quality of g10 for knife scales

C

crank78

Joined
Dec 21, 2013
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I done my first handle in g10 tonight. I don't think this is the same quality g10 we use in pool cue making. in some 15 years of making cues and using g10 for break tips and ferrules I have never seen it crack, chip, or bust . my first knife scale chipped really easy. it dosnt even feel the same. what we use is a lot tougher.

not sure what happened to my qu in quality in the title. guess I cant edit that either.

 
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crank78 said:
I done my first handle in g10 tonight. I don't think this is the same quality g10 we use in pool cue making. in some 15 years of making cues and using g10 for break tips and ferrules I have never seen it crack, chip, or bust . my first knife scale chipped really easy. it dosnt even feel the same. what we use is a lot tougher.

not sure what happened to my qu in quality in the title. guess I cant edit that either.

Click to expand...

Edit post button

then

Go Advanced.
 
ahh ty. does anyone know where this g10 comes from we buy from the suppliers like jantz, usa knife makers, etc etc.
 
I don't understand what happened. What I'm seeing in the picture looks like deep scratches, not a chip-out. I've purposely beaten the snot out of a few pieces of G10, and finished knives with G10 handles, just to see what would happen, and I've never seen it "chip" in that manner.

Oddly enough, under pretty serious impacts (250# dude pounding a knife tip-first through a 2x4 with a ball-peen hammer, several times) G10 deformed much more than it chipped and didn't crack at all... yeah, I was surprised, too... anyway...

If that's a crack radiating right from the bolt or pin... well, I've definitely never seen that happen with G10.

I'm honestly curious... where'd you get this G10, and what did you do with it?
 
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it was a chip that came out when I drilled the hole.. I tried to sand it out to no avail. hate to say where I got it. don't want to sound like im bashing them.

you say g10 deformed?? meaning changed shape??
 
crank78 said:
it was a chip that came out when I drilled the hole..
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Ah! I bet the surface showing the chip was down when you drilled it, and it was unsupported right around where the drill came through... Almost any material will chip or burr-up or otherwise get nasty when doing that. Next time, put a sacrificial piece of wood under it to support it and prevent "blow-out" when the drill bit breaks through. Sorry I didn't think of that earlier; it's such a basic shop technique that I guess I took it for granted.

crank78 said:
you say g10 deformed?? meaning changed shape??
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Yeah, if you beat on the edges hard enough it will smoosh out; not very much, but certainly enough to notice. Again, I was surprised by that too, I thought it would just break away in chunks. It didn't crack or split either; the handle is still very solid.

If you really want, I can take pics of that test knife (I still have it) and show the damage.
 
If it chipped in drilling I would have noticed that before installing the pin. Was it chipped before the pin? Just out of curiosity, did you peen the pin? I too have never heard of g10 acting in that manner.

Standard procedure in the Good, Bad & w Ugly forum is to reveal the manufacturer in order to protect the community, but I understand not wanting to mention the seller. Maybe see if you can find out the manufacturer, then let us do the footwork on who sells what?
 
no I noticed it before I installed them. im keeping the knife for my own use so I really didn't care. although I thought it was small enough to sand out. it was supported when I drilld it. I have drilled and made several g10 spacers down to 1/32 thick and never had one chip. this stuff acts more like derlin than the g10 im used to. maybe because what im used to using is rolled and molded, not made in a flat sheet.
 
james terrio said:
Ah! I bet the surface showing the chip was down when you drilled it, and it was unsupported right around where the drill came through... Almost any material will chip or burr-up or otherwise get nasty when doing that. Next time, put a sacrificial piece of wood under it to support it and prevent "blow-out" when the drill bit breaks through. Sorry I didn't think of that earlier; it's such a basic shop technique that I guess I took it for granted.



Yeah, if you beat on the edges hard enough it will smoosh out; not very much, but certainly enough to notice. Again, I was surprised by that too, I thought it would just break away in chunks. It didn't crack or split either; the handle is still very solid.

If you really want, I can take pics of that test knife (I still have it) and show the damage.
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I would love to see that. I used to use g10 for a break tip on my pool cues before most tourney's outlawed it. because it was cracking the cue balls. I tried to break the world record for the fastest break speed. I missed by .05mph. but I would break hundreds of times and never have to reshape the tip. usually the shaft broke first. I guess different company's use different techniques that produce different results.
 
Not all G10 is the same quality. We looked for years to find a G10 manufacturer that consistently makes quality material. All our G10 is made in the U.S..

We've seen some very poor quality G10 from China i.e.; too much epoxy, not enough fiberglass. Don't be afraid to ask your supplier where their G10 is manufactured.

Chuck
 
Alpha Knife Supply said:
Not all G10 is the same quality. We looked for years to find a G10 manufacturer that consistently makes quality material. All our G10 is made in the U.S..

We've seen some very poor quality G10 from China i.e.; too much epoxy, not enough fiberglass. Don't be afraid to ask your supplier where their G10 is manufactured.

Chuck
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This is a very important and often overlooked detail. It is important to use domestically produced material to reduce quality problems. The actual amount of material that goes into a knife is so small there is no good reason for using anything but the best materials. Ask before you buy and buy from trusted vendors like Chuck.

A few years ago I had to scrap three 4'X8' sheets (that's feet folks) because of a quality problem like Chuck described. My material provider changed from a domestic to foreign manufacturer and didn't tell me, and I didn't know to ask. I always specify now. Be careful folks, there is some real crap out there these days if you're not careful.
 
ty for the replies everyone. I guess I thought all g10 should be the same. alpha ill give you a try next time I order.
 
Chuck, is there a designation (like mil-spec) that covers the quality stuff, or is it best to just ask the country of origin? I know the Chinese *can* certainly make a great quality product, but without standards it's hard to know.
 
Chuck brings up a VERY good point not only about local manufacture, but about the product. From what I have read, G10/FR4 is a form of FRP, what the layman would call "fiberglass" which was made from electrical insulation use. LIke any of those laminate, the performance comes from the raw materials ANd the proper combination and layup. it may sound counterintuitive, but MORE epoxy resin is not always a good thing.
 
Crank78,
Can you pm me the source of your "questionable" G10? I would have PM'd the question, but you have them disabled, or so it appears.
 
First off, I have known Chuck for about 16 years... He and his family (which own/operate AKS) are wonderful people with QUALITY supplies. I only buy my G10 from Chuck... whether we're talking about 0.020 thick spacer material, or 1" thick blocks for bowie handles. So you can't go wrong getting your G10 from Alpha Knife Supply. :) :thumbup:


Secondly....I gotta say, it looks to me like you're having finishing issues, not material issues. I would bet at least a wooden nickel, that those marks could be ground/filed out. I understand you have experience with cues, but finishing techniques for round parts don't transfer to flat parts very well. The finish you have on the blade tells me that you just need to spend some more time learning/applying some of the various finishing techniques that most all of us use on knives.

Not saying that to be mean! Just try'n to give you some honest advice about what you're seeing in your knife. :)


***Nathan- THREE junked-out 4'X8' sheets?!?!? Yikes!!! :eek: :(
 
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