Different Resin/Epoxy home made for Micarta?

PNWJimbo

PNWJimbo

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Sep 29, 2015
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Shop talk!!! Happy Sunday my Friends :) I have been really busy in the shop cutting profiles of my first fixed blade knife design. I've also been finishing each night by mixing up some fiberglass resin micarta, the same stuff that walter sorrells uses in his "how to make micarta" video..... While the finished blocks came out really even and nice, I'd like them to be more 'rigid' (these have a slight flex to them) and more clear (the fiberglass resin has a slightly brownish tint that really darkens material). I was trying to make some red canvas micarta and it came out more maroonish and like i said, slightly plyable and flexy. Maybe I'm using too much and oversautrating it? I'm not sure, but I think I'd like to try a new epoxy if anyone has a suggestion.

As a follow up question, can polyester clothes be used for micarta making or will they not take the resin in enough?

Thanks all! -Jim
 
I saw someone use bits of dry-fit shirt for micarta and it worked fine. The colors weren't as bright as they wanted due to the color of the resin but the fabric took the resin fine.

Would a little bit of flex be a problem with handle scales?
 
I was just comparing what my homemade stuff came out like compared to micarta I bought from USA knife maker and there is a very noticeable difference in rigidity... Just wanting to try a few different products and compare the results.
 
Is there a chance your mix ratio was off? I've had resins set up soft due to that in the past.

~Chip
 
Gotcha. I'm wanting to try making some myself so I'll be watching to see what people recommend.
 
Were I going to make mycarta (and I'm not!) I would use a clear polyester casting resin.
After a couple of days it sets up hard.
 
I have just made my first micarta scales. I used bondo resin and card stock. These scales are for a personal knife. They came out very rigid, and the color is not bad (as of now). I am told the resin will yellow with age.
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I'd go for something like west systems epoxy over polyester resin myself.
I tried the homemade "micarta" a while back, but don't bother anymore. It's never anywhere close to as good as the real phenolic material, and probably ends up costing more to make than to buy.
 
Not enough hardener is why it's still playable. I've used bondo resin with good success but have had some not come out good due to not enough hardener. As far as the color, I'd recommend west systems epoxy.
 
I am a fiberglass fabricator for a living. 43 years in the trade.
There are dozens of grades of Polyester, and hundreds of brands.
Vinylester is another form.
Then there are epoxies. Thousands of formulas...

First off, as stated in replies... The amount, concentration level, and freshness of the MEKP (hardener) you use plays a major role in the tensile strength of the cured product.
Also temperature, humidity, and UV exposure play MAJOR roles in Poly curing.

I plan to make my own Micarta soon, and MY first choice is an epoxy. West Systems is a fair choice for small time production, because you can go to most marine shops, and buy small "kits"
There are better, and less expensive brands if you search Marine Supplies Epoxy just FYI.

Also you can use ANY fabric/material you like. Pressing or drawing the air out of some things can be frustrating tho.
Look at UTube for epoxy VaccuForming for some insights.

One tip for either chemical compound you choose for casting is use a heat gun.
Poly, and Vinylester will cure in a minute with a small application of heat. Practice!!!

Epoxy will not cure faster but it will release all the suspended air, and give a more "glass like" result.

Ask any specific questions you have, and I will try to help as much as I can.
It's too broad a topic to give a play by play.
 
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I know that most people say making your own micarta is inferior because it is not made in the same way that the professionals make it. Often when this is brought up, they mention that real micarta is made with both heat and pressure. I have a heatpress (or 3) and I was wondering if I could get better results if I tried curing it on low heat with one of my presses. . That would give me even heat and even pressure. I have tried to find more info on how it is made professionally but have been unsuccessful. Any thoughts?
 
If you use Poly or Vinyl-ester... NO HEAT. Just a heat gun to expedite curing if you need that.
A heat press will cause a chemically induced fire.

There is NO process that I am aware of using these resins that uses heat as a primary function due to the fact that the MEKP used as a catalyst/hardener creates a chemical heat in the resin.

Epoxies on the other-hand react well to heat. around 100*f is ideal
It's the heat that allows the trapped air to escape due to a lowering in viscosity while the epoxy cures. Vacuum is much more effective than pressing in both instances
Vacuum condenses, and pressing expands.
 
The reason heat and pressure is used in making real micarta is that real micarta isn't epoxy or polyester, it's phenol formaldehyde, which is a heat curing resin.
If you buy reinforced phenolic sheet (CE is canvas, LE is linen, forget the letters for paper) from an industrial supplier rather than a knifemaking supplier, I can almost guarantee you it will be cheaper than you can make it, assuming you don't cut massive corners in resin selection.
"micarta" is brand name of phenolic sheet manufactured by Norplex, even though in knifemaking it's usually used to refer to every sort of vaugley similar laminated sheet stock. If you look for phenolics rather than specifically micarta, you'd be surprised the deals you can find
 
You interested folks can look up the gear needed to make a vacuum chamber for de-gassing your compound of choice, and that chamber is just a stones throw from a vacuum curing process.

Carbon Graphite layup is a good place to start, and there are hundreds of hours of vids on Utube.

for a couple hundred bucks worth of tooling, you can single handedly supply the entire forum with micarta.
From there molds for textures, cast in scorpions, your wedding ring... o_O
 
Geoff Flato said:
The reason heat and pressure is used in making real micarta is that real micarta isn't epoxy or polyester, it's phenol formaldehyde, which is a heat curing resin.
Click to expand...

Then, all at once... There were the golden rays of wisdom that shone thru the haze.

Thank you for posting that Mr. Geoff!!!
New process to learn.
 
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