Steel in the Micarta / G-10???

[DavidZ]

This is not something I ever gave any thought to, until recently. I just received a custom from a great maker. It is a beautiful knife. As I was admiring it, I noticed a shiny spot in the G-10 handle. Looking closer at it, it became apparent that it was embedded foreign material - and it was not little. I looked further, and spotted more, however smaller pieces throughout the one side. The other side did not have any. I did mention it to the maker, but I was still happy with the knife, and after waiting over a year, was glad to get it! I intend to use it, and as this does not effect the fit, form, or function of the knife, I am over it. But I happen to be browsing a knife retail site, and come across this statement:

The blade has a semi mirror finish and a full tapered tang. The micarta is very clean, no steel in it and has a red liner.

Huh??? Is this now a feature we can expect in our handle material so regularly that they now have to call it out as special when it is not there? What gives? I figure this area is the best place to post this observation. What are your experiences?

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

In my opinion, there is no such thing as original "micarta" anymore. Westinghouse sold the brand, one group got the name, another group got the production equipments and presses. The big problem as I see it isn't the quality of these new producers material, but the quality of cheap import material that some (most?) material suppliers are providing. I have to buy material in bulk and pay a premium for domestic material to get quality "micarta". There is a lot of junk out there if you're not careful. The import stuff shrinks and warps and doesn't look or wear the same. The good stuff really stinks when you cut it, the low grade stuff must have a lot of filler in it because it doesn't smell as bad while machining it.

 

[james terrio]

The blade has a semi mirror finish and a full tapered tang. The micarta is very clean, no steel in it and has a red liner.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as original "micarta" anymore.

One more reason not to use micarta. I know many, many people love it dearly but I'm just not a huge fan. It seems likely that I've been getting some of the cheap stuff Nathan is talking about... I've found so many pieces where one little spot (sometimes a big spot) simply won't clean up worth a hoot, that I've just come to expect it. :grumpy: If I have to track down the good stuff and pay more for it, I may as well use G10 - which I like better anyway, for various reasons.

That's all very interesting but the question is about a G10 handle with apparent inclusions in it.

I've never seen that, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I don't know who or how many companies are making G10. I'm curious to find out, though.