How strong and tough is micarta?

E

EkL

Joined
Jul 8, 2005
Messages
11
Is micarta strong and tough enough to be used on a fixed karambit? I'm mostly worried about the ring hole area where it gets really thin. Most makers actually leave off whatever material they use for the handle and leave the bare metal for the ring hole. I'm assuming they do this because of time/cost reasons. So can I use micarta for the karambit and the ring hole, or is it too weak and will eventally chip, crack, or splinter? TIA!
 
I think the primary reason handle material is left off the ring is that it is so thin that even with mycarta it would be prone to chiping and cracking. Mycarta is the steel of plastics, but it's not indestructable and it can and will crack with the rite stress.
 
ahhh, i see. Can you think of any materials that can hold up on the ringhole of a karambit? the only material that I've seen used is g10 by emerson.
 
As long as it's epoxyed on there, it shouldn't matter how thin it is. I've done some tests on the relative durability of the handle materials I use and micarta is unquestionably the best. I used a 125lb anvil and a 2000g german blacksmith's hammer with a 24" handle. Striking the materials on the anvil with a guided fall of the hammer from above my head, I counted the number of strokes it took for the various materials to fail (I used a couple different kinds of wood, plexiglass and micarta — I've never used G10). The wood completely disintegrated in under four strokes. The Plexiglass cracked (but did not dissassociate) at around seven strokes, then shattered violently on the following stroke. Micarta took over ten strokes before it broke. Micarta is also quite flexible, so thin parts are unlikely to break even if they are not epoxied. During my tests, the micarta never chipped, but eventually just broke or delaminated.
I have no doubt that micarta would be perfect for your karambit.
A friend of mine used a bowie he got with a dymondwood handle for a throwing knife. It held up a lot better than wood, but pretty quickly came apart.

- Chris
 
Took a piece of G10 and a piece of Micarta same thickness and placed them on my anvil.
Smacked em both with a 20oz ballpeen hammer
G10 laughed and took a very small dent
Micarta crumbled
Use G10
 
wow, g10 can take a beating!!!

integral would be VERY nice, but man, that's gonna be a LOT of work.
 
EkL said:
wow, g10 can take a beating!!!
.
Click to expand...
makes great nose candy too :confused: makes you look like you've been forging it gives you that black booger efect :rolleyes: :D
wear your mask..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top