G10 flexibility?

L

Legenda

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Mar 2, 2011
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On a knife with g10 handles. Is it of if the g10 flexes slightly or will it break easily.
 
Legenda said:
On a knife with g10 handles. Is it of if the g10 flexes slightly or will it break easily.
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G10 is extremely rigid & tough stuff. Layers of fiberglass bonded together with polymer (epoxy) resin. If it flexes, it's so miniscule as to be almost unnoticeable. I have a couple of small Spyderco folders utilizing G10 with no liners underneath it; they don't deflect or bend at all. A lot of linerless custom knives are built with it, and are as strong as can be. And it would take some Herculean effort to break it.

No worries at all, in other words.


David
 
If you're *making* a knife/scales/liner, and you need a very slight curve (not sure why you'd need a bend), you might get away with using a very thin g10 (think liner material) then bonding the layers. Use CA to bond.

Can you expand on what you are doing?

Edit-might need some heat to set a curve. Even so, I've never done it so I'm just guessing.
 
Legenda said:
On a knife with g10 handles. Is it of if the g10 flexes slightly or will it break easily.
Click to expand...

I have Cold Steel's Recon 1 and Talwar folders both of which use just G10 for the handles. They truly are the world's strongest folders. No titanium handle can match those thick slabs of G10 I also have the ZT0301 and 0200. They are tough blades with obviously better blade steel but neither of those 2 can match the Cold Steels in overall structural strength. Because both use metal to hold the blade.

If you youtube that Russian dude vinivul or something. He " hard use tests" all kinds of folders, meaning he basically destroys them to find their breaking point. Hammering folders through 1mm thick plate steel, chopping up 2x4s, batoning, shaving aluminum you name it. He tested the Recon 1 and while he was able to damage the edge on the blade he couldn't break the construction. After all that abuse the thing still had 0 bladeplay and the lock up was still flawless.
 
Look up cutlery lovers video on g10 vs steel with his CS recon 1.

The blade broke before the g10 handles had a chance to warp. It's pretty amazing stuff. Made me confident about my knives with half g10 and half titanium or knives with full g10.
 
David is right; G10 is quite strong and resilient. It's my favorite handle material for many reasons.

Strigamort said:
Edit-might need some heat to set a curve. Even so, I've never done it so I'm just guessing.
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Please stop guessing. It's OK to just not know, and remain silent. You do not want to be heating up G10, and it wouldn't take a set anyway. If you need G10 to fit a curved surface, grind/mill/sand it to fit.
 
I've got a kershaw skyline here. I'm planing on using the knife for a lot of cardboard work at work. And I need to know if it can take a lot of torsional stress
 
Legenda said:
I've got a kershaw skyline here. I'm planing on using the knife for a lot of cardboard work at work. And I need to know if it can take a lot of torsional stress
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Depends what you mean by "a lot". If you hold it in your hand and cut cardboard and stuff with it, it will be fine, and more than likely outlast you.

If you put it in a vise and crank on it with a wrench, yeah you can break almost anything ;)
 
I have found G10 to be a capable handle material. Light and strong, with a high resistance to bending and deforming. It does chip very easily for me, though. Unlike carbon fiber, though, it shouldn't leave the splinters of Satan behind.

I put G10 ahead of FRN by a little for handle material, but nowhere near titanium or steel (I like weight). These are just my preferences, though.
 
james terrio said:
David is right; G10 is quite strong and resilient. It's my favorite handle material for many reasons.



Please stop guessing. It's OK to just not know, and remain silent. You do not want to be heating up G10, and it wouldn't take a set anyway. If you need G10 to fit a curved surface, grind/mill/sand it to fit.
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Fair enough. :thumbup:
 
Think of the strength of G10 this way; I was taking apart my ZT-0566 when the speed-safe torsion bar decided to go nuts and release by itself, my stainless steel liner warped slightly while my G10 scale (which is extremely thin) stayed perfectly straight.
 
Strigamort said:
Edit-might need some heat to set a curve. Even so, I've never done it so I'm just guessing.
Click to expand...

G10 is made with epoxy, which is a thermoset (not a thermoplastic) resin. Once it cures, it's configuration is set. The only way to set a curve on cured G10 is to layer it and sand/mill it.

TedP
 
phillipsted said:
G10 is made with epoxy, which is a thermoset (not a thermoplastic) resin. Once it cures, it's configuration is set. The only way to set a curve on cured G10 is to layer it and sand/mill it.

TedP
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Thanks Ted.

I got it guys, was just trying to help. I realize now that I wasn't helping.
 
Strigamort - you have earned yourself enough credit on BF with helpful and mature comments - so no worries
 
SirGeod said:
Think of the strength of G10 this way; I was taking apart my ZT-0566 when the speed-safe torsion bar decided to go nuts and release by itself, my stainless steel liner warped slightly while my G10 scale (which is extremely thin) stayed perfectly straight.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you may have taken the apart while the blade was closed? When the blade is open there should be no tension on the spring. Never disassemble a knife that isn't open, it can frequently be dangerous. A little tape on the blade makes it perfectly safe while open.
 
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