What Color is Green Micarta?

S

Scott Free

Joined
Sep 15, 1999
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I've been told that green micarta is the toughest micarta. I don't know if it's true, and it isn't relevant to my knife needs. I do like micarta for a handle material and I've also been told that green micarta is beautiful-- which IS relevant to this particular knife need.

So-- is it beautiful? I've tried to find pics of knives with green micarta handles and they sometimes look olive drab and sometimes just greenish-gray. Not exactly "beautiful."

I like the green of a BM 940 or Spyderco Lum. Can green micarta come even close to being green-green?

Scott
 
I would characterize green canvas Micarta as rather olive drab looking. The oils of your hands will darken the color over time. As ugly as it may sound, when finished nicely, it can be quite beautiful in a rugged sort of way.

Here's a pretty accurate picture from the Lone Wolf website.
knife-love-cityfld-550.jpg
 
i have a duncan with a green canvas micarta handle. it's a very neutral, sort of greyish olive-drab military-looking green. it's pretty badass if you ask me; i could have chosen pretty much any type of handle material, and i chose green canvas micarta. keep in mind that it's definitely not a bright or primary shade of green.

also keep in mind that when it's not highly polished, canvas micarta is grippier than linen micarta, but it's not as subtle or elegant looking. it depends on the look you like for the particular knife.

as for toughness, i doubt there's any difference between micarta colors or types.
 
the shot buzzbait posted is definitely green canvas micarta that's been polished to a certain degree, hence it's got a bit more "green-ness". bead blasted or roughly finished canvas micarta has a much more grey-green look.
 
I find the color varies widely. I've seen some that is Marine green in color, and other that is more a plant green color, for lack of a better description. Beautiful? Mastodon ivory is what I'd call beautiful. I do like GCM, but it is an acquired taste. It was made popular in no small part by R.W.Loveless, who wanted a tough knife handle. Tough it is, and it's almost mandatory for that tactical look popularized by Ernest Emerson.
 
The green in the Lone Wolf pic is green enough for me! So far, I've made a few work knives using black G-10. I want to make a small wharncliff for EDC and thought I'd try green micarta. My next question is, if the question is "pretty," (and not grippy) would you go with linen or canvas?

Scott
 
Originally posted by Scott Ridgeway
I like the green of a BM 940 or Spyderco Lum. Can green micarta come even close to being green-green?
Click to expand...
Spyderco went with the Green for the production folder based on a green G-10 Bob Lum did on a folder. Not exactly canvas micarta, but still pretty durable.
 
Here is a pic of greenish micarta from my Hossom Reprisal.

Below it is some green/black G10 on an Obenauf folder for comparison. I hear G10 and micarta are fairly similar.

Hossom%20Reprisal%20Hdl.jpg


Obie%20M2%20BG%20G10%20Hdl%20CU.jpg
 
This is what I think of when I hear green linen micarta

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K02026.jpg


RL
 
Originally posted by RL
This is what I think of when I hear green linen micarta
Click to expand...

RL,

In your top picture, the micarta looks green. In the bottom, it looks gray. Perhaps all the variations I see are due to the lighting used in the photos.


Scott
 
Originally posted by Scott Ridgeway
RL,
In your top picture, the micarta looks green. In the bottom, it looks gray. Perhaps all the variations I see are due to the lighting used in the photos.
Scott
Click to expand...

That is very likely. I should add that I don't own those Hammond Cruisers and I can't be certain that they are the same knife but it is more than likely that the difference in colour is due to lighting...I have seen Hammond Cruisers in real life and they are closer to the top (green) pic.

RL
 
Is this a trick question? The answer is red, right?

Actually, most of the green canvas Micarta that I have seen has a lot od brown in it. It basically looks green, but there seems to be a lot of brown fibers in the canvas.
 
Sweet Cruiser pics RL!

The green linen micarta is as pictured in the "green" looking cruiser. Green canvas, as far as I know, is abit darker. I have an Allen Blade MEUK in green canvas which was blasted. It looks green, and isn't as dark as Buzzbait's pic, but it isn't that rihch green of the polished linen micarta either. Green Micarta is the holiest of knife handle materials. Well, second. The first is rag micarta! Now green rag micarta would be sweet! Alas, only unicorns have access to that stuff.
 
Scott, I have a couple of Doziers with green micarta. The small Canoe neck knife is linen micarta, and looks more or less like a wood grain. The Wilderness knife is canvas micarta, and looks much more gray, because the prominent threads of the canvas are nowhere near as dark as the medium with which they're impregnated.

If you're looking for pretty, go with the linen, the effects are more subtle and the color more true. If you're looking for grippy, go for a comfortable handle shape, both linen and canvas seem to grip about the same, and I've used both of them wet and dry.
 
Originally posted by Esav Benyamin
If you're looking for pretty, go with the linen, the effects are more subtle and the color more true. If you're looking for grippy, go for a comfortable handle shape, both linen and canvas seem to grip about the same, and I've used both of them wet and dry.
Click to expand...
^^true about the pretty part.. however, i find that there's more prominent relief pattern in the canvas micarta, which has larger fibers than the linen micarta, and i notice considerably more grippiness.

esav & anyone reading this, have you ever placed micarta near fire? i'm wondering what the effect might be, since it's a paper-based polymer. just one of the many useless things i've pondered.
 
Scott,
I use alot of green canvas micarta, I also use green linen micarta. I like both, but I think I like the canvas micarta more due to the interesting pattern that is due to the coarser weave of the canvas.

In my experience they are booth about the same color when just finished. All of the micarta I have used (with the exception of black) has darkened with age. This is just the nature of the beast. I do not think that the darkening is caused by oils from you hands. I think that it is uv light that causes the colors to darken.

I would recomend that you try it as it is very inexpensive, as far as handle materials go. If you don't like it you can always sell the knife or give it to a friend. Good luck.

Tom
 
Originally posted by alan aragon
i have a duncan with a green canvas micarta handle. it's a very neutral, sort of greyish olive-drab military-looking green.
Click to expand...

Alan, can you post a picture or a link to your Duncan? I looked over his site and found only green G-10. I love his designs but couldn't find one at the custom resellers (bladeart, knifeart, etc.) that I really liked. I would've jumped at one like you describe (I think) and am dying to see it.

Best,

-pb
 
Keep in mind that Micarta comes in different varieties. This is a very interesting bit of paper micarta.
 
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