Micarta questions

Nonprophet

Nonprophet

Joined
Dec 22, 2010
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231
I have read many of the posts on working with Micarta and I am going to try and do something with it but I need some help. First are there any real differences between canvas and linen MIcarta as far as properties. I plan to finish to a very low grit so that it remains very grippy. Second and most importantly, is it necessary to wear a respirator when working it (cutting and sanding)? I know you should wear one anytime because all dust is bad but is it necessary enough for me to be concerned if I'm making a couple of scales and that's it? I don't want to run out and buy a mask if I don't have to but I also don't want to end up with black lung or something! On that note do I need to be careful to do a thourough cleaning of all the dust that settles everywhere so I don't end up breating that in as well? If so this starts to sound like darn near a surgical procedure and I may have to hose down the enitre shop area when I'm done (which is indoors and I'm sure my wife will love me for it!) Lastly, will micarta cut and sand like wood or is it harder to the point where I may need special blades and sandpapers? I truly appreciate the help everyone!
 
Differences = yes but fairly minor...they just, to me at least, feel different

Respirator = absolutely yes...will doing one knife kill you....I seriously doubt it. If you don't want to fork over the coin on a respirator, at least get one of them surgical masks....can be had for just a few bucks.

Cleanup = yes....you should always clean up after yourself.

Hosing = no

Harder = yes, but it will cut with woodworking tools and normal sandpaper.
 
Nonprophet said:
I have read many of the posts on working with Micarta and I am going to try and do something with it but I need some help.

First are there any real differences between canvas and linen MIcarta as far as properties.

I plan to finish to a very low grit so that it remains very grippy.

Second and most importantly, is it necessary to wear a respirator when working it (cutting and sanding)?
I know you should wear one anytime because all dust is bad but is it necessary enough for me to be concerned if I'm making a couple of scales and that's it?

I don't want to run out and buy a mask if I don't have to but I also don't want to end up with black lung or something!

On that note do I need to be careful to do a thourough cleaning of all the dust that settles everywhere so I don't end up breating that in as well?

If so this starts to sound like darn near a surgical procedure and I may have to hose down the enitre shop area when I'm done (which is indoors and I'm sure my wife will love me for it!)

Lastly, will micarta cut and sand like wood or is it harder to the point where I may need special blades and sandpapers? I truly appreciate the help everyone!
Click to expand...

Canvas is a much rougher fabric than linen.
canvas will be a much rougher surface than linen and if you want grippy, you may want canvas from the start.
It will show up on blasting more than sanding.

It's only important to wear a respirator if breathing is important to you.
That's probably one of those things you really miss once you've begun to lose it.
Any of the laminate dusts make me cough right away, but if you're a smoker - maybe you're not as sensitive to that tickle and don't care.

I've used certified P99 disposable masks & they don't fit at all, about $4 each and completely useless.
By the time you've bought a box of them, you could have had a respirator.

A half mask respirator is cheaper than any knife or other tool related item, I don't see the advantage in skipping it.
You have to decide that for yourself.



A shop vac of your work area, room, your clothes and hair- and immediate washing of the clothes will help.
You could run the vacuum while you are working if you can stand the noise.

Standard hacksaws and abrasives seem to work fine.
 
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To me, the main difference between linen and canvas micarta is the appearance. You can finish either to roughly the same texture in my experience, but they'll look distinctly different. Linen has more of a closed weave look, since it's linen obviously. You get a small dot pattern and more closely spaced layers. Canvas has an open weave that remains clearly visible in the micarta and is thicker so the layers are thicker than linen. My own preference is linen or paper (even though I hate working with the paper stuff) but that's just because I prefer how it looks.

Definitely wear a mask, use an area you can easily clean and make a point to cleanup a bit when you take a break to limit how much it spreads. If you're doing this indoors you might want to layout a damp paper towel or rag surface to sand on to collect most of the dust and reduce the spread. Wipe stuff down... It's a very fine dust and no fun, G10's worse but micarta dust is still not something I'd wanna leave around inside. I do use the disposable masks and for me they're ok. A good half mask is a solid investment though. 3m has some good ones at very reasonable prices at most home improvement stores. I lost my last one and just haven't replaced it yet so luckily the disposables fit for me.
 
Grinding wet solves most of the problems if you can catch the slurry coming off the belt. Spray
bottle and slower, or piece of wet sponge above and contacting the belt--stll messy.
Ken.
 
I have even heard of makers cutting, filing and sanding handle materials underwater to completely eliminate dust issues. You don't need scuba gear and jump in the lake, I think a wash-tub or sink would do the trick :) Sounds a bit silly at first, but it makes sense. Inexpensive, too.

If you really want "grippy" but solid, G10 is better than even canvas micarta, even when wet.
 
James, I always thought G10 started out smooth and stayed that way. I've never dealt with it other than already on a finished knife so I don't know. Thanks for the info!
 
Both G10 and canvas micarta can be polished almost as smooth as glass, and they both look pretty cool that way. They can also be left at a coarser finish, or bead-blasted for more texture. But either way, my experience has shown that at the same level of finish, G10 just feels less slippery than micarta; G10 has a weird property of feeling more "grippy" when it's wet. I'm not sure why.

Both materials are excellent for using knives, and require no maintenance other than once in a while wiping the grunge off them. :thumbup:
 
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