My try at making micarta scales

[NixKustoms]

So I like the look of the micarta scales, and I didn't want to spend the $40 on a pre-made set where I would have no choice in color so I decided to try to make my own.

Today I got home to an empty house and what better time to do it other than then. I went out and got some Napa flavored resin and got some scrap fabric from the fabric store the other day. So the scales will be a mix of felt and linen; burnt orange and tan.

This will be an as I go posting of pics. And since I already 'glued' it all together I just have a pic of the colors that I used for the scales for ya. Tomorrow I will be taking it apart from the press.

'Till tomorrow here ya go. The colors I'm using.

 

[FAL'ER]

That two tone is gonna be cool. what kinda material did you get stiff or strechy, thick or thin?

 

[NixKustoms]

I guess the felt could be stretchy, but the linen might not be so much. From what I've seen you can use any material you want too.

 

[Flexxx]

Sweet, can't wait to see how they come out.
They will also darken when adding the glue....

I would love a pair of DARK BLACK

 

[FAL'ER]

I guess the felt could be stretchy, but the linen might not be so much. From what I've seen you can use any material you want too.

Oh you can use anything you want for sure. stretchy material is harder to work with and makes a much smoother micarta. I used t shirts, didn't like it.

I like Carheart work dungarees best.It's thick material and when sanded to about 150 grit is very grippy when wet.

 

[Flexxx]

I wonder if leather would work.

Black leather micarta grips....eewwwww

 

[NixKustoms]

Oh you can use anything you want for sure. stretchy material is harder to work with and makes a much smoother micarta. I used t shirts, didn't like it.

I like Carheart work dungarees best.It's thick material and when sanded to about 150 grit is very grippy when wet.

Well I heard that felt makes for a plastic like finished product

I can't wait to see how this stuff turns out.

I was actually looking for some heavier denim material, but I couldn't find any. I was gonna do black and that carheart brown. I think that would have been cool alternating.

 

[NixKustoms]

I wonder if leather would work.

Black leather micarta grips....eewwwww

I don't know about the leather. Wouldn't that leave soft spots where the leather is and hard spots where the between is?

 

[FAL'ER]

That may have to be a project for you with the leather.

Also to the o.p. could you put up a pic of the resin you used?

 

[cramsey3006]

I wonder if leather would work.

Black leather micarta grips....eewwwww

I don't know about making micarta out of leather.. Would that even be considered micarta?

I have thought about making leather scales though. You could just glue a few layers together to get the thickness you want and then shape them like any other handle material. Put a good leather treatment like beeswax, etc, on them and I think that they'd feel great in the hand.

Custom maker Rick Marchand from Wilder Tools puts epoxy impregnated leather scales on some of his knives. He also has a handle that's leather scales wrapped with epoxy soaked cordage. People that have them say they are very comfortable.

 

[NixKustoms]

Here ya go.

 

[FAL'ER]

Well I heard that felt makes for a plastic like finished product

I can't wait to see how this stuff turns out.

I was actually looking for some heavier denim material, but I couldn't find any. I was gonna do black and that carheart brown. I think that would have been cool alternating.

Can't speak to the felt but I've done two three batches of the light brown carhart micarta, you know the pants look orange when new and fade out to a tan color. Like the color, like the texture, a little thinner material would be nice.was thinking of canvas.



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[Bladite]

neato keen - show us the steps please :>

i wonder if anyone HAS done a stacked leather handle. would require a tang mod, but that would be ... cool

 

[cramsey3006]

Stacked leather on a BK2 would be the coolest ever. Talk about making a knife look like it was born for the outdoors. :thumbup:

 

[NixKustoms]

neato keen - show us the steps please :>

i wonder if anyone HAS done a stacked leather handle. would require a tang mod, but that would be ... cool

I'll take pics when I take the clamps off. I just hope that it comes apart easily. :thumbup:

Stacked leather on a BK2 would be the coolest ever. Talk about making a knife look like it was born for the outdoors. :thumbup:

Wouldn't you need to have an earlier BK2 to do that? Because you need to cut down the tang to get the leather stacked over it, right?

 

[FAL'ER]

I'll take pics when I take the clamps off. I just hope that it comes apart easily. :thumbup:

Did you sandwich the slab of micarta between wax paper and blocks of wood? if so you"ll have no prob.
Also thanks for the pic of the resin. I used that for the first couple batches, I wasted so much trying to get the mixture right,First batch dried too fast, second never set up,and the smell, holy crap. I had to switch to something easier to manage.

 

[DerekH]

Pics!

 

[bunghole]

On the stacked leather idea...not to get off course...

but would you need to modify the tang? What if you made the two stacked scales...stitched around the perimeter and then pinned or bolted the scales to the tang and kept the edges of the leather flush to the edges of the tang. I think that would look awesome. Or copper rivets to fasten it might look cool too.

 

[mgregg85]

I don't know about making micarta out of leather.. Would that even be considered micarta?

I have thought about making leather scales though. You could just glue a few layers together to get the thickness you want and then shape them like any other handle material. Put a good leather treatment like beeswax, etc, on them and I think that they'd feel great in the hand.

Custom maker Rick Marchand from Wilder Tools puts epoxy impregnated leather scales on some of his knives. He also has a handle that's leather scales wrapped with epoxy soaked cordage. People that have them say they are very comfortable.

Give it a try, I think that leather scales would be really nice.

 

[NixKustoms]

Did you sandwich the slab of micarta between wax paper and blocks of wood? if so you"ll have no prob.
Also thanks for the pic of the resin. I used that for the first couple batches, I wasted so much trying to get the mixture right,First batch dried too fast, second never set up,and the smell, holy crap. I had to switch to something easier to manage.

Yes I did. I just took it out of, and I'm gonna let it sit inside the house for a while before I start cutting it up.

Pics!

I'll get 'em up as soon as I take 'em.

On the stacked leather idea...not to get off course...

but would you need to modify the tang? What if you made the two stacked scales...stitched around the perimeter and then pinned or bolted the scales to the tang and kept the edges of the leather flush to the edges of the tang. I think that would look awesome. Or copper rivets to fasten it might look cool too.

That might be kinda cool. Someone needs to try that.