Micarta... how tough?

VoxHog

VoxHog

Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
3,174
I like canvas micarta, and have that on most of my knives, but every once in awhile I see a very nice linen or paper micarta that catches my eye. Here's my question... do you give up a lot of toughness or grip for the visual appeal of linen or paper micarta? :confused:

I have heard that canvas is the toughest and provides the best grip but is it by a large margin or just a very small difference?

I would expect that I could take a hammer to my canvas scales and they would not break. Could I do the same to linen and paper micarta? Has anyone ever "damaged" the micarta scales on one of their knives?
 
i had to have the canvas scales on my daba replaced. i cracked the scale near the tang above the fastener batoning. its tough, but not indestructable.

the paper scales i have had were smoother than the g10 busses. the lack of grippiness was very noticeable compared to canvas.

ive also had a couple linen scaled busses, the texture was pretty close to the canvas.
 
from VZ grip website-

Micarta®

Micarta is a trade name that was given to thermoset composites back in the 1890’s by Westinghouse. We chose Micarta® for three reasons:


1. Durability: Micarta® has a higher tensile strength than steel. It is used in storm shelters to provide state of the art protection rooms to ward off the threats from tornadoes. It is also being tested to armor aircraft cockpit doors.
2. Impervious to changes in temperature: This material will not swell, warp, or crack with changes in temperature. It is an excellent insulator against heat. Unlike other so called high-end grips on the market, ours stays cool and comfortable.
3. Texture: When milled, Micarta gives a highly slip resistant surface.



There are three basic types of Micarta®: Paper, Linen, and Canvas. Paper Micarta® is denser in color and thus more decorative. Linen Micarta® is medium grade in toughness and durability, it renders a good texture and intriguing appearance when milled. Canvas Micarta® is the strongest and the best in texture of the three. Pieces of canvas protrude through the laminate when milled adding additional texture to the grip. I personally like the look and feel of the canvas. It has that rugged personality and a definite A+ on the cool factor scale.
 
Lots of great info here, did not know about all the other micarta out there.
 
Bury a piece of Infi with micarta scales and come back to it in, oh, say, 50 years. The micarta will be beautiful...
 
Horton_Knives said:
Paper will chip, but not break under normal knife use... linen is Very Very Tough!!!!!
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Jeremy, can you explain what you mean about paper micarta? I'd think that with normal use, it would be fine. Hitting it with a baton log might be a different story.
 
I'd think that with normal use, it would be fine. Hitting it with a baton log might be a different story.
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Hitting my knives with a baton log is NORMAL USE! :eek::D:p
 
Busse normal use , sometimes when drilling and countersinking paper you will get chipping around the holes but like I said I wouldn't beat against paper with anything. The edges won't take the abuse! But canvas and linen its anything goes for me. The best handles for overall performance by far
 
MORIMOTOM said:
i had to have the canvas scales on my daba replaced. i cracked the scale near the tang above the fastener batoning. its tough, but not indestructable.

the paper scales i have had were smoother than the g10 busses. the lack of grippiness was very noticeable compared to canvas.

ive also had a couple linen scaled busses, the texture was pretty close to the canvas.
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I haven't much to add to what Mark says. I agree.

Now, if you want to talk about their conductivity or electric permeability ... then we're on!! ;)

I would expect the canvas and linen to be very similar, mechanically speaking. The paper micarta could actually be tougher, depending entirely on the density of the material -- the separation between paper layers. However, I'd expect the surface of the paper micarta to be easier to scar.

Maybe that helps.
 
Horton_Knives said:
Paper will chip, but not break under normal knife use... linen is Very Very Tough!!!!!
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AHA! Should have looked closer. This is precisely what I'd expect. That, plus it should be easier to 'scar' -- for instance, to scratch or mar with a sharp, hard edge.

They (paper, linen, canvas micarta) do behave differently when bombarded by lasers (coherent light), heat (microwave exposure), and charged particles (alphas, betas, ions) ... but I'm guessing nobody here cares about that.
 
I have a Mauser brand hunter with white linen micarta scales which has never been subjected to any rough use at all, used only to field dress and skin a few deer before I discovered Busse, but which has managed to develop a small chip.

For a user knife I would select canvas micarta over any other material available. I like its functional look and its slip-resistant texture.
 
The fellow over at knifetests.com seemed to like canvas micarta and G10 for toughness best. I think it's in the forums at his website if you want to search for it. I think he was testing them with sledgehammers so it may be overkill for your applications.
 
OldPhysics said:
They (paper, linen, canvas micarta) do behave differently when bombarded by lasers (coherent light), heat (microwave exposure), and charged particles (alphas, betas, ions) ... but I'm guessing nobody here cares about that.
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As soon as I can get a shoulder carried microwave, alpha, beta or ion cannon then I'd care a lot.

Can I get one of those?
 
zenheretic said:
As soon as I can get a shoulder carried microwave, alpha, beta or ion cannon then I'd care a lot.

Can I get one of those?
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Phah! Amateur.

What you need is a portable spallation neutron source. That bad boy will lance through anything.
 
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