandwitch the tang between them, then epoxy and rivet as normal. It's really easy to do if you have a mill, but a dremel, files or chisels will do.

------------------
Oz

Now, what other news did I have? Oh yes, IT'S A GIRL!!!
See her and my latest blades @
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
DISCLAIMER: I don't know what I am talking about. However, I DID stab myself in the hand this week with a knife in a vice, so I am on my way to becoming a maker
biggrin.gif
.

Anyway, when I used to work at a shutter shop, we used a router jig all the time, I don't know why that couldn't work for you. It would just take some measuring and the right bit.


Jared
 
I put rabbet tangs on all my kitchen/camp knives, as it makes for a better seal to keep out water and bacteria(IMHO).
A neat little set-up for doing these is a single speed Dremel, the Dremel router attachment, and the Dreel foot pedal speed control(and no I don't work for Dremel...just don't know if Foredom has a router gizmo). Mark out your tang & drill pin holes on both scales, set the bit depth to a scosh over half the thickness of the tang, and router out all but the last 1/8" or so at the blade/scale end. Do that area by hand to get the fit right.
 
Well Gwinny D, I like the sugestion for a rabbited tang. how about pure white micarta or even Polyester pearl in White? Nickel silver bolster and pins, keep the white/silver theme through out? This for your wedding? You mean you're taken?
frown.gif
Best wishes
smile.gif
 
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