micarta and g10 for your health

S

samuel082799

Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
20
I know that g10 contains fiberglass and if you inhale it, it is very bad. my question is, is micarta better than g10 health wise and does it matter which one you use if you wear a resperator.
 
Micarta and G10 are both epoxy based. Micarta is cloth or paper, while G10/G12 contains glass fibers.

Theoretically, G10 dust is worse for your lungs due to the glass content, but both G10 and Micarta will emit formaldehyde and fine particles as a result of grinding, machining, or sanding.

In any case, the fine dust and fumes are not good for you and adequate respiratory protection should be used.
 
so true... and a mask only works if you wear it. I'm a firm believer in getting a good filtration system (although i don't have one yet) to clean the air as well. The fine dust and vapours stay in the air long after you're done grinding on these things. there is hardly a time i don't blow my nose and see whatever colour handle material i was grinding even when i wear a respirator while i'm grinding and take it off afterward.
 
Agreed. I just put in a dust collector. I was tired of finding bits of handle material and metal dusts collecting inside my respirator over time. Gotta figure that if there's some that you can see there has probably been a lot of superfine particals getting in that you don't see. With the dust collector the shop also stays far cleaner. I vented it outside into a bucket.
 
G10 is epoxy and fiberglas bonded under high pressure and heat.

Micarta is cloth or paper and phenolic resin bonded under high pressure and heat.

Micarta gives off formaldehyde when ground. G10 does not. The dust from both materials is bad to breathe.

Chuck
 
ALL dust is bad for your lungs.

Let that sink in for a moment. (pun intended,,, the problem with dust of any kind is that it tends to sink into your lungs and gum up the works. It doesn't matter if it's "natural" or "synthetic" dust.)

Chemical factors make some dust worse than others for various reasons... some people are or become badly allergic to the oils in certain woods, for instance, and get nasty rashes from working with them.

There is no such thing as "safe" dust. Always employ PPE, good shop practices and environmental controls to the highest extent your resources allow.
 
Last edited:
Read James's post again.

It says what people seem to not understand. All grinding should be done wearing a respirator, and it should stay on until you clean up after grinding.
 
An old word worker told me one time "you only get one set of lungs" I wear a powered respirator at all times when grinding, at the very least wear a dust mask or something better.
 
For the sake of clarity:

PPE = personal protective equipment. Respirator, safety glasses, gloves/sleeves/apron to protect your skin, steel-toe boots if you're working with anything heavy, etc.

Good shop practices = general safety and common sense. Learn to use tools in such a way that you are less likely to hurt yourself with them. Do not drill or grind through your hand. Cutting edges and sparks/waste should be directed away from you at all times. Do not let swarf and dust pile up and cause safety hazards like starting a fire in a pile of oily rags or stumbling across some junk on the floor. Etc.

Environmental controls = removing harmful matter from your work environment as quickly as possible. This includes plenty of fresh air flow and dust collection systems. It also includes keeping the shop reasonably comfortable... being way too hot or cold can very quickly distract you from your work.


Everything we use in the knife shop is designed to cut and/or grind and/or melt metal. We are made of meat. Never forget that.
 
As a Painting Contractor in my day job we deal with dust and paint mist and toxic fumes on a daily basis so when doing knife work in my spare time that means I live in a toxic environment , Paper dust masks don't cut it. We exclusively use 3m dust protection and spray protection respirators Some have eye protection built in.. I personally cant work in that type but some of my guys do. I live by if you can smell it through the respirator it probably is not doing the job. If you have color of handle material in your nose you need to find a new respirator . Good respirators cost money .. Knife makers are cheap and so are a lot of Painting Contractors . Don't be cheap you don't want to die of lung problems. My dad died recently from lung problems. My dad spent the last few years of his life sitting in a chair struggling to breath and never feeling that he ever could breath enough . Don't die like my dad did because of being cheap or not aware of your surroundings.

OK ..
 
Dopic1 said:
An old word worker told me one time "you only get one set of lungs" I wear a powered respirator at all times when grinding, at the very least wear a dust mask or something better.
Click to expand...

Dust masks are good for keeping chickens out of your nose.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top