G-10/Micarta dust clean up, Best methods?

jonnymac44

jonnymac44

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I was working on the handles of a couple of knives today and for some reason it just seemed like everything in the shop was getting an extra heavy coating of G-10 dust on it. My dust collection isn't the most high tech but it's what I can afford right now. I have a shop vac hooked up to my spindle sander and 1 x 42 that works fairly well for handle shaping collection, but there are times when I need to use my KMG on G-10, and the dust is EVERYWHERE!

I always use a good respirator, but just because the machines get turned off doesn't mean the stuff isn't still all over the place, and when the rest of the family goes through the garage when I'm not working, I don't want them breathing the stuff in. I've tried different methods of cleaning it up, including using the shop vac with a brush attachment, wiping it off of the bench and tools with a damp paper towel so that it sticks rather than floats away into the room......

If you care to share, let me know how you guys get rid of the dust. Even with more expensive dust collection systems, I'm sure there can be a thin layer of the stuff coating stuff in the shop. How best to remove it?
 
Dust collector and shop vac like you mentioned is what I do.

I also knock down the particles in the air with a spray/mist bottle of water. Same thing with ivory and even some woods. I just carry the bottle by the saw, grinder, drill press or whatever. When I'm done, I just spray all around.

I also wipe g-10 and micarta knife handles down with a light coat of wd-40 in the past, now a little camellia oil or some other such thing.

Just what works for me.
 
J. Doyle said:
Dust collector and shop vac like you mentioned is what I do.

I also knock down the particles in the air with a spray/mist bottle of water. Same thing with ivory and even some woods. I just carry the bottle by the saw, grinder, drill press or whatever. When I'm done, I just spray all around.

I also wipe g-10 and micarta knife handles down with a light coat of wd-40 in the past, now a little camellia oil or some other such thing.

Just what works for me.
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Thanks for the ideas. I just have two questions in response, though.

First, doesn't misting the water around the shop and tools get you rust on your stuff that's not stainless? It sounds like a great idea, the mist knocking the particles out of the air, but I would think you'd get a coating of rust on stuff eventually. Whenever I try and clean up with a damp paper towel, I should have mentioned that it's dampened with Tuf glide or some light machine oil rather than water in order to help keep things from corroding.

Second, do you mean you wipe the piece G-10 down with a light oil immediately before putting it to the grinder? That's something I'll have to try out......probably this afternoon:thumbup:

Thanks!
 
Make an enclosure around your grinder to hook up to the dust collection.

That G10 / Micarta dust gets into my chest and seizes me up in no time...
 
jonnymac44 said:
Thanks for the ideas. I just have two questions in response, though.

First, doesn't misting the water around the shop and tools get you rust on your stuff that's not stainless? It sounds like a great idea, the mist knocking the particles out of the air, but I would think you'd get a coating of rust on stuff eventually. Whenever I try and clean up with a damp paper towel, I should have mentioned that it's dampened with Tuf glide or some light machine oil rather than water in order to help keep things from corroding.
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I try not to spray right on my machinery and I also, like you, periodically maintain my stuff with a bit of oil on a cloth anyway. So I don't ever have any rust. The mist bottle is also set pretty fine and seems to evaporate in the air for the most part. I'm not sure that's actually the case, I'm not a scientist. :D Probably no rust is a result of both fairly regular maintenance and not spraying the machines directly unless necessary.

jonnymac44 said:
Second, do you mean you wipe the piece G-10 down with a light oil immediately before putting it to the grinder? That's something I'll have to try out......probably this afternoon:thumbup:

Thanks!
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No, I meant when my handles are finished up. It takes off any residual dust from handling and leaves the g-10 nice and shiny. It also seems to me that it helps the g-10 and micarta stay glossy longer. I know the general consensus is that micartas and g-10 don't absorb any oil but again, back to the scientist thing so don't take it as truth. Just what I like to do. :)

But try your idea and see if it works. I know wet sanding when I'm hand finishing the handles keeps the dust down a ton. I use a light spray of windex every so often during hand sanding for that.
 
