Is Micarta Conductive?

[silver_pilate]

Sorry if this has been hashed out before, but I can't get the search feature to work.... I wish they would fix that.

Is micarta conductive to electricity? I'm looking to use a scrap piece for mounting some 220V electrical components on and don't want a dangerous situation. Sorry if this is a dumb dumb question !

--nathan

 

[Shadetree Phenolics]

No, micarta should not be...epoxy, paper, canvas and linen are not conductive, and my understanding is that the stuff was originally made for mounting electric components to a hundred or so years ago...

OTOH, carbon fiber is very good at conducting electricity

if in doubt, check it with a multimeter

 

[sunshadow]

It was originally developed at GE as an insulating substrate for circuitboards and as a spacer for capacitors If I remember correctly. As long as you don't make it with metallics or carbon fiber it should have a dielectric of several thousand volts per inch

-Page

 

[CDH]

I don't know who made it originally but yes, it was and is still used extensively for high voltage insulators...when made with non conductive fibers (virtually all commercial stuff I have ever seen). You can still buy electric and electronic grades of Micarta. Heck, technically computer boards are a form of micarta made with glass fiber.

Linen, canvas, and paper micarta that is normally found in knifemaking is all good stuff and very good for circuit boards.

CDH-Electrical Engineer and geek at heart

 

[Alarion]

The whole point in Micarta, when it was developed, was that it insulated both from heat and electricity.
The fact that it makes good knife handles is purely incidental and due to the creative fantasy of some knifemaker (Loveless, I believe).

 

[Keith_H]

my father works with the stuff all the time as an electrician, and along with the sheet i found in my garage, I have about enough for 50 knives. I love the stuff!