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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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Oiled Tiger Hide micarta
- Thread starter Coupchoux
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2009
- Messages
- 2,355
Badger LEs are super cool.
tundratrader
BANNED
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2009
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- 1,312
OK enlighten me. Oiling the handles is done just to be bring the colors out? I assume the micarta just absorbs it and doesn't become slippery.
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2004
- Messages
- 767
With my "frenchglish language" :
This Tiger Hide micarta is made from canvas + some kind of epoxy.
"Canvas Micarta is the toughest of the three grades. It surpasses linen Micarta by a large margin for strength and durability. Canvas also offers the best overall texture for slip resistance." http://web.archive.org/web/20050211010009/www.bussecombat.com/handles/
Personally, even if it's practical, I don't like the feeling of this grippy texture in my hand. So, to polish this texture I treat canvas micarta like wood :
1. I polish the micarta with some superfine woolsteel (lightly if you want to keep the Busse machined patterns).
2. I put some water on the micarta : the result will be to lift the micarta grain again.
3. I polish again the lifted micarta fibers always with some superfine woolsteel.
4. I repeat this operation (water + superfine woolsteel) until the lifted fibers are gone even if the micarta is wet.
5. I let the micarta to dry.
6. Some people prefer G10, especialy on hunting knives, because micarta soaks up grease, sweat, blood. Effectively the very surface of canvas and linen micarta may absorb a very small amount of fluids in the exposed fibers; so I put some multiple layers of boiled linseed oil on the micarta to seal it and to reveal the color, and I polish with woolsteel if necessary again. Boiled linseed oil will darken the micarta, but it will make it water-resistant. Apply the oil, wait 15 minutes, then wipe it all off (or as much as will come off) with a dry cloth. If you don't it will dry and will be the hell to remove…
"Linseed oil is a "drying oil" as it can polymerize into a solid form. The reaction is exothermic, and rags soaked in it can ignite spontaneously. Due to its polymer-like properties linseed oil is used on its own or blended with other oils, resins and solvents as an impregnator and varnish in wood finishing, as a pigment binder in oil paints, as a plasticizer and hardener in putty and in the manufacture of linoleum. The use of linseed oil has declined over the past several decades with the increased use of alkyd resins, which are similar but partially synthetic materials that resist yellowing." Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil
Macro from Lunde pic :
This Tiger Hide micarta is made from canvas + some kind of epoxy.
"Canvas Micarta is the toughest of the three grades. It surpasses linen Micarta by a large margin for strength and durability. Canvas also offers the best overall texture for slip resistance." http://web.archive.org/web/20050211010009/www.bussecombat.com/handles/
Personally, even if it's practical, I don't like the feeling of this grippy texture in my hand. So, to polish this texture I treat canvas micarta like wood :
1. I polish the micarta with some superfine woolsteel (lightly if you want to keep the Busse machined patterns).
2. I put some water on the micarta : the result will be to lift the micarta grain again.
3. I polish again the lifted micarta fibers always with some superfine woolsteel.
4. I repeat this operation (water + superfine woolsteel) until the lifted fibers are gone even if the micarta is wet.
5. I let the micarta to dry.
6. Some people prefer G10, especialy on hunting knives, because micarta soaks up grease, sweat, blood. Effectively the very surface of canvas and linen micarta may absorb a very small amount of fluids in the exposed fibers; so I put some multiple layers of boiled linseed oil on the micarta to seal it and to reveal the color, and I polish with woolsteel if necessary again. Boiled linseed oil will darken the micarta, but it will make it water-resistant. Apply the oil, wait 15 minutes, then wipe it all off (or as much as will come off) with a dry cloth. If you don't it will dry and will be the hell to remove…
"Linseed oil is a "drying oil" as it can polymerize into a solid form. The reaction is exothermic, and rags soaked in it can ignite spontaneously. Due to its polymer-like properties linseed oil is used on its own or blended with other oils, resins and solvents as an impregnator and varnish in wood finishing, as a pigment binder in oil paints, as a plasticizer and hardener in putty and in the manufacture of linoleum. The use of linseed oil has declined over the past several decades with the increased use of alkyd resins, which are similar but partially synthetic materials that resist yellowing." Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil
Macro from Lunde pic :
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2009
- Messages
- 3,143
You can oil micarta and it will bring the colors out, typically using mineral oil. You can wash it off with soap and water and the handles return to the un-oiled state. Doesn't hurt a thing, and it won't soak into the material, It is a resin after all. I've done it many times to just check what a handle material looks like wet.
The mineral oil adheres to the exposed threads only. Which is why you can then wash it off.
Hope that info helps.
Les.
With my "frenchglish language" :
This Tiger Hide micarta is made from canvas + some kind of epoxy.
