Micarta Differences?

Paper micarta is paper impregnated with resin.

Linen micarta is linen fabric impregnated with resin.
 
Paper Micarta has finer layers, but both materials can be polished and very smooth.

-Bob
 
Both materials can be smooth. Both can have a surface texture. It depends on how they are made and how they are finished. It is easier to give a texture to the linen version.
 
Paper micarta is made from layers of paper impregnated with phenolic resin under pressure and heat. When sanded and polished it comes to a mirror finish. You can't see the layers unless the paper is different colours. We only use black paper micarta. See Jantz Supply.

Linen micarta is linen fabric, like a fine cotton handkerchief impregnated with resin. It has a texture and can be polished but shows a grain.

Canavas micarta is like old tent, old masterpiece painting, or old tarpaulin and is coarser still and gives a dull but grippy finish.
 
Andrew Taylor said:
Paper micarta is made from layers of paper impregnated with phenolic resin under pressure and heat.
Click to expand...

Micarta need not be made using phenolic resin. You can use other resins and still describe the product as "micarta".
 
knarfeng said:
Micarta need not be made using phenolic resin. You can use other resins and still describe the product as "micarta".
Click to expand...

From Wikipedia:

Micarta industrial laminates are normally phenolic, epoxy, silicone, or melamine resin based thermoset materials reinforced with fiberglass, cotton cloth, paper, or carbon fiber. Micarta industrial laminate sheet is a hard, dense material made by applying heat and pressure to layers of prepreg. These layers of laminations are usually of cellulose paper, cotton fabrics, synthetic yarn fabrics, glass fabrics or unwoven fabrics. When heat and pressure are applied to the layers, a chemical reaction (polymerization) transforms the layers into a high-pressure thermosetting industrial laminated plastic.

The largest use for Micarta industrial laminates is as high strength electrical insulation in power generating and distribution equipment.

Micarta industrial laminates are also used in heavy equipment, aerospace, automotive, office equipment, electronic, and other commercial applications.

Micarta industrial laminates can be used for electrical insulation between pressure vessels or piping and their supports.

Micarta industrial laminates are also commonly used in decorative applications, including knife handles and gun handles, guitar fingerboards and bridges, pool cues, etc.

Micarta is a trademark of Norplex-Micarta Industrial Composites.

http://www.norplex-micarta.com/products/category_detail.php?category_id=1

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
knarfeng said:
Micarta need not be made using phenolic resin. You can use other resins and still describe the product as "micarta".
Click to expand...

My dad worked at the factory for 25 years and he was in charge of the 'pregs machine'. He used phenolic resin. I opened a carton of freshly cut black paper micarta yesterday and the aroma immediately reminded me of my dad's work clothes. He died in 1989 after being retired 6 years, so things might have changed I guess?
 
Andrew Taylor said:
My dad worked at the factory for 25 years and he was in charge of the 'pregs machine'. He used phenolic resin. I opened a carton of freshly cut black paper micarta yesterday and the aroma immediately reminded me of my dad's work clothes. He died in 1989 after being retired 6 years, so things might have changed I guess?
Click to expand...

Much micarta is made using phenolic resin. My point is that the resin does not have to be phenolic.

"Micarta" can have different properties depending on what resin and reinforcement materials are used and depending on how it is processed and depending on how it is finished. That's why it is hard to state specific performance properties for "micarta". The term covers a fairly broad range of materials.
 
Isn't Micarta a brand name that should only be used when describing what comes from Westinghouse?? And would that not have specific traits as per manufacturers specs??
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
Isn't Micarta a brand name that should only be used when describing what comes from Westinghouse?? And would that not have specific traits as per manufacturers specs??
Click to expand...

Was a trademark of Westinghouse at one time.

The specs are included on the website that I linked to.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
Isn't Micarta a brand name that should only be used when describing what comes from Westinghouse?? And would that not have specific traits as per manufacturers specs??
Click to expand...

Micarta is much like "Xerox" was at one time. In the '60s, "Xerox" was used to describe any copier rather than a specific brand. I remember Xerox had a big advertising campaign to recapture their trademark name.

"Micarta" may have been originally developed and sold by one company. Today, many materials are described as "micarta" as long as they are fabric or paper with resin holding the layers together. The word has become a generic term for that type of material.
 
knarfeng said:
Micarta need not be made using phenolic resin. You can use other resins and still describe the product as "micarta".
Click to expand...

Micarta is a trademark originally owned by Westinghouse. This trademark and the formula and equipment have sold multiple times in the last few years. Micarta is still a Trademark (now owned by Norplex). Other phenolic materials are made by various manufacturer's, have similar formulas and similar looks, however, they cannot 'legally' be called "Micarta".
 
If I'm a backyard mechanic, and I make something by taking cloth and impregnating it with epoxy, I can call it micarta and everyone will understand what kind of material I am talking about. To that extent, the term "micarta" is generic. People know that "micarta" is cloth or paper layers held together by resin. If I am a large corporation and try to sell such a product to the world, I cannot call my product "micarta". To that extent, the name is a trademark.

If you go to the Norplex Micarta website, you will see that they don't actually make any one thing that they call "micarta". They make several dozen combinations of various cloths or papers and various resins. Each has it's own name. None is called micarta. They use epoxy, melamine, phenolic and polyimide resins. They are all generically known as Micarta because they are sold by that company and because they consist of paper or cloth held together by resin.

Whether a knife maker uses the term generically or as a trademarked product, IMO is a gray area. Either way, a "micarta" handle is cloth or paper held together by some kind of resin.
 
I like the paper or woodgrain micarta with the jigging. Looks good and will not slip in your hand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top