What colors does micarta come in?

S

SpyderJon

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Jan 27, 2002
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I'm sure this has been asked, but I couldn't find a specific thread pertaining to this, so I thought I'd ask. I'm trying to find the best color for a knife I'm having made, and I really would like to know what colors there are. I'm aware of black, red, maroon, green, and blue-green, but not really of any others.

I like green, but has ANYONE ever heard or seen micarta that comes in a true green? I'm thinking something along the lines of the old OD Green seabags. You know, good old 22oz thick, rocks-for-jocks green?

Thanks for the help!

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
I think it can be in any color, as before they were bought out by Blackjack the old EK Commando Knife Co. made white Micarta handles.

Micarta costs money, and if the companies think that people will not buy it, they will not offer an oddball color.
 
Micarta does come in green, I have only seen the canvas micarta in green. IT also comes in Gold, white, and tan, that I can think of. G-10 comes in a lime green if that helps you any, I have also seen green and black layered stuff, not sure if it was g-10 or micarta. There are a lot of other colors, check the knife supply places, like TKS, Kovals, K&G, or sheffields.
Kyle Fuglesten
 
Doesnt Becker offer G-10 in sand color on a knife ? and Spyderco's new DoDo has G-10 handles in Royal Blue.
Micarta can be made into any color, I've seen : Black, White, Green, Dark Green, Dark Red and gray sort of color before.
 
Did somebody say "Green Micarta?"

But of course.

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The answer is that you can have Micarta in any color you want to if you're willing to buy a minimum quantity. The minimum is about 45 square feet. The stuff is typically made in panels about three feet square (which is set by the side of the press used to make it). And they'll typically want to run about five panels minimum. Actually, they'll run about seven panels planning to throw two away. That's why they need that minimum run of five. If you only order one panel and they have to run three planning to throw two away, well, it really drives the cost up. And what happens if all seven panels turn out usable? It depends on your contract. They may be contracturally obligated to destroy any material in excess of your order, you may have first right of refusal, or they may be simply able to put them in inventory and sell them.

The major markets for micarta are industrial. It's used first as an electrical insulator. The cloth or paper gives it structure and strength while the epoxy makes it an excellent electrical insulator. In this application, color is used either to help identify sub-parts of a circuit or simply to give unique brand identity. The second use is in applications exposed to extremes of temperature and humidity. Micarta is very easy to work with. It cuts with simple, standard saws, drills with simple hand drills or drill presses, etc. So, it very easy to make things out of it.

The trick to making it is not to have air bubbles trapped in it which creates voids in the material. Industrially, that's done with a vacuum chamber. How one achieves that at home, I don't know.
 
Originally posted by ExMB
You can try making it yourself in any color you want.
Click to expand...


Hmmm... Maybe a dumb idea here but bear with me.

Micarta is basically fibrous material (paper, linen or canvas) encapsulated in a clearish resin. The fibers give structure and strength to the otherwise brittle resin. The resin binds the fibers together. To get the colours you want, you change the colours of the fibers.

So, I was thinking, "How might one make a micarta with a 'burl' type pattern?" Rather than using sheets of material, could you use pieces of cotton batting, dyed in different colours and then mixed together to make a random pattern? You would probably need to be very careful when it was pressed because the cotton slurry would be less consistent than sheets or strips of material. Would the cotton burl micarta have enough structural strength? Maybe you could add layers of mesh material or individual threads between layers of random coloured cotton slurry?

Just a thought.

(this is what happens when I have too much time to myself)
 
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