J. Doyle said:
I try not to spray right on my machinery and I also, like you, periodically maintain my stuff with a bit of oil on a cloth anyway. So I don't ever have any rust. The mist bottle is also set pretty fine and seems to evaporate in the air for the most part. I'm not sure that's actually the case, I'm not a scientist. :D Probably no rust is a result of both fairly regular maintenance and not spraying the machines directly unless necessary.



No, I meant when my handles are finished up. It takes off any residual dust from handling and leaves the g-10 nice and shiny. It also seems to me that it helps the g-10 and micarta stay glossy longer. I know the general consensus is that micartas and g-10 don't absorb any oil but again, back to the scientist thing so don't take it as truth. Just what I like to do. :)

But try your idea and see if it works. I know wet sanding when I'm hand finishing the handles keeps the dust down a ton. I use a light spray of windex every so often during hand sanding for that.
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Thanks for answering, J:thumbup: I like to use windex during hand sanding as well. Keeps dust way down. I hand sand in one particular spot and keep a wet paper towel handy to wipe up the dust as it collects on the work table. Then I just toss out the towel.
 
12345678910 said:
Make an enclosure around your grinder to hook up to the dust collection.

That G10 / Micarta dust gets into my chest and seizes me up in no time...
Click to expand...

That's an idea, but my bench is tight!! I have a Grizzly, a KMG, a 1 x 42, and a spindle sander all in a space about 6 feet long!:eek: My shop is small, so I don't know if I could fit an enclosure in there, but it's worth looking into.....

Thanks:thumbup:

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I dip the handles in water while sanding, works pretty well and keeps the dust down. For final sanding I sand over a bucket of water and keep it wet, helps keep the sandpaper cutting as well.

I also have a moveable hose on my dust collector that I can place near my work and move from machine to machine when needed, I just clamp in place next to where I am working, helps pick up some of that random dust.

For cleanup I vacume everything pretty well and then blow out by reversing the shop vac, cannot do when kids or others are arround but really get all dust out of the corners. I mine pretty much weekly so I dont create a big cloud and keeps the dust in check.
 
A 20" box fan with a 20x20 HEPA furnace filter taped onto the back will help process the air. I have one of the small Jet air cleaners and it works also but is much more expensive and I'm not sure it works a lot better. The box fan thing can be up and running for 25$ or less.
 
Justin King said:
A 20" box fan with a 20x20 HEPA furnace filter taped onto the back will help process the air. I have one of the small Jet air cleaners and it works also but is much more expensive and I'm not sure it works a lot better. The box fan thing can be up and running for 25$ or less.
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That's not a bad idea either. I'll have to see if I can squeeze one behind the grinder and give it a shot.

Thanks Justin:thumbup:
 
G 10 dust is bad stuff, Micarta is too, but nothing like G10. I won't even use G10 in my shop! You really need HEPA filtration to grind G10.
That said, the box fan with a good furnace filter taped to it is a great air cleaner. 2 is even better. Set up your shop vac to catch as much dust as you can by using cardboard boxes, duct tape, aluminum baking pans-whatever it takes.
 
I hate grinding/cutting the G stuff. I wait till the weather is nice and open the garage door before I grind or cut the stuff.

Seems African Black wood is just as bad, but the particles are not as small.

RP
 
jonnymac44 said:
That's an idea, but my bench is tight!! I have a Grizzly, a KMG, a 1 x 42, and a spindle sander all in a space about 6 feet long!:eek: My shop is small, so I don't know if I could fit an enclosure in there, but it's worth looking into.....

Thanks:thumbup:

ShopTour2.jpg
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IT doesn't have to be big or expensive.
Cardboard, or mdf, or thin plywood, or poster-board, or Plexiglas, or whatever and duct tape will do for the first prototype.

Just a 5 sided box that drops over the top of the grinder with a vaccum port in the back like a Wilton...


Just a couple of inches wider than the grinder itself.



give that spindle sander a 1/4 turn and you gain bench width...
 
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