what about the micarta handles, do you think they're slippery?

zyhano

zyhano

Joined
Dec 3, 2009
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Ok, so PLEASE don't shoot me because I know ontario is NOT rat cutlery. This post is not about that.

that being said, I participated in the Dutch startup of bladesports which was very cool. Loads of hacking through wood, chopping up tennis balls, exchanging knife stories and just handling some of the huge blades some guys brought (including a 1.5 kg slab of steel very cool)

So, when I decided to take on the 2x4 with my ontario rat-7 just for kicks, I found out that the micarta handle is slippery like hell. If not for the lanyard, someone would have had a chance of having a rat-7 poking out of their skull. I held on to the blade but since it was too small for the task, I was constantly adjusting my grip because it tended to slip.

The micarta handles are ok in normal use, but for this occasion I found out it actually sucks. You lose your grip very quickly without gloves and this is a nuisance when you want to chop away.

Since Rat cutlery has some (rc6) / will bring out some larger blades soon (like the junglas machette) that have micarta handles not unlike the ontario rat 7, I'd like to hear what you feel about this issue.

The micarta on my RC-3 and RC-4 is actually about the same grippines as the 7, so I'm really curious about how this would fit into the 'survival' philosophy, as in, what are the advantages of disadvantages.

thanks all
 
the Standard linen micarta (RC3-6),blackish/Gray scales can get slippery at time.... I prefer the Canvas micarta over the linen for that reason...
on the rat7 you need to wash it real good with dish soap and kinda rough it up alittle with scotch brite pad or something.
 
i dont see it as any less grippy or more then other matrials on knives .... gloves are needed normaly when chopping..... atleast for me.

if i find something to slick i adjust it with sand paper or a sander or a stippling ... or smoothing of areas that cause hot spots. i honestly dont see this as an issue , because i have done this on almost every slab matrial i have used.

on my bigger blades i seam to keep going back to rubber handles , like condor , and scrapyard has.... just for comfort...
 
Ontario and RAT are two different companies and BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.....:D

Just kidding man.

As far as cutting competitions are concerned, alot of folks are putting recycled tire rubber handles on for a reason. Great grip and impact resistance but it's not all that durable.

For a knife that's going to live on my belt, the toughness of micarta is a good comprimise as far as grip and durability is concerned.
 
Yea...Just gotta glove up. And lanyards work great. I don't normally have one on my knives, but I keep them around for when I do chop.
 
I tend to prefer the linen scales to the canvas ones, for "grippiness", same with my Gossman blades. I do not tend to find them all that slick when wet, but I guess that is just me. But yeah, I agree, choppin, you need a lanyard for sure. :)
 
tnx for the answers guys. :thumbup:
But do you have any input on the survival philosopy?
A slippery handle, a moment of inattention or fatigue, the blade goes bye bye or does damage...

@texastony: don't have dishsoap in the jungle
@somberbear: no gloves dude, someone dropped me naked in the jungle with only my knife :)
and why would I roughen up my handle when RAT could have done it for me?
@shotgunner: oke, thoughness, that's a great tradeoff I guess, a good point. My fallknivens have rubber handles, with lots of grip, but they might be more prone to failure (a testimony to this is my old buck nighthawk with cracked handle)
@dizzwolf: good point as lanyards are either on your knife or easily made.

so again, any idea as to why Rat Cutlery chose micarta?
And by the way, I love Rat's so this is no diss at all! just want to extend my knowledge :D
 
shotgunner11

Before I go on...please understand I am not trolling or trying to start a controversy....but I have been curious about this for a while and it has always bothered me...so when I saw this thread, I thought I may finally be able understand what has illuded me so far.

Please educate me if you will be so kind. I have a hard time getting my head around the idea of linen micarta being tough. I also have a difficult time believing it will wear well (be durable).

