so... what exactly IS G10?

From Benchmades website

G10: An extremely durable makeup of layers of fiberglass soaked in resin, then highly compressed and baked. Impervious to moisture or liquid and physically stable under climate change. Most commonly black, but is available in various colors, too.
 
Google to avoid embarrassment. Many things have been covered previously, it's not nice to ask for the 17th time
 
xtestifyx said:
Google to avoid embarrassment. Many things have been covered previously, it's not nice to ask for the 17th time
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For someone as new as he is, it's not an invalid question. Just because you and I know what G-10 is doesn't mean that everyone does, and I don't believe he has access to search here on the forums.

Personally, I like to foster the knowledge of knives and how and what they are made of rather than hinder it;)
 
jonnymac44 said:
For someone as new as he is, it's not an invalid question. Just because you and I know what G-10 is doesn't mean that everyone does, and I don't believe he has access to search here on the forums.

Personally, I like to foster the knowledge of knives and how and what they are made of rather than hinder it;)
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^^^^ +1 . This is how forums stay alive. Also "repetitive questions" often get responses different to other similar questions and provides reading material without having to first think and search for it.
 
edcrefiner said:
^^^^ +1 . This is how forums stay alive. Also "repetitive questions" often get responses different to other similar questions and provides reading material without having to first think and search for it.
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+2 here as well.

Richard
 
edcrefiner said:
^^^^ +1 . This is how forums stay alive. Also "repetitive questions" often get responses different to other similar questions and provides reading material without having to first think and search for it.
Click to expand...

+3 :thumbup:


I know G10 if tuff as hell.... is tougher than woodpecker lips :D
 
Other than the technical answer, G-10 is fairly light for its toughness. It can be purchased in multiple colored sheets in various thickness. It's pretty hard to work on since the material is hard to cut and the dust generated is toxic if breathed. But when finely polished, it results in a very reflective scratch resistant surface.

Welcome to the forum. ;)
 
My only question about G-10 is, is it considered a premium handle material over say aluminum or titanium? I see you can purchase G-10 versions of Kershaw knives, but is it generally considered an upgrade for the G-10 or just another choice in knife handle material based on what the end user will use the knife for?
 
00ChevyScott said:
My only question about G-10 is, is it considered a premium handle material over say aluminum or titanium? I see you can purchase G-10 versions of Kershaw knives, but is it generally considered an upgrade for the G-10 or just another choice in knife handle material based on what the end user will use the knife for?
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It is considered premium. Titanium is a step higher but is often done together with g10.carbon fiber is generally the highest price scale (although titanium is also up there)
 
xtestifyx said:
Google to avoid embarrassment. Many things have been covered previously, it's not nice to ask for the 17th time
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Can you haters please chill. There is a lot to learn about knives so share what you know and leave the hate and general mean comments behind. If you can't just don't open the thread.
 
dsmegst said:
It's pretty hard to work on since the material is hard to cut and the dust generated is toxic if breathed.
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G10 dust is not toxic, it is an irritant.

toxic:
adjective
poisonous: the dumping of toxic waste | alcohol is toxic to the ovaries.
• of or relating to poison : toxic hazards.
• caused by poison : toxic liver injury.

The dust from G10 does irritate your lungs, skin, eyes, etc. I highly recommend wearing a respirator and safety glasses when working G10.
 
This is from Spydercos website:

G-10
Handle material made of epoxy filled with woven glass fiber that is impervious to changes in temperature and can be tinted into many colors.

From another site:

•g 10 - A synthetic material made of fiber glass impregnated with a resin epoxy under pressure. Extremely resistant and little sensitive to water, cold, heat and corrosion.
 
Chuck Bybee said:
G10 dust is not toxic, it is an irritant.

toxic:
adjective
poisonous: the dumping of toxic waste | alcohol is toxic to the ovaries.
• of or relating to poison : toxic hazards.
• caused by poison : toxic liver injury.

The dust from G10 does irritate your lungs, skin, eyes, etc. I highly recommend wearing a respirator and safety glasses when working G10.
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I was generalizing and you're correct. Although I would consider the effect more than just "irritating" ;)

EDIT: Here's some actual scientific stuff instead of half-assed internet "facts":
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/instr-shop/MSDS/G10.pdf
 
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The irritation to skin and eyes is based on my experience of cutting a few thousand pounds a year.

My skin gets more irritated from cutting outside in the cold wet winter than from the dust. A hot shower takes care of both problems!

One important safety tip:
Always wash your hands BEFORE using the restroom. This is a mistake you will only make once!
 
jonnymac44 said:
For someone as new as he is, it's not an invalid question. Just because you and I know what G-10 is doesn't mean that everyone does, and I don't believe he has access to search here on the forums.

Personally, I like to foster the knowledge of knives and how and what they are made of rather than hinder it;)
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Spoken like a true knife nut Johhny! I agree with ya.
Chuck Bybee said:
One important safety tip:
Always wash your hands BEFORE using the restroom. This is a mistake you will only make once!
Click to expand...

This safety tip cannot be reiterated enough. If it happens to someone twice, then something is just not right. ;)
 
jonnymac44 said:
For someone as new as he is, it's not an invalid question. Just because you and I know what G-10 is doesn't mean that everyone does, and I don't believe he has access to search here on the forums.

Personally, I like to foster the knowledge of knives and how and what they are made of rather than hinder it;)
Click to expand...


^^^^+4 By the way, knives are looking great, you appear to have mastered grinding now.
 
My only question about G-10 is, is it considered a premium handle material over say aluminum or titanium?
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The answer to this depends on what standards one has for "Premium".

For centuries the most common material for handles on knives and scales on folding blades was horn, bone or wood. Stag or horn grips became rare and expensive. Wood and bone are still available and widely used but can be a bit more expensive, can be heavy and can react poorly to moisture and chemicals. Leather has also been used. They can shrink with age or swell with water, etc.

Various plastics were tried in the post war period but these were generally less useful than wood or bone. But the experimentation led to the use of other materials some of which are widely used today.

Zytel is a fiberglass reinforced nylon. Less expensive than wood, bone or metal it is light weight, cheap to make, easy to work with, tough, and resists moisture. Many knife companies use it today. Exposure to some chemicals will over time cause it to fall apart (acetone, certain cutting oils, etc.).

Westinghouse Micarta has gained wide acceptance as a handle material. This began some decades back on knives. Impervious to chemicals, extremely tough, inexpensive, light weight and fairly easy to machine. It is available in a number of colors and can be polished or left rough. It is a high pressure laminate made of a composite of canvas or cotton cloth, fiberglass or carbon fiber which are layered together and baked under pressure. Very durable.

G-10 is a descendant of Micarta in that it is also a laminate baked under high pressure. It is a part of the FR-4 family of materials. It is made of woven fiberglass cloth and epoxy resins. It is easy to dye the material to achieve different colors. It is as tough as Micarta.

Carbon Fiber is more recent and is made of very thin strands of woven carbon fibers in a plastic resin. It is tough and very light weight.

These are all man made materials which are less expensive to make than aluminum, steel or titanium. They are not as tough as those metals. They are today the most common though.

Look around at pics of knives and note the different types of handle materials and how they are used. It is worth it to note the different textures and colors you can get with G-10 or Micarta. Both of which, on knives, are near indestructible.

I didn't mention resin impregnated wood which is also used today. But that's a different topic, maybe.

tipoc
 
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