Terro-Tuff stronger than Micarta?

i been using g10 material on pool cue tips for years. its hard to imagine needing anything harder than it is. unless its a different type of g10 material than we use in pool. i break at 33 mph that's a lot of force hitting a cue ball. never broke a g10 tip or ferrule. maybe ill try this stuff on pool cues as well.
i have seen some on here saying g10 is brittle. if its real g10 it is not by any means brittle. if you can smash a cue ball at 33mph and a 1/8in thick piece of g10 pushed by a 18oz cue and it don't break. i think that would take it from the brittle category.
 
FullyTorque said:
More importantly, what is the grip like? Is it similar to micarta? Does it stay tactile when wet? Also how's the weight, is it lighter than micarta or G10?
I've seen it for sale on usaknifemaker but haven't tried it.
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Almost 10 years later, I can answer the weight comparison:

G-10 1.14 oz/cu in
TeroTuf 0.69 oz/cu in
Carbon Fiber 0.79 oz/cu in

...and figure a typical medium handle will take 1.5 cu if using 1/8" scales.

(Didn't see a reason to start a new thread for this.)
 
Alpha Knife Supply said:
Where did you get your data for the weights?
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Hi Chuck. I have the stock in hand, measured, weighed, used Excel to calculate. Can send spreadsheet if you like. For comparison, here are two woods:

Mahogany.........0.40 oz/cu in
White Pine........0.24 oz/cu in (nobody uses, but good reference for what light weight is)
 
I don't know about tougher (it's definitely lighter) than Micarta... But I've had a few different makers tell me they now prefer to use it over Micarta because it's much safer to grind.

I have a set of Delica scales made out of it and they're holding up well. Much grippier than any of my canvas Micarta too.
 
I made some tanto and sword handle cores from it. A single layer of 3/16" or 1/4" is quite flexible and was alarmingly easy to shape with sand paper or on the grinder. Hacksawing pieces I felt like I had to be careful not to have it snap. I have a hard time believing that it is tougher than micarta, depending on how that was measured.
It has been great as a core under other materials, but I wouldn't use it as a scale.
I see a lot of people saying how much they like it on knives they have bought, so take my impression with a grain of salt.
 
john april said:
how is it safer to grind ? is one synthetic powder healthier to breathe in than another ?
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I still don’t want to breathe in ANY dust, regardless of material! At least TeroTuf is not fiberglass like G10, and don’t think it gives off bad gases like micarta. So I guess I can see why people would say it’s “safer”.

From the TeroTuf website:

“This material has quickly become a preferred alternative to many other utilitarian handle options. TeroTuf is made with 100% polyester resin and fabric with no fillers, is non-toxic, chemically resistant to most cleaning supplies, and does not swell in water. TeroTuf has been weather tested by Ochs Sherworx (after twenty-seven weeks in the sun CIP material showed no noticeable change).”​
 
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Nevermind. Bad idea asking others to run chemistry experiments for me.

Anyone willing to send me a smallish scrap of TeroTuf to test its resistance to alkalai? That's about the only thing polyester doesn't like.
 
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fitzo said:
Nevermind. Bad idea asking others to run chemistry experiments for me.

Anyone willing to send me a smallish scrap of TeroTuf to test its resistance to alkalai? That's about the only thing polyester doesn't like.
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I will be happy to put a few scraps in the mail for you.
Please PM me your address if you wish.
 
Glass fibre is "only" an airway irritant. Asbestos can cause cancer. So I wouldn't make a direct comparison.
Some confusion may arise from silica, which is used in glass manufacturing. Silica dust can cause silicosis, a terrible lung disease. It's however not what you are inhaling when grinding G10.
Nonetheless, respect the dust from our grinders. And the vapours from our glues. They can cause disease, though not cancer. Uncured epoxy, cured epoxy, micarta, g10, CA glue, wood. All of them.
 
Scaniaman said:
Glass fibre is "only" an airway irritant. Asbestos can cause cancer. So I wouldn't make a direct comparison.
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To recap: When I said “the problem with asbestos is the shape of the fiber,” that’s correct. Asbestos has aggressive barbs along the shaft of the fiber. Because these barbs keep it lodged in the lungs and airway, it can’t be coughed up or otherwise cleared out like other irritants. The fibers irritate the cells, and eventually this irritation can lead to cancer and/or mesothelioma.

When I said that (fiber)glass had a similar problem, but was less virulent, that means: it’s also an irritant, many of us have had it embed in our skin, but fiberglass doesn’t have the aggressive barbed structure along the shaft because the fibers don't split lengthwise. There’s no definitive answer to whether it’s a carcinogen or not. The International Agency for Research on Cancer listed fiberglass as a “possible carcinogen” for 14 years, then removed the classification.* Of course, the State of California still considers it a likely carcinogen (but then, what don't they?) Apparently years of research indicated fiberglass caused cancer, and mesothelioma, but only in animals in lab settings. So, it’s less virulent irritant than asbestos.

Bottom line: Wear your respirator with either.

