linen/cloth micarta general

C

chaosrealm93

Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
4
hey guys,

is it possible to for linen/cloth micarta handles to be stained so deep/permanently by oils (body/food) permanently and cannot be washed off?

i was cleaning my handles the other day and after a brief tap water and dish soap wash, i thought i saw a couple spots that i swear werent on there when the knife was new.

AFAIK, micarta handles are a thin layer of cloth/linen on top of a slab of resin, so dish soap should be strong enough to take most surface stains out right?

thanks guys!
 
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My knives with ivory micarta and G10 sometimes pick up blue dye from my jeans (I wear jeans just about every day.) Usually a bit of dish soap is enough to get it off, but if not try the green side of a sponge or a magic eraser, that should do the trick.
 
chaosrealm93 said:
AFAIK, micarta handles are a thin layer of cloth/linen on top of a slab of resin, so dish soap should be strong enough to take most surface stains out right?
Click to expand...

No. They are many many layers of cloth/linen that are impregnated with resin and compressed under enormous pressure and then cured with heat. It is not just one layer of cloth, and there is no slab of resin.
 
19-3ben said:
No. They are many many layers of cloth/linen that are impregnated with resin and compressed under enormous pressure and then cured with heat. It is not just one layer of cloth, and there is no slab of resin.
Click to expand...

so if there is any oil, it shouldnt penetrate further than the first layer right, since im guessing oil cant pass through resin?
 
Remember that when you grind Micarta across the "grain" , you expose the ends of the cotton fibers. I was told by a guy who make aerospace laminates that this was an issue with Kevlar based composites as the Kevlar fibers are quite hygroscopic if not sealed properly. Think about this. When your rough finished Micarta handle goes dull and gray, how do you bring back the color? By rubbing with WD-40, right?
 
19-3ben said:
No. They are many many layers of cloth/linen that are impregnated with resin and compressed under enormous pressure and then cured with heat. It is not just one layer of cloth, and there is no slab of resin.
Click to expand...

so would it be possible for oils to "penetrate" beyond the first layer and stain it permanently?
 
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