Which is better for keeping blood out micarta or wood scales?

Joe Duder

Joe Duder

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I have knives with both wood and micarta scales. I know micarta can be rather porous, but wood scales can have grain that can be deeper than the eye can see. I don't like the idea of blood/bacteria checking in and not checking out.

Which do you choose for fish and game processing?

I'm sure G10 or some kind of less porous plastic/composite would be the best, but I'm asking about micarta and wood.
 
I have both handles for my kitchen/work knives and I prefer shitan wood handle over micarta handle.

nwver had issues with blood decaying or anything like that.

ive actually read that germs and such cannot thrive inside of wood, which is why they usually prefer wood cutting boards over plastic ones.
 
Never thought about the whole cutting board logic.

I guess you could hit your blade with hand sanitizer as well, but I'm a little apprehensive of doing that on a blade I payed north of $150 for.
 
HwangJino said:
I have both handles for my kitchen/work knives and I prefer shitan wood handle over micarta handle.

nwver had issues with blood decaying or anything like that.

ive actually read that germs and such cannot thrive inside of wood, which is why they usually prefer wood cutting boards over plastic ones.
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I've heard that too.
 
Maybe they can't "thrive" but how long can they live? Long enough to turn game juices/blood into something that would cause one to become ill?
 
Stabilized wood and micarta are sealed either with epoxy or some type of resin these make both materials essentially water/blood proof.

If say you'd be good to go with either.
 
I'd trust stabilized wood with a coat of wax over Micarta. I've stained the daylights out of Micarta with blood from game birds.
 
I'm sure wood with some sort of sealant would be just as good as G10.

Paper micarta would be very similar since the texture is similar to G10. However, I would. Definitely not go with canvas micarta
 
IMHO, the best scale to get bloodied often is buffalo horn, since it's made of keratin and takes to blood well. it doesn't get slippery when bloodied. in fact, combatants stanch their wounds by pressing them against a surface made of horn.
 
You could apply a coat of automotive clearcoat to the scales that will seal them off from blood for sure
 
Both micarta and stabilized woods will do fine for general butchering jobs one might do on a hunt or a long day of butchering on the farm in the fall. Wash the knives periodically between jobs with soap and water and a weak solution of bleach. At the end of the day thoroughly clean all knives utensils and table tops. If the finish loses some of its shine, buff up the handles to restore the finish, easy to do with stabilized woods.
 
Joe Duder said:
What would be a good wax?
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I use Ren wax for metal and it's great stuff...never tried it with wood, maybe someone else can chime in?

I've heard min wax is good for wood but I have zero experience with it.
 
From this study: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm
The project had been conducted before our work began. It revealed that those using wooden cutting boards in their home kitchens were less than half as likely as average to contract salmonellosis (odds ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval 0.22-0.81), those using synthetic (plastic or glass) cutting boards were about twice as likely as average to contract salmonellosis (O.R. 1.99, C.I. 1.03-3.85); and the effect of cleaning the board regularly after preparing meat on it was not statistically significant (O.R. 1.20, C.I. 0.54-2.68). We know of no similar research that has been done anywhere, so we regard it as the best epidemiological evidence available to date that wooden cutting boards are not a hazard to human health, but plastic cutting boards may be
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I would be curious about a tanned leather-wrapped hilt (i.e. old-school KA-BAR) vs wood. Hardwoods, the way I understand it, have higher tannin contents than softer woods which provides antibacterial properties. Not that anyone is making balsa wood knife handles anyway.
 
Stabilized wood should not absorb anything if done properly. I have also stained micarta very badly, but it quickly came clean as new with a scrubbing and some dish soap. With micarta I am pretty sure it is only the fibers on the surface that are exposed. These fibers were not completely cut during the shaping, so i do not think the fluids can make it much past the surface.
 
gremlin moon said:
From this study: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm


I would be curious about a tanned leather-wrapped hilt (i.e. old-school KA-BAR) vs wood. Hardwoods, the way I understand it, have higher tannin contents than softer woods which provides antibacterial properties. Not that anyone is making balsa wood knife handles anyway.
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Wow! I don't know why, but I thought that by using wood cutting boards (as oppossed to plastic) and such, you would be 3 or 4 times more vulnerable to bacteria.

I guess I'm in the market for new cutting boards. I never really liked the look or the feel of plastic cutting boards anyway.
 
I use what the pros do. Dexter russel sani safe. You could skin a rabid hiv infected orangutan then throw it in a bucket with bleach and prepare sashimi like an hour later with the same blade. I still wouldn’t eat it myself though lmfao
 
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