Finishing Micarta Question

J. Hoffman

J. Hoffman

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Jan 1, 2011
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I used Micarta for the first time on my 5th knife. I'm not happy with the color. It was suppose to be burgundy linen, but it turned out mostly black with reddish layers. I hand sanded it to 320 and then buffed it. The photo shows the actual color. What is the proper way to finish Micarta? Maybe I'll just stick with wood in the future.
 

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Get your fabric wet before you choose a color and that will tell you more of what it will look like when finished. I have made the same mistake on a dark blue.
 
What did you buff it with? I'd sand it to a higher grit then buff with white compound on a loose wheel.
 
OzarkMatt said:
What did you buff it with? I'd sand it to a higher grit then buff with white compound on a loose wheel.
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Also if you do alot of the shaping on the grinder,you must be careful and use sharp belts or you will burn the micarta and change the color.

Stan
 
SBuzek said:
Also if you do alot of the shaping on the grinder,you must be careful and use sharp belts or you will burn the micarta and change the color.

Stan
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Very true, paper is the worst but it's very very easy to do on linen as well. Also, don't buff to hard, it will heat up fast.
 
Just a suggestion Moose, I would recommend trying to finish by hand to 600 grit or so and see how it looks without any buffing. I personally don't always like what a buffer does to the look of micarta.

Also, not all burgandy linen micartas are created the same or equal. I've seen lots of variation in the level of redness among different "burgandy" micartas. If you're not happy maybe try another supplier and see if your results vary.
 
If you want it shiny, sand it to at least 600 grit before you buff it. There's no real "proper" way to finish it. If you want a shiny finish, make it shine; if you don't, then don't. I often like to sand it to 320 and leave it for a matte look.

- Chris
 
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