* I've read reports that a former member of Clinton's transition team approached H.H.S. secretary Donna Shalala as a pro-fiberglass lobbyist and managed to get the carcinogen angle of fiberglass downplayed, but I've no way to verify that report, so do your own research on that.
 
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I find Tero-Tuf to be noticeably more flexible than Micarta or G10 but not soft either. After dropping a natural (jade) G10 knife on a tile floor by accident it left a tiny impact mark without any set deformation (fatigue mark from flexing.) Tero-Tuf also fell on the same tile floor and the mark is not readily apparent to the naked eye unless you know where it hit and noticed the difference. For all intents and purposes it's not visible.

Tero-Tuf is noticeably lighter than G10 (G10 feels like a brick in comparison) or Micarta and feels like dry rough cardboard. I find Tero-Tuf more grippy than most Micarta and not as slippery when wet.

G10 and Mircarta are toxic avenger materials impervious to a whole lot of stuff and super stable. They are also super toxic and dangerous to work with no matter what people may think. Tero-Tuf may not be totally non toxic but it's supposed to be a whole lot safer and easier to work.

Lets just say you will pay a lot more dearly if you make the mistake of thinking you can get away with not using a respirator when grinding G10, Micarta, or Carbon Fiber.

Tero-Tuf is not as stable nor is it impervious to as much toxic swill as Micarta, Carbon Fiber, and G10 but my impression is it's likely more than stable enough (better than wood for sure) and impervious enough to a decent range of toxic swill.

I have read Tero-Tuf may act like pressure treated wood in terms of stability when encountering environmental extremes (shrinkage.) I have not had any problems as of yet but it's been less than a year but there are others who have used it for a long time with no problems apparently.

Tero-Tuf colors in my experience do not drastically alter or change when encountering oil or liquids and easily cleans and restores to original color. I love this about Tero-Tuf. Micarta does not have that characteristic. I also like the brighter colors (bright mat finish) that Tero-Tuf comes in.

I find that Micarta often winds up for the most time a different color than what you ordered. A small amount of liquid or oil will alter the color and it will keep until you clean it good and wait for it to dry. Oil also makes Micarta feell really greasy on Tero-Tuf it's much easier to remove. Tero-Tuf is less prone to retaining that greasy feel when exposed to oil.

Finally the origins and quality of G10, Carbon Fiber, and Micarta is for the most part unknown. The market place is flooded with varying degrees of quality from poor to great made who knows where. The people who sell them don't talk about where they get their material and they won't discuss quality relative to other samples. ??????????????????????????? The upside is poor quality Micarta makes the maker pay more and dearly in terms of work and hassles forcing him/her to make sure the Micarta they order meets a minimum standard.

The way I see it is Tero-Tuf is still only made in the US from one source and quality control should for the most part be consistent.

I am really taking a good look at Tero-Tuf but honestly getting a full unbiased breakdown of the properties of Tero-Tuf can be almost as difficult as determining the origin and quality of all the G10, Carbon Fiber, and Micarta being sold everywhere and to you.
 
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I ran a study of chemical resistance on Tero-Tuf samples that Richard338 Richard338 was gracious enough to send me.

The results indicated that the material is very resistant to both water-based acid and strong alkalai solutions as well as every solvent I had in the house from several solvent classes. Concentrated sulfuric acid destroyed the material overnight into a sludge. It held up unmarred to 50% sulfuric acid, so battery acid won't hurt it. My initial interest was strong alkalai, as polyesters are subject to alkalai attack. The Tero-tuf held up great to 50% sodium hydroxide and Liquid Plumber. None of the samples gained sufficient weight to indicate more than surface wetting. Ferric chloride stained the surface of the material but it didn't penetrate..

After the solvent exposure and drying under vacuum, I did an impact test, meaning I put the samples on the anvil and beat the snot out of them with a 2lb forging hammer. Nothing crumbled or deformed.

I was impressed with the solvent resistance and toughness of this stuff.

Thanks, again, Richard, for the samples.
 
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I have used a decent amount of Terotuf and while I like the grip texture and working qualities I really can not stand how grimy it quickly gets in field use. One trip to the woods and the Terotuf scales collect a bunch of dirt from use and this grime is a pain to remove, like have to sand handles with 220 grit pain to clean.

I actually talk all clients out of Terotuf because of the grime factor and just use it on my personal family knives to use up what I bought.
 
Seedy Lot said:
I have used a decent amount of Terotuf and while I like the grip texture and working qualities I really can not stand how grimy it quickly gets in field use. One trip to the woods and the Terotuf scales collect a bunch of dirt from use and this grime is a pain to remove, like have to sand handles with 220 grit pain to clean.

I actually talk all clients out of Terotuf because of the grime factor and just use it on my personal family knives to use up what I bought.
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I was attracted by the low wheight of Terotuf, but your post is a deal breaker. I don't think I'll bother trying it. Thanks!
 
Thats a bummer. I have avoided working with G10 and Micarta (asthma issues and its toxic nature) and noticed that Terotuf is nontoxic so thought that may be a better option. Guess the grime after use is not worth it.
 
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