Thoughts on handle material

alaskanativeson

alaskanativeson

Joined
May 2, 2007
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312
My growing INFI addiction is something I'm just going to have to embrace. That said, I need some advice on how to properly nurture it.

I have a problem with handles. I don't know what the hell I want. I'm not really crazy about the feel of G10 and Micarta poses a problem. I love to hunt. I've been working on my Masters for the last two years and haven't been able to get out much to kill things, but this summer I hope that's going to be changing. As I get some free time I plan to go out whale and seal* hunting. To my own taste, whale is pretty good but seal is nasty. However, they both smell terrible. Skinning and butchering seals and whales is NOT a pleasant olfactory experience.

Here's my problem: It's been my experience that micarta handles will soak up some of the smell of the animals. Since micarta uses fabric, a little of it will soak up at least a tiny bit of bodily fluids. Trust me on this one, a little seal oil goes a long, LONG way. I don't have any experience with G10, but being a solid resin I imagine it wouldn't soak up any scent at all and could be easily cleaned with a good washing. Is there something I could do to make my micarta a little more seal oil resistant? Would soaking the handle in mineral oil help? I remember reading that a guy on here coated his tigerhide with mineral oil to darken it, do you think it would do a decent job of protecting the handle or is it likely the seal oil will still penetrate the handle? How well can micarta be cleaned?

I know, the answer could be as easy as "don't go seal hunting." Hunting is a part of life out in rural Alaska. As a Native Alaskan of Athabascan heritage I come from a long line of people who depended on hunting to sustain life. Of course I get by on bacon and ribeyes just fine today, but it's still a part of life up here. In addition to the fact that it's really fun, the meat, oil, skin, pretty much everything gets well used by people up here. Believe me, neither North Face nor Columbia can come up with anything that''s even close to a seal skin hat to keep you warm in bitter cold weather. A few years ago some of the Canadian Mounties gave up their traditional muskrat hats in an attempt to be politically correct for the PETA weenies by wearing synthetic hats. It didn't take too long for most of them to cast that PC bullskip aside and go back to a real fur hat so their heads didn't freeze.

Anyway, (sorry for the rambling, you should sit in on one of my Constitution lessons) what handle suggestions?

*I am NOT going around doing any baby seal clubbing. I'm talking about mature seals and beluga whales. Nothing endangered, and Alaska Native groups have an exception to the Marine Mammal Act for purposes of subsistence hunting. I am very concerned with the ethics of my actions, I try to live in balance with Nature.
 
sounds like you could really use G-10,,, alot of G-10 lovers in Alaska,, it does not get wet and freeze either,,, a great cold climate handle..
 
Horton_Knives said:
sounds like you could really use G-10,,, alot of G-10 lovers in Alaska,, it does not get wet and freeze either,,, a great cold climate handle..
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+1

I prefer micarta for the light weight and feel, but I don't have to worry about all the elements and animal smells like you do.

I don't think the weight differance of G-10 would bother you, but you can seal the micarta to protect against those smells from getting in.
 
I don't really believe that Micarta would suck up the blubber and stink, but I might be wrong. I personally really like the G-10 slabs and don't have any problems with them. For me, G-10 is the nicest looking handle around. I especially like the green/black and tan/black varieties. They look like fine English tweeds. The whole black G-10 gives a nice classic machete look on gbig knives. G-10 is great, but I myself would be interested to know if the micarta did start smelling from the seal0oil. It would be an interesting experiment for us here on the forum. Congratulations on your native American heritage - its a very interesting culture and 100% American.
 
i can tell you any oil you get into micarta,, wd40, or so on,, smells,, i have cleaned knives and left them in my truck.... i can only imagine fish oil on them... G-10 is it.. for you.. i could gut a fish on a small pieces and mail them to everybody! lol
 
I have used bleach, scouring powder and a tooth brush on canvas micarta that has soaked up oil and gotten dingy.
Micarta will stand up to harsh cleaners:thumbup:

Why don't you just catch the beluga and squeeze out the caviar?:confused:
 
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I would seal the micarta. A few coats of marine grade spar or a typical eurathane should prevent anything from penetrating, soaking, or sticking to it. It's same as how you would seal anything to keep things from soaking in. Ironic, huh? --Seal the micarta to keep the seal out!
 
A note on beluga - Beluga caviar comes from a fish called a beluga sturgeon, not the beluga whale. Beluga whales give birth to calves, they don't lay eggs.

Sounds like I'd just better learn to like the feel of G10.
 
I prefer micarta but think you might be a little better off with G10.
Use a little sandpaper to soften the feel and knockk the sharp points off.

dave
 
AlaskaNativeSon, For handles, check out Resiprene-C, the rubber-like material that was used on the Busse Basic knives, the early Swamp Rat models (Camp Tramp, Howling Rat, Battle Rat), and currently on the ScrapYard Knives' offerings.

