cheap, light, zero maintenance hard handle slab material. Suggestions??

V

Vulcanite

Joined
Jan 16, 2009
Messages
293
Looking for something that is water won't absorb sweat etc, won't warp, crack or swell etc.

A hard material, not rubbery, but not excessively hard so I don't wear out my checkering bits.

G10 is a little heavy and perhaps expensive and hard to checker. Is there anything else?

Doesn't have to be marketed as scale material, could be anything that I could buy, saw, machine and checker.

THx
 
I have used Corian counter top material. The scraps from a installer have proven to be really cheap and it cuts very easy.
 
Not micarta. Absorbs water etc.

This Corian, is this just a type you happened to have available, or did you try a few different counter composites and found that particular one to be the best?
 
I have heard people say Micarta absorbs water, but I can't see why. Maybe they are referring to the home ,made stuff I call MyCarta. True Micarta is a phenolic resin impregnated material, and should be waterproof as far as I understand. All the tech sheets state that it has "Low Absorption".
 
Tufnol.
Biphenolic resin.
There is a vast range of counter composites that would fit the bill, the best thing to do is ask for a few samples.
 
That corian stuff has all sorts of nice colors and patterns too. I'll try and get w/ some installers for scraps. Thx for the suggestion!
 
My experience has been that corian's noticeably heavier than G10, and it chips awful easy. May or may not suit you for "zero maintenance."

The plus side is that samples big enough for scales are easy to be had for free, so nothing to lose by experimenting.
 
My experience with Corian is the same as MSCantrell. I've used a couple of different brands of Corian for other applications, and they do chip, especially if dropped on a hard surface. And as mentioned, the handle will be noticeably heavier.

If you are concerned that a laminated phenolic (e.g. micarta) will absorb water the you might want to look into a hard casting acrylic resin. You should be able to dye it to whatever color you want, and once polished you can checker it. I've even seen clear cast handles/objects with items cast inside, one was a filet knife with a fly cast in the handle. A handle won't be cheap unless you are doing a large batch of them.
 
I also agree, use some paper micarta. It is super tough, beads water and is the lightest scale material I know of.

I think canvas micarta appears to absorb water but it is just the large amount of surface area holding a little water on the outside.
 
Also, the higher you polish micarta the less it will appear to absorb water or oil. I've never seen it split or swell on a handle. I too believe Corian to be pretty brittle for a knife handle.
 
You can use aluminum and either bead blast it or have it anodized.
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
I think canvas micarta appears to absorb water but it is just the large amount of surface area holding a little water on the outside.
Click to expand...
If you leave canvas micarta with a real coarse finish, I think maybe some of the exposed fibers can actually hold a little water. But it's not like it soaks it up like wood. As Salem mentioned, I haven't noticed this on finely-sanded canvas or paper micarta. If I had an accurate scale or moisture meter I'd do some soak-testing, but alas, I don't.
 
Get it wet, does it look darker when wet? When it looks dry does it weigh more on a
bullet scale than if you don't get it wet? I'm going to bet that on real Micarta its going
to be very close to the same weight. Now if we go back to the early 70's when angus
campbell was stocking westinghouse micarta, I've seen Paper, canvas, and linen change
to what I would say was swelling.
Ken.
 
horse stall mat. hard rubber, very little absorption, cuts easily, tough as hell, grippy even when wet, and about 6 dollars for a 12x12 sheet at usaknifemaker.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top