Ever find a flaw in Micarta?

A

Alan Molstad

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last night I was sanding and fileing on some black cloth Micarta.

Just as I got down the the level of Micarta that I wanted to stop at, I ran into a flaw in the cloth.
It looked like a splice of some type, or a screwed up layer.

anyone ever run into such a flaw?
 
I've never seen it, but how deep was it? Was it something you could fill with epoxy resin, or even superglue? It would completely suck dog balls if you had to try and knock the handle slabs off. I managed to do that once by weaseling a utility knife blade between the tapered tang and the slab, but it was not fun.
 
The flaw was about 1/2 inch in diameter, like a dime-size area where the layer of cloth was messed up.

I had to then file down and expose that whole little layer to get down under it where the good cloth was.

I got past it. however that means that the cool layer-effect that you get with Micarta is totally a mess now.

Thus I had to file the other side of the handle to match ,,,so,,Not a fun time ...

The flaw first was seen after I had took off the top 1/4 inch of material,,,so it was down inside the block of Micarta and gave me no hint that it was there waiting for me.
 
Never had it happen with Westinghouse micarta, but did after the new producer took it over.
 
Where did you get the micarta? Is this stuff you've used a lot before, or something that you had a sheet of, or was it just a pair of slabs?

I thought when you said 'flaw' that you meant a void like fisheye or something... I've never heard of an inclusion like you describe. Weird.

Does it look okay? I just got finished using some canvas micarta and they cool layering effect you refer to doesn't look the same with this stuff. It's a different look, for sure, but I'm not sure I dig it. It doesn't seem to have that three-dimensionality.
 
MrPurple said:
Where did you get the micarta?

Is this stuff you've used a lot before,?
or something that you had a sheet of?
or was it just a pair of slabs?
I thought when you said 'flaw' that you meant a void like fisheye or something... I've never heard of an inclusion like you describe. Weird.
Does it look okay?
I just got finished using some canvas micarta and they cool layering effect you refer to doesn't look the same with this stuff. .
Click to expand...
I get the Micarta at Texas Knifemaker Supply.
I have used such blocks of Black Micarta many times .
This is the very first time.

The well,,the 'anger' I feel is due to the fact that the flaw was inside the block unseen. And only after I has drilled out and bonded the handle of Micarta onto the tang, did I first see the flaw as I neared finishing the handle sanding.

I was almost done when I noticed a little line in the side of the handle about a 1/2 long.

The line looked like someone had put gum on my handle.
I sanded there a bit more and saw how the line was going deeper and then a saw about a 1/2 inch away from the line, another line showing me where the other end of the flaw was on that cloth layer...
I knew it all would have to come out.

The flaw was like a ....fold?...or a splice?..in the cloth that they make the Micarta out of.
It was about the size of a dime, and was a layer so it was a thin layer that was totally messed up , and had to be dug out to get past.

This made the over-all handle off center...too much on one side, not enought left on the other...But I sanded the good side to make it feel more even in the hand.

as for "canvas micarta"?
I wish the canvas micarta came in blocks...I would love to switch over to useing that form of Micarta in place of the cloth stuff....
 
I've used Texas Knifemaker's Micarta several times and never bumped into what you are talking about. Let them know about it, and I'd expect them to be quite accomodating.
 
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