Can You Scuff Burlap Micarta To Mimic Canvas Micarta?

C

cutchu

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
Messages
4,004
I bought a Giantmouse Jutland that I like very much. It has Burlap Micarta scales, which I do not care for. They are smoother than canvas, which I prefer.

Is it possible to get the tactile feel of canvas micarta by scuffing the burlap micarta?

I have scuffed up other micarta scales before to rough them up a little and it has always worked fine. Not sure about the burlap though. It does not feel like a "regular" micarta.

JctwsJP.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have some burlap material but I haven't used it yet.

It's interesting you you are saying it's too smooth, I was worried that I was thinking it would be too coarse? With cavities

I would think that you can sand it, but it might bring out the fuzzies of the cordage.
 
I might try to sand it at like 150 then bees wax if it's fuzzy. The wax alone may help, it has helped make some linen micarta grippier for me
 
I would think that if it’s courser than the current finish grit then it would work, might not be the same texture, but could make it more aggressive. In any case that’s a great looking knife, I love that blade.
 
I use burlap micarta quite a bit and it actually seems harder than canvas or linen in my experience. My theory is the coarse strands actually allow the resin to penetrate the material better. It’s much easier/faster to get a smooth finish with burlap. You really don’t get any fuzzies or loose strands either. Again I think the resin more fully encapsulates the fibers than it does with other material. Canvas or linen gets gummy and burns easily when you’re shaping it and takes more work at coarse grits to get it smooth. Burlap grinds pretty clean and will have the occasional pit but they’re generally small and unnoticeable after buffing. It actually reminds me of working with walnut in some ways.

All that to say, if you sand it with a coarse grit paper it will make it a bit “grippier” but probably won’t mimic the feel of canvas.
 
ScarFoot said:
I use burlap micarta quite a bit and it actually seems harder than canvas or linen in my experience. My theory is the coarse strands actually allow the resin to penetrate the material better. It’s much easier/faster to get a smooth finish with burlap. You really don’t get any fuzzies or loose strands either. Again I think the resin more fully encapsulates the fibers than it does with other material. Canvas or linen gets gummy and burns easily when you’re shaping it and takes more work at coarse grits to get it smooth. Burlap grinds pretty clean and will have the occasional pit but they’re generally small and unnoticeable after buffing. It actually reminds me of working with walnut in some ways.

All that to say, if you sand it with a coarse grit paper it will make it a bit “grippier” but probably won’t mimic the feel of canvas.
Click to expand...

I've been wanting to try black burlap, your comments sound encouraging, and I'll buy a small sheet... Thank You.
 
cutchu said:
I bought a Giantmouse Jutland that I like very much. It has Burlap Micarta scales, which I do not care for. They are smoother than canvas, which I prefer.

Is it possible to get the tactile feel of canvas micarta by scuffing the burlap micarta?

I have scuffed up other micarta scales before to rough them up a little and it has always worked fine. Not sure about the burlap though. It does not feel like a "regular" micarta.

JctwsJP.jpg
Click to expand...
You could most likely remove the scales and send to a modder or maker who would be willing to sandblast them for you. It will give them a rougher feeling. I would do it, but I’m in Canada so it would need to be disassembled.

Also, with burlap micarta, it looks best buffed. So if it was to be roughed up (sandpaper or blast) you will loose some definition and it will look dull.

Hope this helps.

Edit: you will want an A/O blast (aka sandblast) not a bead blast. Bead blasting is more of a smooth blast than a “rough up” blast.
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
You could most likely remove the scales and send to a modder or maker who would be willing to sandblast them for you. It will give them a rougher feeling. I would do it, but I’m in Canada so it would need to be disassembled.

Also, with burlap micarta, it looks best buffed. So if it was to be roughed up (sandpaper or blast) you will loose some definition and it will look dull.

Hope this helps.

Edit: you will want an A/O blast (aka sandblast) not a bead blast. Bead blasting is more of a smooth blast than a “rough up” blast.
Click to expand...

Hey Coleman. Thank you for the clear results that I might induce. Thanks to the other contributors to this thread as well.

Given all of this info I think I am just going to leave it as is.

Or possibly, I have been thinking about getting a Green Micarta version of this knife and doing a blade swap. That way I could have the blade I want and the type scales that I am looking after. Very simple solution and have been considering it for a while. But since I had this knife in hand I was curious about modifying the scales.

I would hate to try to modify it and wind up ruining the scales.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top