Lightning Strike Carbon Fiber- Bad Idea?

I have been EDCing a knife I made for the last 4-5 months. I do the same thing, just rub them off. I sanded it to 2000 grit initially. I think it's just the nature if the material and I don't mind it at all. I haven't noticed any discoloration either.

JParanee said:
All your hands are to soft :)

I have been EDC a knife with lSCF scales and the wires that lift are no big deal. I just rub them off with my thumb and eventually they stop popping

This is a material from the aircraft industry and it looks cool simple as that

This is one of the hottest handle materials out there and you should all get as much as possible because its not gonna be around forever :)
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J. Oeser said:
I have been EDCing a knife I made for the last 4-5 months. I do the same thing, just rub them off. I sanded it to 2000 grit initially. I think it's just the nature if the material and I don't mind it at all. I haven't noticed any discoloration either.
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This pic shows all the problems I have had in one. You can see the natural voids in the material and the clear and obvious discolouration. I used some 1200 to rub back half of this scale, the other half is as it was when I picked it up just now to take the pics. Finishing the material to get rid of the stray wires isn't a problem but the voids and issue with the colour fading are a problem, IMO. :)

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Haze, that's crazy. It just completely dulled out and an excessive amount of voids. Could it be just a bad batch?
 
I don't know I really like it and think that it is very cool that if I get hit by lightning I will be safe :)

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I'm with the two J's on this one. Mr. Paranee and Mr. Oeser get what I was trying to lay down. It's just a very cool looking material, and the "issues" surrounding it aren't all that big of a deal in my opinion. A couple wires pop out and you wipe 'em off!:D I regularly edc a knife with LSCF scales without issue.

Jonathan, no the wire won't continue to pop out until it's all gone. You usually lose a few and then then it stops after a while. It's not a problem for the life of the knife.

Haze, I hear what you're saying. It is possible it was a bad batch. I've had carbon fiber that looked great in sheet form but was like swiss cheese when shaped.

Bottom line is that if you're not comfortable with working it or you can't finish it the way you like, then maybe it's not the material for your shop. Personally, I'll continue to use it, not only because I'm confident in it's quality.....but because I know how many people want it.
 
I am definitely biased on this subject, but there are a few things to add. It is important to note that not all carbon fiber is created equal! I have not sold LSCF to any secondary retailers except Alpha, so if it did not come from AKS or myself it is probably not the real mccoy.

It is not the handle material for everyone and yes it is pokey. The wires do disappear eventually. But it has spiced up a fairly colorless sector of the knife industry. And there is no doubt about it--it sells knives.
Jon-no one has heard more complaining about pokey wires than me and I always answer with the same question.
"Do you need a broom?"
BTW there is no e in lightning.
MD
 
Hey Matt thats funny. Truth is its more of the idea of the pieces falling out that bothered me more then the feeling. Just seemed weird to me, but It was definately sharp looking. I didn't realize you use it on those folders and thats why the handle looks cool! I actually wanna grab one of two of them. =) And yes I can't spell.
 
Matt. as a follow up to what I said earlier, could one problem be that knifemakers don't bother to "finish" carbon fiber like many other users do? I know that there is one person who sells a fair amount of the surplus pre-preg stuff who also makes things like cigar humidors, chop sticks, boxes, etc and he says that he seals an finishes these products, ESPECIALLY the ones that are used around food. I know that in "outdoor" use, any laminate made using epoxy should have some kind of sealer that protects against UV light. I suspect that the exposed auto parts made from CF have a pretty heavy clear coat on them. Would a simple sealer coat of some kind solve this fuzziness problem in your opinion? Some people mighr whine about it being to complicated, but how much harder would it be than putting a finish on say a piece of maple?
DISKIN KNIVES said:
I am definitely biased on this subject, but there are a few things to add. It is important to note that not all carbon fiber is created equal! I have not sold LSCF to any secondary retailers except Alpha, so if it did not come from AKS or myself it is probably not the real mccoy.

It is not the handle material for everyone and yes it is pokey. The wires do disappear eventually. But it has spiced up a fairly colorless sector of the knife industry. And there is no doubt about it--it sells knives.
Jon-no one has heard more complaining about pokey wires than me and I always answer with the same question.
"Do you need a broom?"
BTW there is no e in lightning.
MD
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DISKIN KNIVES said:
But it has spiced up a fairly colorless sector of the knife industry. And there is no doubt about it--it sells knives.
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^^^ Right on. As all things which provide gratification, there can be a drawback. I don't see this becoming the 'giraffe bone' of tactical knives. LOL! (Kiss of Death.)

I'm interested in hearing of a seal coating as well. Just because it would GLEEM when polished! :D

Coop
 
If you buff wood too hard it raises the grain and is not a smooth surface like it was after hand sanding. I find that if the material gets buffed too hard it raises the wires and more of them tend to stick out. If you sand to a higher grit and either scotchbrite or buff real lightly you are less likely to raise the wires.
 
I like lscf but I love marbled carbon fiber. Both are bad ass. Just spray a little wd-40 on either every now and then.
 
I have a Spyro Flipper made by David Mosier. Whatever he did to the handle prevents the copper wires from discoloring or oxidizing or whatever the heck it's called. There's an occasional wire that comes up but again, it has a lot to do with how the maker finishes the handle. I wouldn't dump it because of a few wires. :)
 
jdm61 said:
Has anyone thought about putting a super thin "slip coat" of epoxy on the stuff? After all, that is the base resin typically used to make carbon fiber laminates.
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Allen Elishewitz did. I recently acquired a Jekyll with LSCF scales and they appear to have a light coat of epoxy or some sort of clear on them. It really makes the bronze shine and I would think protect them from oxidizing.

It's perplexing to me how a beautiful material such as LSCF having such a minor issue of the wires sometimes poking out and dulling over time would turn any knife collector off. Are these same people complaining about ivory having issues of cracking, fading, expanding, and contracting? Lets face it, how many of us actually buy a knife because it's practical? I don't know about you, but the whole reason I collect knives is because I'm in for the experience, not practicality.
 
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