How to work G10?

Phillip Patton

Phillip Patton

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
5,383
Hey guys,
The only experience I've had with G10 was trying to cut it with my wood cutting bandsaw....
So, how do you guys cut it to shape, and what king of abrasives work best with it, and how do you finish it?
And you don't have to tell me to wear a respirator while working it; I do know that much.
Can I use regular high speed drill bits?

Thanks,
Phillip
 
I use my metal cutting bandsaw. That stuff eats up my wood cutting saw blades fast. The times I've used it was for tacticool/user knives so I bead blasted it. Came out with a really good grip.

SDS
 
Also like to use the metal saw. Rough shape with 60 or 80 grit ceramic. I like to "shoeshine" sand with shop rolls from there and blast it. G10 loses its luster after sanding or blasting, you can buff it or oil it, but the oil wears off and the buffer can make it too smooth for me. I found that danish oil works the best for me, it puts the luster back in it and dries on like a regular finish. It'll wear, but not as fast as just oiling.

It does come out neat looking with a buff, but you almost have to carve more texture in it because it comes out so smooth.
 
I use a carbide tile cutting blade in a jigsaw to cut it, I use ordinary HSS drills but prefer carbide. Standard AO belts work just fine, nasty dust though.

Heres a folder with G10 scales I finished yesterday.

 
I use metal cutting blades on my band saw, good drill bits, and sand from 80 grit thru 400 grit and buff lightly with white compound. If you want a little more grip you could file some lines across it and finnish as usual.
 
I cut mine with a metal cutting band saw also. I use regular HSS drill bits and reamers. Buffing it does make it a little slippery. To help combat the slippery finish I try to grind divots into the G10 with a 1” or ¾” small wheel on my belt grinder. I start out with 220, then 400 and finish with 600 grit. I just use regular 2”x72” aluminum oxide belts. They seem to work fine. Then I buff using Jackson 51 White compound with a soft wheel. With the divots in the handle it ends up having a pretty good grip.
 

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I usually finish it by hand to 320 or 400 using cool tool as the lubricant. Don't usually buff it as I like the grippy finish myself. I would probably bead blast it if I had a blaster. After I give it a good rub with WD-40 which tends to give it a nice look. I drill it at a speed in between metal and wood with normal HSS and it will burn if drilled to fast. To cut I use a bandsaw but occasionally an angle grinder if I'm not trying to save extra material just because overall the wear and tear is cheaper cutting it with that, and I only have a bandsaw made for cutting wood so I can't cut it at a slower speed. Here's a couple pics of the last G-10 that I worked with just to give an idea of what the finish looks like:

knifeG2.jpg


TG2.jpg
 
Thank you guys for the tips!

Ray, nice job. That black and tan is just what the customer wants. I like it.
 
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