Has anyone ever used corion as a handle material?

R

richard j

Joined
Apr 1, 2007
Messages
10,080
I ran out of neoprene on my last knife and had made 2 more since. It was eating at me to get a handle on this one so I could see what it looks like with a handle. Yesterday I couldnt take it anymore so I cut out some corion and proceded to put it on. At first I wasnt sure that it was going to look good but once I polished it up I was suprised how good it actually looked. Last night I showed it to a friend who liked it just as well as the antler handle knives i make. Corion is a plastic countertop material that is pretty durable but it is also brittle. You can get it in all kinds of colors and patterns. It works fairly easy but clogs a belt so clean it often. I found out that a piece of scrap neoprene works pretty good for doing this. Here is a link to the picture of that knife. http://mysite.verizon.net/reswhz6f/id4.html.
 
Nice knife. Corian makes good handle material and comes in a wide range of colors but I very rarely see a knife posted with it. Why?....don't know:confused: If I had a source close(say a counter top installing company, that had buddies working there) I'd be all over it because they are constantly throwing away chunks that are knife handle sized and bigger. Maybe the colors aren't manly enough :) but it is fine for kitchen knives.
 
I have a custom that has corian handles. I dunno how common it is, or where to get it though...
 
You can purchase a lot of scraps on ebay.

I like it for spacer material and use the Ivory along with the blacks for patch knives and some of my smaller blades. The robin egg color as a spacer blends well with most of the darker woods
 
I have a friend who has a cabinet shop and he has plenty of scrap and just got off the phone with him. He will sell scrap pieces for 10 cents a square inch which is cheap considering he pays more for it. Anyone wanting any can send him an email at paultimg@yahoo.com his name is Paul George.
 
Corian works well with some knives. I wouldn't use it all the time. I see more use for it as spacers too. Getting solid colors is hard, I don't go for all those speckled colors.


Blade2.jpg


Blade13.jpg
 
It is outstanding to practice your filework patterns on!:thumbup: :thumbup:
Cuts like buddah!
Matt Doyle
 
I have used it. It polishes up nicely, but is a bit heavy.
 
It is my favorite material. On coriansamples.com you can get 4"x4" x1/2" samples of any color you want for 2 bucks each. The bone color is very nice.
 
I have a pair of Kitchen Knives made by GL Drew in stainless with white corian handles. They are heavy, but I like 'em that way. Look pretty too! They can handle nearly anything the kitchen dishes out and don't care when someone puts them in the dishwasher (even tho I do!)

J-
 
Nice knife! I like the blade below the handle like that, very useable.

Like others said, Corian is great for kitchen knives. I've used it as often as I can find pieces that look "manly" enough. ;) There's a piece I've been hoarding that was a test run of this brown translucent stuff with gold flakes throughout. It's beautiful stuff.

Corian takes a great polish and is pretty hardy, though I've never dropped it on cement.
 
I have seen a lot of knives from 1 maker in particular w/ Corian. I talked to a countertop guy about it and he said it worked down similiar to wood. I had some white w/ white flecks and some black w/ black flecks but threw it all away. I planned to use it on knife handles, but 1 good smack w/ a hammer would break it into several pieces. For many uses, it may not be an issue, but I did not like the idea of scales breaking for any reason.
 
It makes a pretty handle, but not for a "working" knife, as it gets slicker than two eels trying to screw when you get deer blood on it!

My 2 cents,

Hank H.
 
Tonight I was out at a friends house and his wife was cutting up (sawing really, lol) chicken with some kind of serrated knife from pampered chef. I was showing both of them that knife and watching her at the same time. I couldnt watch her shred that poor chicken so i handed her the knife. she pushed the blade through the meat with no problem but when i washed the blade, it turned brown a little. While cleaning up the blade tonight one side of the handle fell off but I had my doubts about that side after putting it on. I agree on it being slippery and since that side fell off, I think rubber will be better for this knife.
 
I would always suggest some sort of mechanical bond along with epoxy to hold the handle on. I normally use pins, but some people use corby bolts, rivots, etc. I had to take a handle off a knife one time because it had a hairline crack that I didnt see originally. It took me about 20 minutes with a hammer and chisel to get the handle off and around the pins. Eventually all glue will fail and you will need the other bond.
 
Not sure if someone menitoned this already but Mcusta makes a nice folder with Corian handles. A buddy of mine has one and I liked it, though it's more of a gentleman's folder than a workhorse.
 
As already mentioned:
  1. Corian is has some nice colors such as bone, ivory, etc.
  2. Corian is VERY easy to work and shape.
  3. Corian is great for kitchen knives because it can withstand high temperatures and is relatively impervious.
  4. Corian is easily "refinished" to a high luster.

Negatives:
  1. Corian is heavy
  2. Corian scatches pretty easily and will need refinished sooner than micartas, etc
  3. Corian is brittle, and may break if dropped
  4. Color choices usually involve speckles

Their red is pretty cool. 4" x 4" x 1/2" samples are only $2 at coriansamples.com.

A kit knife that I finished:
ddr2_rework1_front_small.jpg


Mike L.
 
I haven't handled a knife with Corian, just seen it as work tops, but I have heard that it makes a very slick handle when it gets wet. That has put me off using it, the idea that it might be hard to hold on to in wet conditions, or when cleaning game.

How have you guys found it in these conditions?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top