Wikipedia defines micarta as "Micarta is a trademark of Norplex-Micarta industrial high pressure laminates and refers to a composite of linen, canvas, paper, fiberglass, carbon fiber or other fabric in a thermosetting plastic"

If that is accurate, then I suppose a linen micarta is laminates of linen in a thermosetting plastic. I guess it is the word linen that bothers me. I don't think of "linen" as a tough, durable material. I know I must be missing something here. Please anyone willing to shed some light on this, it would be appreciated. I want to learn.
 
Micarta® (Phenolics)
Micarta® is a registered trade name, and not all phenolics are Micarta. The phenolics I use on my knives originate from Norplex-Micarta®, so carry the name Micarta.

Phenolics are the mainstay for the custom knife manmade or synthetic handle material industry. Micarta® is a phenolic thermoset plastic originally developed as an electrical insulator. It is a great material, and is often called by knife makers the Cadillac of Plastics. Phenolics are moderately hard, though metals and abrasive compounds will scratch them. They are very tough (resistant to breakage). They do not bend easily. They can be injected into many fibrous materials, like woods, linen, fiberglass cloth, canvas, paper and just about any fiber and I imagine that you could make a phenolic with dead bugs as a substrate if you wanted (hey, neat marketing idea!). The fibers reinforce the phenolic, making it even tougher and more resistant to breakage, though in knife handles, particularly if supported by the metal tang of the knife handle, this is probably overkill. So the fibers, arrangement, and color are chosen mostly for two other reasons: appearance and texture.

My most commonly used Micarta phenolic is black canvas, and when bead blasted, takes on a gray appearance
 
chromedome1954 said:
If that is accurate, then I suppose a linen micarta is laminates of linen in a thermosetting plastic. I guess it is the word linen that bothers me. I don't think of "linen" as a tough, durable material. I know I must be missing something here. Please anyone willing to shed some light on this, it would be appreciated. I want to learn.
Click to expand...

Ever saw how carbon is done for cars or bicycles? Fiberglass boats? Fiberglass mats are only a little stiffer than linen, carbon mats aren't. And a bicycle frame made of carbon still carries normal weight (and even overweight) riders.

In any of these materials the layers of soft fabrics are soaked with some kind of "glue" (thermosetting plastic) and pressed firmly together. That gives a lot of stability.
 
I have dropped mine on rocks,concrete.... in water, snow,ice...blood soaked....and to this day shows no effects... I like Micarta over any other choice of handle material
 
I also have dropped my RC4 onto the pavement, concrete & rock, the handle remains intact no chips nicks scratches or dents. Mircata is strong stuff IMO. The handle does darken when oil is applied, my RC4 handle looks black from silicone and WD40 spray.
 
Not slippery, great handles. If you need ultimate non-slip handle, unscrew the micarta and cord-wrap it.
 
OK folks
thanks to all who explained "micarta".

I think I understand now :D.

The strength and durability comes from the process and the thermosetting plastic. OK...makes sense. And I can just let the linen part that was troubling me, go......

thanks again everyone
much appreciated :thumbup:
 
remember anything in layers becomes stronger.....tearing one piece of linen/paper is easy but make the layers 10-30 deep and you can not tear and apply the resin/epoxy, glue makes the linen /paper fibers stronger
The strength and durability comes from the layers & the process of making the micarta
 
well the strength comes 2 fold ... the epoxy is strong structuraly but thermo plastics dont take shock well ... the fabric does , it acts as rebar making a small matrix keeping the thermoplastic supported..... its very tough stuff...

also my micarta doesnt suffer as my wood handles or bone handles do ... the otehr thing is micarta is sandable to get differnt finishes ....

You should mess it up cause its your knife ... use a rock to give a slab a little more grab .... i dont like a slippy gun , so i stripped and changed its charactor in my hand , i can do the same with micarta ... if something isnt quiet like i like it i just fix that....

like machetes , i hate most stock handles , and bark rivers handles are just slippier for me. so normaly i sit and change and customize my knives.... to get what i want.

and micarta linen and canvas i find grippier and then g10 , and can take a whole lotta shock to the handle...
 
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