Micarta materials

eyeeatingfish

eyeeatingfish

Joined
Dec 9, 2003
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A thought came up to be about micarta as i cleaned my yeard. They make micarta with various types of cloth layered with resin correct?

I wondered about using coconut husk. While probably not pretty, it is known for its strength, and heck its recycling yard material. (I live in hawaii)
Anyone seen this done before?

I have resin used for fiberglass lying around and thought id give it a try. Is it relatively straight forward? Here is what im thinking.
Make a box/frame so resin doesnt go everywhere.
Make resin, but thin it out more so it will absorb.
Start with a layer of resin, then a layer of material and keep alternating till desired thickness.
Let cure then use.

Also, on the subject of resin, i learned people use resin or epoxy to stabilize woods and other natural materials. Is this something most could do or do you need specialized stuff to stabilize wood?
Thanks
 
I'm fairly sure that for most micarta there's some pressure applied during the curing process to force the epoxy into the fibers and between them, but I'm no expert.
 
DIY micarta can be made with just about any kind of fiber. Natural fibers seem to sand easier. Coconut husk may be worth a try.

On the thought of "stabilizing" wood, I've thought about doing it, though I have no idea how it's supposed to be done. I have access to a vacuum pump, and I've thought that wood, soaked with a sufficiently thin resin, cured in a vacuum and reasonable heat to encourage penetration, might suffice.
 
If you c-clamp it, does that mean all the resin will come out?
Or is the amount of resin between the layers supposed to be real thin?
 
eyeeatingfish said:
If you c-clamp it, does that mean all the resin will come out?
Or is the amount of resin between the layers supposed to be real thin?
Click to expand...

Some of the resin will doubtless come out. But, not all the resin will come out. But the idea is to have more fiber than resin.

What you are trying to do is consolidate the material and get all the air out so that you have fiber squeezed together as tight as possible with the resin taking up any excess space instead of air.
 
Ill go make some and see how it turns out then.

Quick question, how do you make a frame for the mold so that the resin doesnt just stick to the frame?
 
At this point maybe a frame is too much effort. Two 6 in square pieces of wood and a c-clamp would be good to confirm the concept. Place large piece of fiber and small amount of resin in center and clamp between wood squares. When cure, cut across center and examine cross-section. It will give you an idea what to expect and how the materials interact.

Paste car-wax can be a expedient mold release.


eyeeatingfish said:
Ill go make some and see how it turns out then.

Quick question, how do you make a frame for the mold so that the resin doesnt just stick to the frame?
Click to expand...
 
I see, so youre saying dont even make a frame, jut make some of it to see the concept.
If its good looking, then make a frame.

So do i really want the least amount of resin possible? It would seem that making a frame would keep more resin. Do i want the resin to just barely coat everything?
 
I was thinking to keep waste and effort to a minimum until you had a working idea of what might work. Large area of fiber and small amount of resin in the center would allow in cross-section some idea of how the resin and fiber interact as it spreads to the edge of the press. In the center you would have the highest ratio of resin to fiber that would thin out to the edges. If the center does not appear to be solid, hard and something to work with them maybe the cocoanut fiber is not good filler.
 
oh i see what you are saying. Ill have to try that then.

Coconut fiber isnt terribly pretty though... Im sure it would be strong though.
 
eyeeatingfish said:
oh i see what you are saying. Ill have to try that then.

Coconut fiber isnt terribly pretty though... Im sure it would be strong though.
Click to expand...

It may not be pretty to look at now, but who knows, after pressing and curing with resin, you might be having people ask you to sell some. :D

Jim L.
 
Any fiber composite material will have a very low resin to filler ratio, you're trying to take advantage of the fiberous material, the resin simply sticks it together. Look up Ariel Salaverria's tutorial on micarta, it's the same concept and I believe it'd help you a lot.
 
yep lots of good info on here about makaing home made "mycarta"
what you need to worry aobut is called wet out (the resin needs to soak the fiber all the way ) some are better then others at that as are some resins better in some apps
lots of things to try till you find what works for your setup and epoxy/fiber (ask me how i know;) )
 
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