I don't know how it would react (if at all) to the organic oils in the seal and whale fat. It is impervious to most substances that bother other handle materials like kraton or micarta. Resiprene-C does not absorb volatiles like lighter fluid and ammonia. I know Cliff Stamp did a test where he tried to burn Res-C by drenching it with lighter fluid and setting it alight. All that happened was the fluid on the surface flashed off when he ignited it and the Res-C was unaffected. I use 409 cleaner and other ammonia cleaners on my Basics without any negative consequences to the handles.

Given the greasy slippery nature of the materials you're cutting, the Mudder handles may be a good choice for you -- the tackiness of Res-C and some contours & texturing to hang on to. Otherwise, the early Swamp Rat handles seemed to offer more grip tackiness than the Busse Basics. That might have been just my impression, but I'm calling them as I see them.

As I think about it, the Swamp Rat Bog Dog with its D2 (semi-stainless) steel blade tuned to perfection by Wauseon's heat treatment, mated to a Mudder Res-C handle, might be a good knife choice for you. Check it out if you're looking for a small'ish blade (4-3/4" tip-to-handle, 4"+ cutting edge) that will stand up to lots of cutting in harsh working conditions.

The ScrapYard model Scrap Muk (a Nessmuk shaped knife) in 154CM stainless, again with the Mudder handle, would be an alternative in that size range if the Bog Dog proves too elusive. If you need a larger bladed knife in the 7"-10" range, the secondary market occasionally offers some of the Basics, the early Swampers, or the large Dogs.

For wet environs replace the Bog Dog's standard leather pouch sheath or other leather sheaths with some kydex pants from one of the many fine makers we have around. Kydex does not soak up the water or eventually rot, as leather or its stitching can.
 
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prefer micarta but think you might be a little better off with G10.
Use a little sandpaper to soften the feel and knockk the sharp points off.
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If you sand G10 make sure you use a mask. Nasty stuff in the lungs.
 
The Scrap Mukl seems ideal for your skinning tasks especially with the concerns that you have. I'd save my other knives from that messy work to use elsewhere.
 
RokJok and 1Tracker, +1. The resiprene Scrap Muk might be your ticket. Otherwise, G-10 on INFI will help you to avoid bringing the smell home. If you can't sacrifice grip, and you gotta have INFI, well, personally I'd rather have noxious micarta than the slightly more slippery G-10.

I can vouch for stinky Micarta (week old rattler, but it was the only skin we could come up with on short notice...).
I can also vouch for its grip. I do believe wet and oily micarta is more grippy than wet G-10.
If you can handle the stink, or the work to get the stink off, I'd still recommend Micarta regardless of stench because of how it behaves when wet and oily. Besides, the smell goes away after a while... :)

I'd recommend including a micarta slabbed Pork Belly Skinner in your search, as well as the Resiprene handled knives like the Basic series and some of the Swamp Rats in D-2 and SR101, and Scrap Yard knives in 154CM.
 
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I use my expresso machine sometimes to steam clean things. Use the milk frothing tube and give the handle a good long blast of steam. That should take care of blood, guts, dried films, and anything growing. +1 A bleach soak would probably be best for anything soaked in deep. However, I'd chance a bet the problem might be more under the handles rather than in them.
 
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No one sugests Linen Micarta?

Not quite a grippy as canvas, but not so absorbing either.
 
dobywon said:
Probably because its not a option at Busse anymore and what has already been made is hard to come by.

Just my .02
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What about green and tiger linen, they are still around. Who told you it wasn't being made anymore?
 
Looks like I get to learn to enjoy the feel of G10. Actually, the two Busses I have with G10 are a lot better than my other g10 handled knife. I have a BATAC with a black and red G10 and a 3B2. They do feel pretty good. My dislike of G10 came from my Bob Terzoula custom Spyderco.

So if I'm going to go with G10 on some of my hunting users (there's NO WAY I'm risking using my NMSFNO LE whale or seal hunting) is it going to be practical for me to have them rehandled or should I just put them up for sale and buy G10 handled ones? I guess I'm mainly thinking about my Active Duty. The 3B2 will do as a larger knife but I'll still be needing a smaller knife. I'm already planning on putting my Game Warden up for sale, I don't really like the handle shape, especially compared to the feel of the AD.

If I do decide I want the AD re-handled with G10, who do y'all suggest I go to? I'm assuming Garth is the immediate no-brainer choice, but I imagine he's already got quite a backlog. I'm going to want the knife satin-finished and a G10 handle. I know Horton and Ban can do the bladework, can they do the handles?
 
Ban and Horton can do handle slabs, I would assume most any knife maker could. Garth's shop might not be that backed up for a simple scale swap, but you will have to wait until next week to contact him, after his Knob Creek/Cabo Wabo hangover passes.

Some folk have had good luck sealing micarta with gunstock oil or tung oil.

The steam cleaning or bleaching sounds workable, or just simmer the knife in a weak bleach solution after the hunt.
 
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