Micarta hard to keep clean?

C

ColtSAA

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Nov 16, 2015
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Hi all. Long time viewer, first time thread poster. Sorry in advance if this is a repeat question. I currently own only traditional folders and a few fixed blades but none with Micarta scales. I was wondering if Micarta was hard to keep clean? I've seen videos about how soft to the touch a Micarta handle material can be but was worried about purchasing a knife that might harbor bacteria or other nasty junk. Right now I would usually gut a fish with a Mora which, following use, I could clean with relative ease. I would hate to buy an expensive knife that has limited uses should I decide to take it with me camping.
Appreciate all the wisdom and, by all means, let me know if this is a stupid question. Thanks all and have a good night.
 
Not stupid at all, soapy water gets most cleaned out of micarta,, if it really is bad a light sanding maybe.
I'm sure others will chime in
 
I just use soap and water. Occasionally I'll use an old toothbrush. Depending on what kind of micarta you might see a change in color, so keep that in mind.
 
hello ColtSAA,
a little all-purpose cleaner works fine for me. you can give it a very light and I mean very light coat of wd40. brings back the luster on g10 too. actually I find micarta more durable than g10. best regards.
mike
 
I own too many knives to count in micarta and my Esee I have owned for 2 years, not needed a cleaning. I've skinned many a deer with it to. It really doesn't get dirty all that much.
I occasionally clean out the micarta on my almost completely unused sebie. Tooth brush with soapy water works fine!
 
Think of it as unsealed wood or antler. It will absorb stuff, but most will wash off. it does weather and gain character, but you can sand it back to fresh pretty easy. I wouldn't think its particularly worse than any other materials, and more stable than a lot.
 
like many said, mild soap + warm water + soft toothbrush and it will look as good as new.

in my experience, linen doesn't get as dirty as canvas.

If you want the Micarta to look darker after washing it, you can apply some Mineral Oil.
 
Micarta hard to keep clean?

That all depends on what kind of micarta (canvas, linen or paper) and the finish it receives.
Paper micarta, when sanded to a fine finish, has very little to no fibers left sticking out beyond the laminate.
So, it can be kept clean very easily with a damp rag.

Linen micarta, being a slightly coarser material can also be sanded to quite a fine finish.
However, when it is left with a coarser finish to acheive a grippier surface; fibers are left sticking out through the laminate. These fibers are pourous and will absorb materials like the oils from your hands and become dingy or slightly dirty, which will darken the material.
This effect can be remedied by the applying the cleaning methods mentioned above.

Canvas micarta is the extreme of the three where as the fibers are concerned.
The finish will determine how easily the handle will be to get dirty or to clean.
The coarser the finish, the better the grip, the easier it is to get dirty.
Again the cleaning methods mentioned above will work fine to bring it back to it's original look.
Canvas micarta can also be sandeded to a fine finish, which will show much more detail in the material.
However, this decreases the grip dramatically making it more smooth and slippery.
With a fine finish it will also have less fibers sticking out so it will stay clean longer and will be easier to clean.

It's a trade off.......
The coarser the finish, the better the grip, less detail visually, gets dirty/dingy more easily.

The finer the finish......not as good of a grip (texture wise), much more detail visually, it doesn't get dirty as easily.

It really all depends on what you desires are.

I prefer my micarta rough.
That way I get great grip and it ages like a pair of jeans would.

But, that finish isn't for everyone.
 
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That all depends on what kind of micarta (canvas, linen or paper) and the finish it receives.
Click to expand...

^ This.

I think it's mostly the finish. For example, CRK beadblasts their micarta (on the Sebenzas and their fixed blades like the Green Beret and Pacific) so it is very soft to the touch with lots of exposed canvas fibers. The exposed fibers absorb water, oil from your skin, etc. making it look black until you clean it and it goes back to greyish. Bark River typically polishes their micarta smooth, with very few exposed fibers so it doesn't absorb much, if anything.

Some micarta is almost as smooth as some G10, but isn't as slick to me. For user knives, I prefer polished canvas micarta, so long as the handle is contoured to provide a secure grip in spite of the smoother material.
 
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