How To Finish mircata without buffer?

[Justin Schmidt]

Any advice? This guy was sanded up to 800 and still looks wonky.

Trying to get it to look more like this

Tried wd 40 and even tru oil with no luck.
I know conventional wisdom is 320 then buff but I don't own a buffer.
And advise?

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Polish it shoe-shine method with a cloth and polishing compound.
Then apply a coat of paste wax.

 

[john april]

if the wax does not work, try more sanding. the chalky spots are not 800 grit. they look like 220 or 400. the color of the micarta should be consistent before moving up on the grits. any spots or patches lighter than the rest of the handle indicate an uneven finish.

 

[i4Marc]

This is Micarta at 800X.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYwnAMFjIjU/?taken-by=aldrich_knife

 

[Justin Schmidt]

Alrighty seems I have some work to do then. I dojt have polishing compound or paste wax so I'm gonna have to use tru oil but I'll do what I can.

 

[J. Doyle]

No offense, but it looks like it wasn't sanded well enough at the coarser grits. IMO....micarta and g-10 need to be sanded REALLY well at the lower grits. I feel that 220 is the most crucial stage and it takes longer than you might think.

After a good 220, its pretty easy from there. But if you skimp at 220 and before, old file/belt scratches will jump out in the finished product.

Look close in good light before moving on to the next grit. Some deep scratches can hide really well in some micarta and g-10.

I feel that there are quite a few people that don't finish micarta very well. i4Marc isn't one of them.

 

[argel55]

try if you have some lamp oil to use as a lubricant. It helps keep the dust in solution and once you wipe it off ,you can then see the spots that need more work.

 

[Laredian]

I fully agree with what has been posted already. Make sure to progress through the grits with great care. Look at the handle from different angles and in different lights to see if you got all the scratches from the previous grit out.
As for finishing without a buffer: very fine steel wool works well

 

[KnuckleDownKnives]

No offense, but it looks like it wasn't sanded well enough at the coarser grits. IMO....micarta and g-10 need to be sanded REALLY well at the lower grits. I feel that 220 is the most crucial stage and it takes longer than you might think.

After a good 220, its pretty easy from there. But if you skimp at 220 and before, old file/belt scratches will jump out in the finished product.

Look close in good light before moving on to the next grit. Some deep scratches can hide really well in some micarta and g-10.

I feel that there are quite a few people that don't finish micarta very well. i4Marc isn't one of them.

I leaned this the hard way....

 

[skillgannon]

I have found that black is the hardest color to finish. I'm not sure why. My method is to go through the grits and then finish by buffing with a worn extra fine scotchbrite belt with compound.

They don't look like Marc's stuff but it will be shiny.

 

[AVigil]

What every body else said.

If micarta looks like it needs more sanding, then it does.

Do not be afraid to go up to 1200 grit or more

 

[Justin Schmidt]

Thanks everyone! Got a little bit of shoptime in and this is what I got

This is 800 then 1 coat of truoil and some steel wool

 

[AVigil]

Now you are talking. Looks pretty good

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Tru-oil does not belong on Micarta. It's for finishing wood. It will do nothing but gum Micarta up.

 

[Justin Schmidt]

Thanks Adam.
I'll keep that in mind bill. What wax do you recommend to use?

 

[AVigil]

Dose it with WD 40 and let dry then wipe it down. The color will really pop and the end user can easily reapply

 

[i4Marc]

Looks good, Justin.


I don't always use TruOil for Micarta. It depends what properties you want from the handle. The oil will fill the pores and give you a more polished feel. Most of it is wiped off anyway. If you want the Micarta to have more grip then use something else or leave the handle at a lower grit finish. In my experience it has not "gummed up" the Micarta. As for whether or not it is "appropriate", I couldn't give a rat's tail. I do what I want based on my own experimentation. I didn't tell anybody that TruOil is the way to do it. I only provided an example of what a handle properly sanded to 800X could look like. Try different things and see what works for you.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Any car wax, Johnson's Paste Wax, or neutral paste shoe polish will work fine.

i4Marc- I'm sure it will distress you that I wasn't referring to you. As a matter of fact, I didn't even open your link-and wasn't replying to you, either.

 

[jdm61]

As for a "buffer", a variable speed drill clamped in your vice will buff in a pinch using the cloth wheels from HD or Lowes.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Alrighty seems I have some work to do then. I dojt have polishing compound or paste wax so I'm gonna have to use tru oil but I'll do what I can.

Use floor polish or Automoble Wax. They work fine and will fill n and shine any spots on the Micarta..