"Canvas Micarta is the toughest of the three grades. It surpasses linen Micarta by a large margin for strength and durability. Canvas also offers the best overall texture for slip resistance." http://web.archive.org/web/20050211010009/www.bussecombat.com/handles/
Personally, even if it's practical, I don't like the feeling of this grippy texture in my hand. So, to polish this texture I treat canvas micarta like wood :
1. I polish the micarta with some superfine woolsteel (lightly if you want to keep the Busse machined patterns).
2. I put some water on the micarta : the result will be to lift the micarta grain again.
3. I polish again the lifted micarta fibers always with some superfine woolsteel.
4. I repeat this operation (water + superfine woolsteel) until the lifted fibers are gone even if the micarta is wet.
5. I let the micarta to dry.
6. Some people prefer G10, especialy on hunting knives, because micarta soaks up grease, sweat, blood. Effectively the very surface of canvas and linen micarta may absorb a very small amount of fluids in the exposed fibers; so I put some multiple layers of boiled linseed oil on the micarta to seal it and to reveal the color, and I polish with woolsteel if necessary again. Boiled linseed oil will darken the micarta, but it will make it water-resistant. Apply the oil, wait 15 minutes, then wipe it all off (or as much as will come off) with a dry cloth. If you don't it will dry and will be the hell to remove…
"Linseed oil is a "drying oil" as it can polymerize into a solid form. The reaction is exothermic, and rags soaked in it can ignite spontaneously. Due to its polymer-like properties linseed oil is used on its own or blended with other oils, resins and solvents as an impregnator and varnish in wood finishing, as a pigment binder in oil paints, as a plasticizer and hardener in putty and in the manufacture of linoleum. The use of linseed oil has declined over the past several decades with the increased use of alkyd resins, which are similar but partially synthetic materials that resist yellowing." Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil
Macro from Lunde pic :
Thank you for this ton of information! Do you know what finish Bark River uses on their handles? I see they offer matte and glossy handle versions on their knives. Which do you think is better to get, slippery-wise and stain-wise? Would you treat both of them with linseed oil?
Jaxx
Moderator
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2006
- Messages
- 19,799
Opstanak,
You do realize that you're in the Busse forum, yes?
...So the REAL answer is get a Busse! 
...But I'll roll with it.
I have 2 bark river Li'l Canadians, and both are with the "glossy" handles. I don't think that any finish that they might use does more than what Coupchoux describes...basically they use a higher grit abrasive to get that "shine" on their micarta & G-10. The higher the grit, the glossier the handle, the less need for any sort of finish.
Check this out...
Here's a Busse Shiva Rex with its standard micarta handle as we all received them from Busse.
Photo Credit: David Brown
Because Jerry had originally shown us this model with a black G-10 handle, I wanted to simulate that black color on mine... I used 400...or was it 600? ...And hand sanded the handle. Can't remember back to 2008, LOL, but it was one of these 2 grits and just a little mineral oil...
The oil has long since evaporated and the black color remains. :thumbup: Had I kept going up with the grit, the handle would have become more & more glossy. I stopped here because I didn't want the "shine".
As for the pros of each (glossy, matte)
I'd say that the matte would be more grippy and the glossy would resist staining more. Only you can decide which is more important to you.
Now... forget Bark River and get that Busse!!
You do realize that you're in the Busse forum, yes?
...So the REAL answer is get a Busse! ...But I'll roll with it.
I have 2 bark river Li'l Canadians, and both are with the "glossy" handles. I don't think that any finish that they might use does more than what Coupchoux describes...basically they use a higher grit abrasive to get that "shine" on their micarta & G-10. The higher the grit, the glossier the handle, the less need for any sort of finish. Check this out...
Here's a Busse Shiva Rex with its standard micarta handle as we all received them from Busse.
Photo Credit: David Brown
Because Jerry had originally shown us this model with a black G-10 handle, I wanted to simulate that black color on mine... I used 400...or was it 600? ...And hand sanded the handle. Can't remember back to 2008, LOL, but it was one of these 2 grits and just a little mineral oil...
The oil has long since evaporated and the black color remains. :thumbup: Had I kept going up with the grit, the handle would have become more & more glossy. I stopped here because I didn't want the "shine".
As for the pros of each (glossy, matte)
I'd say that the matte would be more grippy and the glossy would resist staining more. Only you can decide which is more important to you.
Now... forget Bark River and get that Busse!!
Jaxx
Moderator
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2006
- Messages
- 19,799
Hey! Don't be afraid to post here! ...But this is the Busse forum, and we're pretty loyal here. ...Just sayin'!
If you do find yourself with some Busse, Swamp Rat or Scrapyard knives questions, please feel free to ask!! :thumbup:
With that said, I hope that I helped ya.
BTW, there is a sub-forum here that might get you better info on questions like this one that you asked here... It's the Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment Forum here on BladeForums. Lots of great folks there, and very knowledgeable too. :thumbup: Here's the link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment
Whatever you decide that you want to get... Good Hunting!
Best Regards,
Jaxx
...Just sayin'! If you do find yourself with some Busse, Swamp Rat or Scrapyard knives questions, please feel free to ask!! :thumbup:
With that said, I hope that I helped ya.
BTW, there is a sub-forum here that might get you better info on questions like this one that you asked here... It's the Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment Forum here on BladeForums. Lots of great folks there, and very knowledgeable too. :thumbup: Here's the link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment
Whatever you decide that you want to get... Good Hunting!
Best Regards,
Jaxx
