How hard is it to break G-10?

BJE

BJE

Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
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I took the G-10 off of my Cara Cara when I got it so I could smooth out some rough spots, and it felt like the G-10 could snap easily if I tried to bend it, is this possible? Also, would dropping a G-10 handled knife hurt the handle? Is it brittle? Would the G-10 soak up liquids, it feals like it may be spongy?
 
G-10 is quite strong. It is possible to break it, but unless it has some manufacturing defect in place, it isn't easy. I have dropped G-10 scaled knives on gravel, concrete and tile without damaging them. I have never felt any G-10 that felt spongy, and as far as I can tell, it is impervious to liquids and chemicals. I have used laquer thinner, mineral spirits, naptha, turpentine and a few other degreasers and acids to remove things I have gotten on my knives at work. None have visibly harmed the material and they have never absorbed any odor.
 
buy a communist knock off knife and then complain it seems flimsy?

interesting.
 
I don't think it feels flimsy, I think it feels more brittle than I expected it to.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Could you please explain that comment? :confused:
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Made in China = Communist = Evil = Poorly made product (because, after all, everyone in China is a staunch Communist...and as we all know, Communists are unable to produce anything of significance).

You should have sent that memo out to more people, a223cat. :rolleyes:
 
There are probably different "grades" of G10, especially since foreign makers use the indigenous chemical plants and materials available to them. Comparing a "G10" made for inexpensive knives and that manufactured for aerospace/technical use in the western world would be interesting.

Fiberglass reinforced nylon also has different compositions - the tougher g6 version is used overseas and supposed to be difficult to distinguish from G10 fiberglass.

Carbon fiber probably suffers from the same "grades." I have one knife with CF handles - and the amount of carbon weave exposed in layers is less than I expected for an aerospace product. Maybe it was made for the knife industry at a lower price?

Anyway, there are photos of a premium knifemaker beating the G10 scales on his folder with a hand sledge to demonstrate the toughness of the material he uses. It chipped some, but the knife remained apparently functional. I guess if you need a knife to survive being run over by a tank, it's the one. I just don't want it in my pocket when it happens.

Woven material will absorb some of the liquids it comes in contact with; immersing the layers in epoxies, etc., doesn't saturate them completely, although G10 is supposed to be a high pressure product. Chemicals that could damage a human should be handled to prevent that anyway.
 
symphonyincminor said:
Made in China = Communist = Evil = Poorly made product (because, after all, everyone in China is a staunch Communist...and as we all know, Communists are unable to produce anything of significance).

You should have sent that memo out to more people, a223cat. :rolleyes:
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half right. China is nothing more to me than a vast target for ICBM's. And they have produced a lot of significance, with Klintons help. ICBM's aimed at us for one. Baslistic missile subs coming to our coasts for another. You finance that with money you give to the enemy.

Appeasing an enemy so he wont hurt you never works. Look at history.
 
The original post had nothing to do with politics.

Also, a223cat, could you please inform me as to what knife Spyderco knocked off?
 
a223cat, kindly do the rest of us who are actually here to discuss knives a favour and dispense with the narrow-minded and ignorant anti-Chinese tirades. It's honestly growing old.

BJE, I haven't really explored the limits of the Byrd G-10, but it should prove plenty durable. Yes, you could probably snap it if you removed it from the liners and tried, but I don't think you'll have any issues during normal usage (e.g., accidentally dropping the knife or banging it against something). I know what you mean when you describe it as seeming "absorbent", particularly when looking at or feeling the shaped edges. However, I've never found mine to significantly absorb anything, including the Rem-Oil I use for lubricating and protecting.
 
Gentlebeings, there is a
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button on the thread list. There is another one like it in the Political Arena. If you don't want to talk about how hard it is to break G-10 ... :rolleyes:
 
G10 is a material that was originally confected for making printed circuit boards. It's dimensionally stable. It's an excellent electrical insulator. It's stable over a wide temperature range. It's impervious to humidity. It does not support fungal growth... which is actually important for equipment used in hot, damp places. It's fully immune to all of the solvents used in circuit board assembly. It's waterproof. And it's easy to machine and cut and work with. Unfortunately, it doesn't have very good properties at high frequencies. As a result, it has been largely supplanted by FR4 for circuit boards. G10, which is superior to FR4 in some ways, is still widely used as an electrical insulator and is still on the menu at many circuit board shops.

Bottom line: G10 was not originally designed to be super-strong. It is a strong and durable material, but a thin piece of it such as a knife scale remvoed from the knife is brittle and can snap and break. Once fastened to a metal backing which gives it support in its vulnerable axis, G10 becomes an excellent choice for knife scales, because it's dimensionally stable, an excellent electrical insulator, stable over a wide temperature range, impervious to humidity, does not support fungal growth, fully immune to most common solvents, and waterproof. It can also be given a very nice surface for good grip. While we often see it in shades of grey and black, it can be made most any color.

One thing G10 is not is resistant to UV radiation including direct sunlight. So, knives with G10 should not be left in direct sunlight for prolonged times.
 
Padawan said:
I know what you mean when you describe it as seeming "absorbent", particularly when looking at or feeling the shaped edges. However, I've never found mine to significantly absorb anything, including the Rem-Oil I use for lubricating and protecting.
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G10 is specifically designed not to be absorbent. This, again, goes back to its roots as a circuit board material. Circuit boards are frequently cleaned either with liquid solvents often heated and under pressure or with water. The board itself needs to be impervious to these liquids.
 
Gollnick said:
G10 was not originally designed to be super-strong. It is a strong and durable material, but a thin piece of it such as a knife scale remvoed from the knife is brittle and can snap and break. Once fastened to a metal backing which gives it support in its vulnerable axis, G10 becomes an excellent choice for knife scales, because it's dimensionally stable, an excellent electrical insulator, stable over a wide temperature range, impervious to humidity, does not support fungal growth, fully immune to most common solvents, and waterproof. It can also be given a very nice surface for good grip. While we often see it in shades of grey and black, it can be made most any color.

One thing G10 is not is resistant to UV radiation including direct sunlight. So, knives with G10 should not be left in direct sunlight for prolonged times.
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I'd say something, but Gollnick said it all. Good post.

The direct sunlight issue is from the epoxy resin used to hold both G10 and carbon fiber laminates together. Epoxy decomposes in ultraviolet light. It takes a fair bit of sunlight, say a couple of weeks of continuous outdoor exposure before you see significant damage.
 
I saw a show where they tested anti-shark plate-armor/chainmail and mocked up a mechanical shark jaw using G10 triangles as teeth. The G10 smashed but didn't crack or break.

I dropped my Dodo a few times while I owned it and touched it up with some fine sandpaper, no problem.
 
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