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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Micarta for BK
- Thread starter JDMiller
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2012
- Messages
- 1,719
Hey JD.
Those are all Ka-Bar factory micarta. The colors have varied over the years. The current ones from Ka-Bar are the lighter tan with a greenish tint. They used to be more brown. However, even the newer ones will darken up with time.
The black set on my BK-12 in the picture are the factory micarta dyed black with leather dye.
I have dyed a few sets as well as some for guys here to make them darker brown or black. So good news is, you can change the color slightly if you like.
The bottom picture you have is what most of the new stuff looks like for all the models. I have even had a couple sets even lighter than that. I guess it depends on what the batch of micarta looks like when they get it.
Those are all Ka-Bar factory micarta. The colors have varied over the years. The current ones from Ka-Bar are the lighter tan with a greenish tint. They used to be more brown. However, even the newer ones will darken up with time.
The black set on my BK-12 in the picture are the factory micarta dyed black with leather dye.
I have dyed a few sets as well as some for guys here to make them darker brown or black. So good news is, you can change the color slightly if you like.
The bottom picture you have is what most of the new stuff looks like for all the models. I have even had a couple sets even lighter than that. I guess it depends on what the batch of micarta looks like when they get it.
Ethan Becker
Moderator
- Joined
- Sep 1, 1999
- Messages
- 3,564
I have been given to understand(by whom I cannot remember) that the dying process or maybe the tinting process is not quite as exact as the manufacturing boffins would like it to be....... It all darkens and color shifts with age, use and sunlight..... Kinda like a good meerschaum pipe.......
E
E
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2014
- Messages
- 2,930
Right, they're solid.
Ethan Becker
Moderator
- Joined
- Sep 1, 1999
- Messages
- 3,564
Hey JD.....
The Zytel scales are hollow to increase strength...... The strength in a molded part increases with surface area, or so I have been told by more than one expert..... That is why you see webs and such....... much easier and cheaper to make a solid mold for the scales but you get warpage and less strength...... This has always been a bit hard for me to get me tiny little mind to wrap around but, it seems to work out in practice... The molders art is certainly grounded in science and engineering but it has always had more than a bit of the occult among it's better practioners.......
Certainly the Micarta is more durable but, in thirty years there have only been a handful of polymer handle failures...... It is always amusing to me that the thermoset resin that is the plastic part of Micarta is the first practical plastic ever and it still excels in certain areas......
I love the look and of Micarta and sanded down almost smooth makes a really friendly and secure grip....... I like and use the Zytel much more often because, on a regular basis, I try to use "stock" gear so when I talk about performance I am not talking about exotics but what you all get in the box.......
I do occasionally use my "Sunday go to meetin'" blades with great pleasure but I measure my product's performance as they come out of the box......
All best...
Ethan
The Zytel scales are hollow to increase strength...... The strength in a molded part increases with surface area, or so I have been told by more than one expert..... That is why you see webs and such....... much easier and cheaper to make a solid mold for the scales but you get warpage and less strength...... This has always been a bit hard for me to get me tiny little mind to wrap around but, it seems to work out in practice... The molders art is certainly grounded in science and engineering but it has always had more than a bit of the occult among it's better practioners.......
Certainly the Micarta is more durable but, in thirty years there have only been a handful of polymer handle failures...... It is always amusing to me that the thermoset resin that is the plastic part of Micarta is the first practical plastic ever and it still excels in certain areas......
I love the look and of Micarta and sanded down almost smooth makes a really friendly and secure grip....... I like and use the Zytel much more often because, on a regular basis, I try to use "stock" gear so when I talk about performance I am not talking about exotics but what you all get in the box.......
I do occasionally use my "Sunday go to meetin'" blades with great pleasure but I measure my product's performance as they come out of the box......
All best...
Ethan