Multicolor homemade micarta

No,wouldn't work.The pattern comes from the striations(cross sectional),not the surface.Imagine you took all the pages of one of your playboy magazines and did this.It wouldn't look like Barbi Benton.
 
bladsmth said:
No,wouldn't work.The pattern comes from the striations(cross sectional),not the surface.Imagine you took all the pages of one of your playboy magazines and did this.It wouldn't look like Barbi Benton.
Click to expand...

Mmm, Playboy Micarta :rolleyes:
 
It would look like off-white paper micarta.Might even look like dirty,off-white micarta.
 
After my others attempts, I made a new block of micarta with thinner fabric and more vivid green (so it doesn’t look so dark after the resin) and came up with this.


micartajason15_big.jpg


micartajason16_big.jpg


micartajason17_big.jpg


micartajason18_big.jpg



Regards,

Ariel
 
I was wondering, since I don't have a horizontal press how good of a material would I be able to produce using just clamps?
 
cramnhoj said:
I was wondering, since I don't have a horizontal press how good of a material would I be able to produce using just clamps?
Click to expand...

I am using just clamps for mine and it seems to do a good enough job, if you are using wood blocks to press it you might want to find some scrap steel to put across them then clamp on those to even out the pressure.

I used quite a few large c clamps tho.

all you can do is try and hope for the best!
 
Looked around at the hardware store, since the micarta would around 1/2 inch thick Even the small clamps would be enough right. Was wondering though, would the bigger ones give a greater pressure or does it just depend on how much you can twist the clamps.
 
cramnhoj said:
Looked around at the hardware store, since the micarta would around 1/2 inch thick Even the small clamps would be enough right. Was wondering though, would the bigger ones give a greater pressure or does it just depend on how much you can twist the clamps.
Click to expand...

well the way I did it I used some square steel tube on either side of the plates, it's less likely to bend that way and the pressure is almost constant across the bars.
I had to get the big clamps to fit them around the steel/plate/micarta. I guess it all depends on how thick the plates you are using are and if you use bars or not.
I started out with the smaller c clamps but about halfway thru decided that maybe I should try to get some more pressure on them, as soon as I put the other clamps on the glue started to pour out all around the edges, it's a good thing I did or I would have had bigger gaps in the material which would have looked crappy.
 
I bought these things from homedepot, I think they're used as a moisture barrier between a post and the ground ($9 each). I had to grind and cut out the crap holding the plate on it and had a U left over. I can get a slab of micarta about "5 by "6.

I put waxpaper around the sandwich, including the plates, put that in the vice in the center of the sandwich and then put all the clamps I could find around the edges.
 
With that micarta I started the work and I made the slabs to replace the wooden ones.

micartajason19_big.jpg


micartajason20_big.jpg



This is the other slab, without any special work on it yet.

micartajason21_big.jpg


micartajason22_big.jpg


micartajason23_big.jpg


micartajason24_big.jpg
 
Very nice effect!! I really like the dappled and mottled patterning that shows through on those last pictures of the grooved handle slabs.

Many thanks for taking the time to document the process and the results, then sharing the pictures with us. It is much appreciated.

Keep up the good work. :cool:
 
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