micarta sebenzas; can they get wet?

pepemrtnz

pepemrtnz

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Oct 13, 2010
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Just ordered a large micarta insingo sebenza and am stoked! My question is this; I know the inlays are just held in with a special tape, so can they really handle repeated wettings/submersions in water for cleaning, etc...? Or will the scales eventually come loose and fall out from getting wet all the time?

Thanks!
 
You shouldn't have any problems with the inlays coming out. That tape they use is good stuff. Basically the inlays are in there for good. And water won't hurt micarta at all. At least in my experience. I have a small micarta and have never had an issue.
 
Sure they can get wet. The micarta becomes black when wet but when you dry them out they turn back to the grey color.
But if you use some oil to wet the micarta it will stay a darker color.
 
Thanks guys. Yeah Im not at all worried about the micarta itself, I get my other micarta knives wet all the time I am really just wondering if the scales will fall out if I submerge the knife too often, or wash the handles off after they get dirty. I guess it sounds like it will be A-ok either way.
 
the tape is extremely durable, and water wont effect the tape. Its the same tape that is used in big buildings to keep the windows on. If it can withstand hurricane force winds and rain then it can handle anything you throw at it.
 
snowreaper1 said:
Sure they can get wet. The micarta becomes black when wet but when you dry them out they turn back to the grey color.
But if you use some oil to wet the micarta it will stay a darker color.
Click to expand...
it cleans with soap and retains itz original color.
 
snowreaper1 said:
Sure they can get wet. The micarta becomes black when wet but when you dry them out they turn back to the grey color.
But if you use some oil to wet the micarta it will stay a darker color.
Click to expand...
Ahhh...I was curious as to why mine was grey and others I've seen were definitely more "black"....what oil did you use? Does it inhibit the "grippiness"?
 
If I recall correctly, the tape is the same stuff used to fasten car trim. If that is correct, it should be quite durable.
 
A lot of people don't know this about industrial grade bonding agents but here goes,

the bond between the materials using some of the higher end tapes and glues is actually stronger than the material itself. If it came down to it, and you tried to rip the micarta inlays out of the knife - the micarta itself would probably fracture and tear apart long before the bond between the Ti and micarta was broken.


Unless of course you weaken the bond first.
 
You owe it to yourself to read the durability spec sheet for 3M VBH tape:

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediaw...uQEcuZgVs6EVs6E666666--&fn=70-0709-3862-9.PDF

This is some pretty amazing stuff.

It's been around for a while, and the durability seems to be nothing short of amazing.

I just picked up a wood inlay large sebenza, and after reading these specs - am not afraid to use it for any task.

During a segment in the "Exclusive Blade" dvd, Lisa L'Eveque-Hague is applying inlays to a Sebenza, and says how Chris Reeve did extensive research into the tape before deciding to use it, and that the more pressure is applied to the tape over time the better the bond becomes.
 
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wolf5391 said:
the tape is extremely durable, and water wont effect the tape. Its the same tape that is used in big buildings to keep the windows on. If it can withstand hurricane force winds and rain then it can handle anything you throw at it.
Click to expand...

What he wrote. 3M has a video on the VHB tape on YouTube showing how strong the bond is. It's a pretty amazing product.
 
Tarponfly49 said:
Ahhh...I was curious as to why mine was grey and others I've seen were definitely more "black"....what oil did you use? Does it inhibit the "grippiness"?
Click to expand...

Unpolished/unsanded black micarta looks grey when clean. Your hand oils will darken them pretty fast, but a little oil(I like mineral oil) rubbed on the micarta will darken it right away.

If you want to go back to the grey wash with dish soap and water. I put degreaser on a Qtip, as I find that a bit quicker.

After the mineral oil(or hand oils) soak's in it doesn't seem to affect the grip much, but you can feel a very slight difference.
When wet or bloody I can't tell the mineral oil hurts the grip much at all. One reason i like micarta is that it grips well when wet/bloody.
 
I just soaked my seb/micarta scales for about 20 minutes in Dawn dish detergent and water....

They're still on like a s.o.b.

:)
 
Not only is the tape durable and strong, but the inlays are so precisely placed that water couldn't get it!
 
Doesnt micarta absorb water? If so, it should let water into the material and with enough moisture into the tape.
Not that it matters that VHB tape is not affected by water last I checked.
 
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