Making micarta

3

3wolves

Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
1,061
Hi guys,
I read the tutoriols on making micarta but cant find fiberglass or polyester resin anywhere, can I use something else like epoxy?
Thanks.
 
Im looking for some tonight on my way home....thinking of first hitting an auto parts store since they probably have fiberglass resin for body work. Then Home depot, then a woodworking place like Rhocklers. If that doesnt work, im gonna hit a boating supply place since they need to do hull repairs with the stuff...

I'll post tonight on where I end up finding it.
 
They sell Bondo fiberglass resin in the auto section of some Wal-Marts (I know, I hate supporting the evil empire too but what can you do?) Ace, Lowe's, True Value, Home Depot, etc... Good luck.
 
i use epoxy. the slow cure kind. i know this post is useless without the brand name, but i cant remember... iv had good results with denim and craft store felt.
PS
next batch i do will include half human hair, just because im curious and want to do a project with the hair i cut for my new job a couple months back. maybe i'll try some all hair, im expecting a wood grain look. pics to come...
 
I just bought Bondo fiberglass epoxy at Napa Auto parts. They had small bottles, quart containers, and gallon containers. Came with hardener.

Ill take pics as i make it up tonight then try to put up a step-by-step when i'm done.
 
About how much would resin cost? I never thought to check in the auto section, Ill check out canadian tire tommorow, it'll be cheaper than buying micarta I bet.
I have never heard of using human hair in a knife handle, sounds kinda creepy IMO, but I would like to see what it looks like:).
 
3wolves said:
About how much would resin cost? I never thought to check in the auto section, Ill check out canadian tire tommorow, it'll be cheaper than buying micarta I bet.
I have never heard of using human hair in a knife handle, sounds kinda creepy IMO, but I would like to see what it looks like:).
Click to expand...

Canadian Tire sells Bondo Fiber Glass Resin (I believe thats the one they have). It is in the automotive section (and if not, check the boating section).
 
I ended up not taking pics, but holy crap this stuff stinks....tried a quick hunk with some old pants....its drying now and i'll see how it set up tomorrow....
 
I have been using 30 min epoxy I bought @ a local hobby shop. Wonderful results but very expensive! I found 'glass resin @ Home Depot, 1 gal for 35 clams... I have purchased 5 bars of the name brand Micarta from Jantz to compare and Ive decided to make my own from now on.
 
I am going to give this a try today as well. Hope it works will let ya know. Purchased it at an AC Delco parts house.

Larry
 
i made mine from denim and walmart fiberglass resin (bondo) i agree about the resins fast drying time, in the last few layers there were lumps of resin brushed in in my haste. it came out ok though.... i think il try epoxy next time but i dont know what to get... good luck

Photo80.jpg
thats my slab....
 
Best results I have had is with Slow Cure Epoxy 60 min pot life. Here it hits 100 plus degs Fahrenheit (sp) so you need time.
MY Thanks to Butch and Shade Tree Phenolics for there inspiration and help.
Going to try some Poyester Resin using Polyester cloth and see if they bond correctly.
Cotton seems to work best with Epoxy. You can get Epoxy reasonably priced on Ebay.
Also got a 12ton press from Harbor Freight and that helped alot.
KEY:eek: is to get everything ready and a dry run ahead of time.
Remember the strength comes from the weave and material type used.
 
here is the Micarta I made after reading the tutoral from one of the makers here and after reading this Post. The material is Green and Blue (Sea Hawks Colors) I used this USC Fiberglass Resin found at a local parts house. Wax paper Boards for a press with C-Clamps I sanded a small piece of it early to see how it would look I liked it a lot. Now I just need to let it set up for about two more days to make sure it is ready.

all-1.jpg


Resin.jpg


The micarta in dry form.
Dry.jpg


The Micarta after a quick shot of WD-40 to see it wet.
WD-40.jpg
 
I made my first blue denim micarta not long ago and I am about to do some more this weekend for another set of slabs.

I have plenty of blue denim left from wasted jeans but in a near future I want to try with different colors. Do you guys dye the canvas yourself or just buy it in the color you want?

And another quick question: When we are making two colored canvas micarta, do you alternate colors in each strip (1 color A, 1 color B, etc) or put a few of the same color together (3 color A, 3 color B, etc)?

Mikel

EXTRA: Just a little poll... I am about to make a scandi knife out of a leaf spring with blue micarta handles... what do you think suits best?
A) Aluminum hollow pins (3)
B) Aluminum solid pins (3)
C) Aluminum combo (hollow, solid, hollow)
D) Brass hollow pins (3)
E) Brass solid pins (3)
F) Brass combo (hollow, solid, hollow)

Any strengths issues with hollow pins?
 
I didnt use canvas I just purchased a couple of yards of Linen and alternated it one then the other. THis is my first attempt at making the stuff so I was pretty Happy. My next project for this stuff is Denim. I got a pair of pants that are now to big and I want to remember that I used to be bigger than I am now so I am gonna make a knife with my Big But Jeans LOL. (Not that these are any smaller but they are a bit smaller)

Larry
 
I made my first couple of batches using fiberglass resin. As someone already said, the biggest drawback is pot life. Laying up anything thinner than denim is damn near impossible, just too many layers to wet out before it goes jelly. A second drawback is the smell. I hate the fiberglass smell, and when you're working it gets pretty thick. Even the finished handle smells like fiberglass. I finally got rid of it by wiping it down with linseed oil. The last thing is a lot of the fiberglass resins are colored a light green. It's something added by the manufacturer to aid the production guys, it's easier for them to tell that they've gotten complete wet out. All in all, though, it's a good way to learn.

I second the suggestion for Ebay for epoxy resins. I got a (combined) gallon and a half for right about 100 bucks shipped. That was enough to keep me making a new batch every few nights for a month.

I ordered a bunch of different colored canvases from an online fabric dealer. I even found a safety orange (wahooo! I hate G10). I ran low at the end of my Lukarta making, so I went to a local crafts store to buy enough earth colors to finish out the epoxy.

I've got a good sized shop press and a couple of big flat steel plates. It makes it a lot easier, you can just squash the snot out of everything. I figured I was getting about 1200 pounds per square inch for the sized pieces I was making. The downside is I would start off with a stack an 1" to 1 1/2" high (up to 60 layers of canvas, depending on material) to get a finished piece between 3/8" - 1/2" thick. I finally got the wet out of the fabrics down to where I had very little epoxy waste squeezing out.
 
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