How black is black Micarta?

[Hauser]

I've been looking for a black on black Busse to use as a camp beater and from the pics I've seen the shade of the Micarta handles really seems to vary from knife to knife, while the G10 is of course G10 (see below for a lighter shade of black Micarta):

Are my eyes deceiving me or do these handles in fact vary in colour, and if so what can you oil them or otherwise darken them to real black? Any advice would be appreciated folks, thanks much!

 

[Lil' Foo]

That is black canvas micarta...
black linen micarta is darker and a finer grain
(look up the black / black SARsquatch and you'll see black linen.

The more you use black canvas, the darker it will get.

Here's my black canvas GW after some use

.

 

[Guyon]

Top is black linen.

Bottom is black micarta.

I've seen some black linen that looks even darker.

You're right that the black micarta can also vary a bit from knife to knife.

 

[JWBirch]

... and paper micarta is even blacker. In fact, it may actually be pure Black, and not a shade of grey.

Also note that some of the black canvas micarta has come out looking greenish, and green-camo-ish like on some of the older BA-Es. sweeeeeet.

 

[jimmyjones]

Did this shot a couple of months ago for a similar discussion.


Sorry, no black micarta in the line up.

black paper, black paper, black linen, black G10 x 3

 

[Lil' Foo]

Some black paper micarta...

PS... black linen and black paper are pretty hard to find out there.

 

[gk4ever2]

...

Also note that some of the black canvas micarta has come out looking greenish, and green-camo-ish like on some of the older BA-Es. sweeeeeet.

That is what I was thinking - some of the older black canvas micarta had a greenish-gray color, while the newer stuff is gray.

Canvas micarta will darken with use, but can be cleaned with a solution of dish soap if desired.

 

[rbmcmjr]

Here are a pair of black canvas handles with very different appearances:

At least some of this may be attributed to the different surface finishes (polished vs. machined).

 

[ColdOne]

Top 4 are all black micarta:

 

[Jaxx]

snip... Are my eyes deceiving me or do these handles in fact vary in colour, and if so what can you oil them or otherwise darken them to real black? Any advice would be appreciated folks, thanks much!

If you want to see what oil will do to the appearance of the slabs, just moisten a paper towel with water and dab it on the handle. If you like what you see, let dry and then oil (or clean with an old toothbrush and some mild dish soap & water, rinse, dry, then oil). I recommend mineral oil which will darken the slabs up to almost black. Good thing about mineral oil (in addition to being non-toxic) is if you change your mind later, an old toothbrush & some mild dish soap and water will take the handles back to new, and when dry, should be right back where you started, maybe a bit lighter depending on the micarta and how clean it was.

Here's 2 pix of my new FBM Bowie variant. The handles are Tigerhide linen micarta G-rex with black canvas micarta inserts.
DRY:

WET (Water, but will look the same once oiled):

 

[RobStanley]

Mine has almost an olive drab look to it. I love it!

 

[Uncle_Jarvis]

damn, coldone beat me to it.. Here is my non #ed Barf. I love that old school hand shaped black canvas.. mmm

 

[Dennis in MA]

I haven't tried it myself, but fiebings (feibings? Something like that) dye works well. You can find it in a well-stocked shoe-care aisle. It's a liquid dye that is used on leather. It will turn the canvas jet black.

 

[steelnut]

My comp finish canvas micarta is that old school greenish color.
I wonder if they got it out of the back of the closet?:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[David Brown]

"How black is black Micarta? "

"None More Black"

Spinal Tap 1984

 

[Unsub]

I have made some canvas micarta scales for a knife and you can polish it just like steel and the finer the grain the darker it gets.

Love the black and shiny Busse porn.