Homemade micarta problems

K

Knifemakingnoob

Joined
Mar 23, 2017
Messages
1
Well i made denim micarta with a epoxy and it cant be ground without heating up and getting soft... Does anyone know why this happens?
 
Knifemakingnoob said:
Well i made denim micarta with a epoxy and it cant be ground without heating up and getting soft... Does anyone know why this happens?
Click to expand...

Yes, I know. The temperature at which a cured epoxy softens is directly connected to the temperature it needs to attain full cure. Commercial epoxy laminates use epoxy resins that require an elevated cure temperature. This is why they resist heat better than the room temperature curing resin you probably used.
 
I've had decent success with using both fibreglass resin,(automotive) and superglue, (for smaller pieces) to make denim micarta. I haven't experienced any issues with it getting too soft while grinding. I was worried The fibreglass resin would change the color but just made the denim darker which is fine with me. It feels more like denim once cured than the superglue micarta. The superglue keeps the denim looking like it was before making it into micarta but doesn't feel as nice if you ask me.
 
spyderg said:
I've had decent success with using both fibreglass resin,(automotive) and superglue, (for smaller pieces) to make denim micarta. I haven't experienced any issues with it getting too soft while grinding. I was worried The fibreglass resin would change the color but just made the denim darker which is fine with me. It feels more like denim once cured than the superglue micarta. The superglue keeps the denim looking like it was before making it into micarta but doesn't feel as nice if you ask me.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, just how much super glue does it take to make a set of scales? Seems like it would be a lot and way more expensive than the auto resin?
 
milkbaby said:
Out of curiosity, just how much super glue does it take to make a set of scales? Seems like it would be a lot and way more expensive than the auto resin?
Click to expand...

I recently made a scale for one side of a folding beard comb. It's about 1 1/4"x3 1/2" and maybe 1/8" thick then glued to a piece of wood veneer. I can't remember but I think it was only 4 or 5 layers of denim. I used probably 1/2 to 3/4 tube of Gorilla glue brand superglue. It was -30 Celsius so I didn't feel like messing around in the garage trying to make and get the fibreglass resin to set right.
 
micarta is made with phenolic resin, it is heated and pressed during curing. it behaves differently than home made epoxy stuff. if its going soft, keep dipping it in cold water when grinding it and use sharp new belts as the others suggested.
 
If you aren't using fresh belts, it will stay cold from freezing for exactly 30 seconds of grinding. Give or take...
 
Use a band new 36 or 50 grit belt with a slow speed and it will grind away the bulk, then use a 220 on slow and finish up the shaping, after hand sand with water or wd 40
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top