Corian Countertop material for scales?

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timcsaw

timcsaw

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Has anyone used Corian counter top material for knife handles/scales? I'm wondering about it's suitability as such?

I was given a bunch of pieces and wasn't sure if it would work or not.

Comments? Anyone used it? Good? Not so good? What's the skinny folks?
 
I've seen it before as scales but I use as a table top for my drill press. I wouldnt use it for scales because the value of the finished knife is less. It looks good on kitchen knives though, just not high end knives IMHO.
 
Funny that this should come up again now...

I saw an advertisement in Continental's inflight catalog about a product called Silestone, a quartz based countertop product. It comes in some interesting colors and contains Microban, anti-baterial material. http://www.silestoneusa.com

I thought that it might be interesting to buy a 4 x 4 sample for $5 to see how it workable it is for kitchen knives...

any thoughts?
 
Used a little Corian on one of my first knives. Wasn't really happy with the look and haven't used it since. Other people like it though so maybe it's just me.
 
I've done two knives with Corian as scales. Easy to work with, inexpensive if you can get scraps as I did, and looks pretty good. I agree with Bruce Bump that you wouldn't want it on a high end knife, but for kitchen and every day use it's ok. Be careful not to torque down too hard on Corby or similar rivets, as it can crack. Which brings me to the downside: it can be brittle. I wouldn't whack it with a baton for example.
 
I've used it on a couple of knives and found that it works great and is quite durable-and again what Bruce said -definitely more of a user grade material.
Shawn
 
The biggest complaint that I have heard about Corian/Fountainhead type materials is their weight. They are VERY heavy. A couple of high end audio companies use materials of that type for speaker enclosures for that very reason. Heavy as hell and sonically dead so no stray vibrations or resonances.
 
I agree w/the others here... but I do like the way this one turned out handled in corian. I haven't used it too much, but have cleaned some trout and done a few odds and ends around the camp a time or two and it held up quite nicely. I have been thinking about having this one re-handled in some G-10, G-11 or Micarta down the road.

A very nice one done by one of our forum knifemakers... Nick Allen

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Here is the stuff I was given. I might use some of the samples for a hidden tang, type skinner... you know... like you'd use leather rings. Cut some rings out of the sample squares, and mix-and-match a stack for a handle... don't know.

I feel most of my projects deserve some nice natural burl or other natural material (horn, antler etc.), so I'll probably use most of this stuff for spacers and/or inlay work. I've been thinking about doing a couple kitchen knives for mother, so I may use some of this for a couple of those.

Thanks for all of the input and ideas "fella's"? Those knives really do look very nice!

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personally i use it for practicing my scrimshaw, works good and its 2 bucks a piece... these are a few i did for a friend last year... mangling a piece of this is easier on the nerves and wallet than a piece of genuine ivory:D
the stuff is fairly tough but heavy! Can chip real good but havent had anything shatter or anything and i beat the snot outta the stuff in order to get the chipped edges.
ivan
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IVANKERLEY said:
personally i use it for practicing my scrimshaw, works good and its 2 bucks a piece... these are a few i did for a friend last year... mangling a piece of this is easier on the nerves and wallet than a piece of genuine ivory:D
the stuff is fairly tough but heavy! Can chip real good but havent had anything shatter or anything and i beat the snot outta the stuff in order to get the chipped edges.
ivan
scrim.jpg
Click to expand...

That, good sir---- is some ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL work!!!

I'm so jealous of your talent!!!:mad:;)

Can I ask what you use to do such work? Dremel? Hand tools?

I would love to give it a try some time!
 
Has anyone ever made a folding knife from an old shaving razor? I have a few and I've been thinking about trying it.

If anyone's done this, I'd love to see some pictures of how they came out.
 
i use just tools that i have adapted for this hobby, various needles and an old artist compass that i took apart, basically a sharpened pin. The chipping was done with a mallet and chisels then textured with the pin. and india ink. I'm not a wildlife artist these were my first try in 20 years. I'll get better, well i hope so. You dont need much to start doing it, can be done on the cheap:D
thanks for the kind words
ivan
 
I've used Corian for spacers. Seems to add a nice splash of color and polishes up nicely. Never used if for scales.
 
While I certainly do not possess the knowledge of the knifemakers on this forum, I do have some experience with Corian as I work in for kitchen design company. I've tried using some of our scraps for a knife or two. I found that it can indeed be brittle for use as a scale (I tried 1/4" thickness Corian), but it can add a nice touch when used as a spacer in a hidden-tang knife. It sands quite easily.

As for someone mentioning Silestone or any other engineered stone material....it is composed of anywhere from 80 to 93% aggregate quartz with the remainder being high-density acrylic polymer and colorant. IMO, the aggregate is too large (and quite hard) to get satisfactory results on the finished product. Furthermore, it is generally workable only with diamond blades/bits and lapidary-type abrasives. The standard thickness of the slabs of this material is 3cm. Oh, and it is even denser than Corian.

Cheers
 
I have used Corian on several paring knives, and have three in our kitchen in use every day, my wife loves them, and the handles are as good now as they was when made. You can get it from Masecraft Supply in scale sizes.
 
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