Working with fantasy marble tips needed

rocketmann

rocketmann

Joined
Dec 24, 2005
Messages
1,254
I am making my wife a knife to take on her 1st hunting trip and she requested a pink handle. She picked out the pink fantasy marble from Jantz supply. How fragile is this material. I already plan to install a front bolster, do I need to bookend the material with a rear bolster to protect it if she drops it? My wife is a bit clumsy, I imagine that it has a fair chance of hitting the ground. Any tips on working with this product is appreciated. Thanks
 
That stuff is acrylic and it can be brittle and easily broken.
Protect the handle any way you can.
 
Looking for pink material for my GF I found these.
It is a kitchen counter top material.
Maybe an alternative if the other stuff doesn't work out.
Haven't used it yet but it looks PINK:
$T2eC16F,!)QE9s3HCn3DBQ+)f31(OQ~~60_57.JPG


http://www.ebay.de/itm/300874777713?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
I ordered 2 sets of scales just in case I break one. That countertop material should be pretty tough.
 
I had some of that stuff but I dropped it on the floor next to the drill press. Falling under its own weight it shattered. :( (man made knife handle material, not corian)
 
I've made several kitchen knives using a similar material called Acrylester. I have never dropped a finished knife to see how it fairs hitting a hard surface, but I do know that when dropping a scale from belly height onto a concrete floor, it never cracked nor chipped. 3/8" thick scale and I cringed thinking it was going to shatter...nope. So, I think a rear bolster is completely up to you.

As for finishing, this is my method and I get a really nice finish without a buffer. I can imagine that the finish will get even better once I get a place to set my buffer up.

I rough shape with an 80 grit belt on my 2x42, I tried using a 50 once and it wanted to chip on me. Drill holes slow with a brad point bit with tape on the back side to reduce chip out. Sometimes I use files to do my initial shaping because the grinder will take off a LOT of material in a BIG BIG hurry. I dry sand 120 and 220 then start wet sanding at 320. I go 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000. Once I'm sure that all scratches are gone and I'm ready for polishing, I use Meguier's Ultimate Compound (automotive polishing compound). I hand rub this compound with a microfiber, let it haze then buff off vigorously. Sometimes takes a couple applications to get the right glossy finish. I then do a couple coats of wax using Meguier's Tech Wax.

I imagine that after sanding to 1000 or 2000 you could buff with pink compound for similar results.
 
The acrylester is not too bad for strength, but the reconstituted stone is very fragile in my experience. The stuff I had was turquoise and one scale shattered when I dropped it a few feet. I would not even attempt to peen pins in it.
 
Man-made (i.e. plastic) marble is weird because though it is relatively soft and easy to sand it is also brittle and prone to chipping if you force a drill bit through it or use a really coarse rasp on it. I struggled to get it to a shinny finish. It wasn't until I used some plastic polish (Flitz) that the shine finally emerged. My stuggles were documented in the thread titled "Working with Fake Marble". I hope it helps.

- Paul Meske
 
I've worked with fantasy marble, on a couple of knives. I just assumed the worst and boxed it in with bolsters at the butt, too. it was easy to work with and took a nice shine on the buffer, it's been five years now so that's about all I remember...
 
Thanks for the tips, I will plan for the worst and box it in. Why does everything have to be pink with her??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top