step by step micarta

J.McDonald Knives

J.McDonald Knives

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Joined
Jan 28, 2007
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could someone inform me on the basics of making micarta and how to do it? i love the look of micarta more than wood. i want to learn how to make it. seems like the possibilities are endless.
 
Talk to Butch (Butcher Block), he's the king. I've read some of his posts and basically it just takes saturating material (linen, cotton, jean, etc.) and then compressing it with a press or such. Let cure and go.
 
wow everyone responding at the same time. i think yall think too much alike. im checking out the sites now. thanks guys
 
theres all the info i started with its all about messing up and learning from there realy no other way to figger it out
+ it makes you try odd things so you can get some real cool looks
 
I want to see some camo patterns out of you, Butch. I think you can do it!!!

Erik
 
i plan on doing alot of camo patterns. since im going to be using c-clamps and boards for now i need to know how many clamps to use and how thick the wood has to be and such. basically the whole clamping step and what it entails is what i need to know now.
 
I dont think board thickness will matter as long as the pressure form the clamps doesnt bow it badly or break it. Number of clamps will be enough to apply even pressure across the area bieng pressed. Like a 4" square would need one clamp a 7" might be able to handle 4, up and up. But I dont think you will want to make to large of pieces without a real press of some kind. Maybe 2 12" pieces with 2- 3 clamps per side. MAybe someone else can give you a more specific setup they used.
 
I dabbled in this when I was a manager at a boat company. Loads of resin laying around to play with...

The thickness of your plywood isn't really crucial. If you only have 3/8, and you're worried about warpage, you can strengthen it by screwing a 2x4 or similar board to the back.

My problem was keeping bubbles out of the resin. Mix it slowly. Also, do not add too much catalyst, or you'll shorten the working time, and possibly induce unsightly imperfections.

Good luck.
 
thanks. im checking it out right now. the other two sites i bookmarked after skimming thru them. i read the one from here.
 
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