Micarta color variations

[mknife]

Good afternoon Guys (it's afternoon here in Italy), it's been a while since I posted but I always follow the discussions with interest. I have a question for you: has it ever happened to you to work a micarta that was initially of one color and then turned out to be a very different color?

Basically I had some burgundy micarta purchased at the Blade show many years ago (15 years I think), initially the piece had its beautiful Burgundy color but when I started working it I realized that something in the color was wrong, I wanted to complete the handle anyway and you can see the result in the photo, I must say also a beautiful color but completely different from the one desired.

Starting point

Finished handle

the handle has already been disassembled and I'm waiting for new burgundy micarta but I'm still curious because in all my years of knifemaking this is the first time this has happened to me.

 

[Robert Erickson]

I've seen that some micarta will discolor with age and exposure to UV and develop a "bark" on the outside. You can sometimes tell that this is the case by grinding the edge of the scale at an angle and check the depth of the "bark"

 

[Taz]

Welcome to the joys of Micarta! The burgandy color you saw is the patina layer on the outside; its most likely natural micarta. The phenolic resins patina and darken with age/UV light exposure. As you cut into it, you expose fresher micarta that hasn't patina'd yet, so it looks lighter. OD green typically darkens to brown. Natural is a lighter color and turns darker over time. There is an actual burgundy that was made that was burgundy all the way through.

Beautiful knife by the way! The handle will darken as it ages; in a few years, it will most likely be mostly dark brown.

These pictures show it. I had a chunk of old, vintage micarta. The outside of the piece was patina'd all the way through pretty much, but as I got closer to the middle of the sheet, it got lighter color wise. The yellowish/mottled color is the stuff that is fresher exposed, so the whole handle had a color fade going on with it, so I had to redo it. I have the handle in the shop still and the colors have evened out a good bit!


Same chunk, but I cut both pieces from the middle section, more even patina!



Fresh off the grinder:


Patina after a couple years:

 

[Hengelo_77]

I do like that finished micarta

 

[J. Hoffman]

The burgundy was the patina. That's just the way it is.

 

[navman]

modern burgundy micarta is solid color throughout (Norplex). As mentioned, the vintage stuff is surface patina.

 

[godogs57]

Isn’t that the old butterscotch micarta?

 

[mknife]

Thanks friends for your prompt and precise answers.
T Taz , thanks for your very explanatory examples.
It's been a long time since I used micarta, preferring natural materials and when required G10, .... I will go back to G10 even if I must say that micarta is a material that I really like to touch.

 

[mknife]

Isn’t that the old butterscotch micarta?

the color it was sold for was Burgundy, and the external patina has remained burgundy over 15 years. By removing the surface layer this caramel color came out

 

[C_Claycomb]

UV light will speed a return to the darker color. If the knife is left in the sun, it will darken faster than if left in a box.
Whoever marked and sold that as burgundy didn’t know their stuff.

Old phenolic tooling used in industry is always dark.

 

[Steven65]

the color it was sold for was Burgundy, and the external patina has remained burgundy over 15 years. By removing the surface layer this caramel color came out

Clearly it was not what it was advertised as. I have a lot of Burgundy Micarta knives made by makers from all over the world over a long period of time, and none of it looks anything like that.

Proper Burgundy Micarta is absolutely solid throughout. I have handled many Loveless's and Johnson's with Burgundy going back to the '70's and they are all a solid colour throughout.

Here are a few of mine..........

 

[mknife]

Clearly it was not what it was advertised as. I have a lot of Burgundy Micarta knives made by makers from all over the world over a long period of time, and none of it looks anything like that.

Proper Burgundy Micarta is absolutely solid throughout. I have handled many Loveless's and Johnson's with Burgundy going back to the '70's and they are all a solid colour throughout.

Here are a few of mine..........

Steven, I can only agree with what you write. I have used a lot of micarta in various colors including burgundy on knives that I made about 20 years ago and none of the owners have ever complained about color variations. I also add that in my misfortune I was lucky because I kept the piece of micarta in the photo for many years and only used it now, the color variation occurred in my hands, the handle has already been removed and new burgundy micarta will be mounted. However, as many have written, I really believe that the problem is in the type of resin used, maybe it happens once in 1000 and I was the lucky winner

 

[Steven65]

Steven, I can only agree with what you write. I have used a lot of micarta in various colors including burgundy on knives that I made about 20 years ago and none of the owners have ever complained about color variations. I also add that in my misfortune I was lucky because I kept the piece of micarta in the photo for many years and only used it now, the color variation occurred in my hands, the handle has already been removed and new burgundy micarta will be mounted. However, as many have written, I really believe that the problem is in the type of resin used, maybe it happens once in 1000 and I was the lucky winner

Absolutely agree. Just complete bad luck.

You make beautiful knives Riccardo.

I'm sure your customer is going to love his knife. Please post a few pictures when it's complete........

 

[Steve Beckwith]

I made some knives with a green canvas micarta that rreally looked a lot like lizard skin, it was beautiful. Now however, they have turned gray.