MyCarta; Epoxy/Poly layup advice

T

TexasRose

Joined
May 3, 2014
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Being my first post here, I would like to take a moment to say that I am by no means a knifemaker. While I do, on occasion, make them, it is not my trade, or even a hobby (yet). I'm a gunsmith, but unfortunately, my current project is asking for something I'm not overly familiar with ... The ever questionable, MyCarta.

The current project in question is from a "usual" who wanted me to overhaul his son's single shot crickett rifle and put a custom, full-sized rifle stock on it. The design we settled on does not give me the leeway to do my usual construction, so we started discussing laminates.

Not knowing much about the laminate (micarta) that he was interested in, I did a search and voila, found this forum full of people more knowlegeable than myself.

With that, do you think that using handmade MyCarta would be sufficient to handle the recoil generated by a small .22? Would it stand up to time, if properly cared for? What materials would you suggest if you decided ti attempt this on your own?

And any other answers to questions I didn't ask that seem pertinent. I wouldn't particularly object to purchasing commercial grade micarta, but can't seem to locate a block big enough ... Roughly two inches thick, six inches wide and a foot long.

I do appreciate any advice given, and if it proves to be doable, I'll post pictures as a reward for the masses.

@>'~~,~~ Sean
 
Yes, finding a chunk that big will be problematic. It will also likely be expensive. Phenolic laminate should be strong enough for .22. Weight might be a concern in a full size stock. Phenolic laminate or MyCarta/Micarta is just a fabric, typically canvas or linen, laminated with a resin binder. Paper is also used commercially as the laminate material. Homebrew varieties are made with many different things from yarn, blue jeans, camo and more. If you can't find a commercially made piece large enough it might be easier to just build it with fiberglass.
 
Yes, it would certainly hold up for a small caliber firearm. I have made mycarta with denim, linen and even paper. I wouldn't be scared to use any of them for a .22 stock. Then again, I wouldn't be too scared of a .22 without a stock. :D

If you were to do it, denim would be a good option I think. It would help minimize the amount of layers to achieve that thickness(estimate of 160+ layers of card stock paper). I would recommend West System 105 resin and the 206 slow hardener or the 207 special clear hardener. For a piece this big it will likely take a quart of resin, though I would have 2 on hand so you can mix up more if needed. You will have a lot of waste as the material will soak up excess resin only to be squeezed out when you press it all together to cure. After the stock is shaped and sanded, I would seal it with super glue or maybe even Tru Oil being as you are gunsmith. In my limited experience I have never used the Tru Oil for this process but it should seal it just the same. As always, experimenting a piece of scrap first is advised.

Another option would be to purchase slabs of thinner micarta(if you can find 6x12) and then laminate them together yourself. Maybe add in some g10 liners between the layers for a contrast.

Also, have colors been discussed? This too may or may not effect you decisions.

Chris
 
How about stabilized wood? If your not familiar with the process; wood is submerged in a resin while in a vacuum chamber, the air is removed form the chamber and the wood. When all of the air is removed from the wood, the vacuum is released and resin is sucked into the wood creating in essence an FRP (Fiber Re-inforced Plastic) FRP is a general classification of materials including Micarta and fiberglass.

There are people on this forum that provide stabilized wood products.

John
 
Salolan said:
Another option would be to purchase slabs of thinner micarta(if you can find 6x12) and then laminate them together yourself. Maybe add in some g10 liners between the layers for a contrast.
Click to expand...
Good idea, micarta with g10 liners would look awesome on a gunstock! I don't see why it wouldn't work unless bonding epoxy with already cured epoxy would be less strong then if done all at the same time. Seems like it wouldn't be a problem though.
 
I am not a fan of MyCarta because it can get gummy with age if not make right.

You can get Micarta in a huge range of size. You just have to know what to look for....knife suppliers are that place.

Search in industrial suppliers using the names that they use - garolite, delrin, phenolic laminates, phenolics, G10, tufnol, bakelite, etc. Even ebay has it. If you only find it in giant blocks, contact the seller and ask about a smaller piece. The size you want is a piece of shop waste in an industrial shop. My local scrap yard has it in 12X6X2" or larger pieces occasionally.
 
The size you want is a piece of shop waste in my industrial shop...



Micarta is much more durable than any wood and would hold up to the heaviest calibers and doesn't really need "cared for". It's also harder to cut and work with and releases formaldehyde fumes that are not good for you if you get it hot while grinding on it.

"Mycarta" is home made and subject to the quality of the epoxy and the skill and setup of the maker. Without a vacuum pump and some experience you're going to have air bubbles and voids. Most store bought epoxy is no good over the long run, you need industrial quality epoxy. Be aware that most epoxy will overheat and boil when cast in thick sections. You need slow cure designed for it. And that stuff needs accurate measuring and through mixing to get proper cure, otherwise it stays sticky.

I have a dark brown commercial grade canvas reinforced phenolic that thick. I'd be happy to sell you some of mine if you have trouble finding some.
 
Well, it seems my client has chosen a fairly thin Mossy Oak duckcloth (I think) as the fabric he wants for this project. While I can easily get the fabric, durability with homemade laminates like this leave me a little leery. I'm not a fan of doing something for a customer that I have little forehand knowledge of.

I'll probably have to try my usual methods and attempt it that way before I expend the time and expense going his route.

As an aside, though, my wife wants her rifle done in a similar fashion in black and pink. What are the chances of procuring thin sheets of phenolic laminates in those colors that I can just laminate together? Or even dyed wood would work, but I'd rather play around with my own rifles before attempting it on a paying customer.
 
Please listen to what Stacy & Nathan have said about homemade Mycarta. Buy REAL Micarta for any rifle project for a customer and wear a respirator when you work that stuff, with a Vac taking all of the dust away!
 
Personally, since I make both stocks and knives, I would choose a decent wood laminate over mycarta for a gun due to resistance to oils and the elements.

If I was going to make a micarta gunstock, I would buy a chunk to do this as making a piece big enough for a full size stock may have quality concerns.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
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