Damaged knife tip

[Mr.Wizard]

I greatly prefer Micarta to G-10.

1. Why?

2. Which kind of Micarta do you mean?

3. Micarta is a trade name for a series of composites than includes type G-10, FYI.

[Daniel maloon]

That seems unnecessary

[tcmeyer]

Yeah, I guess G-10 is a type of Micarta, which is a process of using pressure to force an epoxy resin into the fibers of a substrate. The Micarta I prefer is a wood-based variety, particularly rosewood, which is hard to get these days. I like the feel of polished wood, as opposed to the feel of an armor-plated Humvee. I also like some of the paper-based Micartas.

[Mr.Wizard]

That seems unnecessary

Do you mean my comment? How is it unnecessary? Too off-topic? In case you think my comment was intended as criticism it was not; I am asking because I hope to learn, and “Micarta” can mean a lot of different things.

The Micarta I prefer is a wood-based variety, particularly rosewood, which is hard to get these days. I like the feel of polished wood, as opposed to the feel of an armor-plated Humvee. I also like some of the paper-based Micartas.

Thanks. I am only familiar with glass fiber, canvas, linen, and paper as fillers. Do you have a picture of the wood one? Is it like “pakkawood” or something else? Do you know if the resin is phenolic or something else? (Most “Micarta” is phenolic-based; epoxy is usually reserved for the glass composites.)

[tcmeyer]

I just checks Jantz’s site. They have a lot of Micarta, but not any wood-based.

The old one I have is laminated rosewood, many layers bonded under high pressure with some epoxy or phenolic, which would penetrate the wood. They said back int the ’70’s that it was epoxy but who knows?

The big advantage is that you’d get the finish and color you want and all you had to do was shape it, sand it and polish it. Harder than Japanese aritmetic and if you scratch it. it’s an easy fix.

i also like the paper versions.

Check out the Micartas offered by Jantz. Two pages of Micartas at 50 each.

http://www.knifemaking.com/category-s/156.htm?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=156&show=50&page=1

[Mr.Wizard]

tcmeyer, the “wood micarta” you describe sounds similar to the Dymondwood at Jantz Supply. Look at the “Rosewood burgundy” sample in the Dymondwood catalog. Also see Pakkawood.

[tcmeyer]

Yep, I did a little searching around and see that they apparently don’t make Micarta out of wood anymore. It’s a shame, as it was my favorite. The Dymondwood in Rosewood Burgundy looks very much like it. But I don’t see it listed as knife scale material by any of the supply houses I haunt. I’d love to give the Dymondwood a try, but the cut sizes are too big and they charge a $100 service chg for orders under $500.

Brazilian Rosewood is banned by CITES as an endangered species, soI bought some Honduras Rosewood from Woodcraft – a block 2″ x 6″ x 6″ is less than $20. The first slab I cut off with my miter saw is beautiful, so I ordered some more. It’s not Micarta, of course, but I’m making a couple of kit knives (also from Woddcraft) and am planning to try it there.

Here’s a photo of a couple of knives I made about 30 years ago using the Rosewood Micarta. The stuff is incredibly easy to work with and is zero maintenance. The upper knife is a from-scratch D2 skinner. The lower is one of those cheap Sheffield blades sold by almost every knife supply house over the years. I think you can still buy them. Pretty soft stuff. The D2, however, is so abrasion-resistant I can’t remove even a faint rust stain using 400 grit on a polishing wheel.

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• rosewoodmicartaknives.jpg

[Leo Barr]

I modified my Lansky world legal knife since I removed the odd shape from the end which meant it did not close fully so I re-profiled the spine tip on a belt sander

. I sharpened it freehand probable around 12˚ main bevel and a micro bevel of around 20-22˚ the steel is 440 stainless so it will not take a very low bevel without a micro bevel.

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• IMG_2280.jpg
• ScreenShot2015-01-20at14.47.48.png

[Leo Barr]

Beautiful knives !

[tcmeyer]

If you’re referring to the Micarta knives, the compliment is greatly appreciated.

[Leo Barr]

I certainly am.

[CliffCurry]

Tom, the only reason I didnt say anything yet about how gorgeous those 2 knives are is Ive been stuck having an internal dialog since I saw your work, how I cant afford to go start making knives at this time, and been a bit grumpy about it since. All in jest, these are beautiful and I hope someday to have the time, space, and equip to produce my own. Very inspiring really so I guess I can stop pouting now. 🙂

[tcmeyer]

I don’t consider myself a knifemaker by any means. I made maybe 20-30 knives back in the late ’70’s, early ’80’s, and most were simple kitchen knives and used store-bought blades. With a propane torch, a drum sander and a few hand tools , I could make a pretty respectable knife in two evenings – and not long evenings; maybe 5 hours, total. It is really satisfying to have a finished project in such a short time and with such little effort or skill. Toward the end, I got into making my own blades. All you need is a saw (or cut-off grinder) a disc or belt sander and access to an acetylene torch system.

I used D2 because you can heat treat it with a torch, then temper it in your wife’s kitchen oven. No quenching required. Today you can make your blades and send them to a shop for heat treating. You can even buy Damascus stock or even completed Damascus blades.

Back then, knifemaking as a hobby was just starting to take off and there were a few suppliers who could sell you the silver solder, the Micarta scales (or as in the picture, solid blocks) and the blade (or blade steel) and you were set. Now there’s tons of stuff you can buy on the internet, down to the tiniest screws. You can even buy the parts to make folding knives.

Watch a few videos on Youtube and you’ll find it’s not all that hard to do and it doesn’t take much in the way of equipment.

[tcmeyer]

tcmeyer, the “wood micarta” you describe sounds similar to the Dymondwood at Jantz Supply. Look at the “Rosewood burgundy” sample in the Dymondwood catalog. Also see Pakkawood.

Thanks for the prod Mr Wiz, I dug a little deeper into the Jantz catalog and was able to find the Rosewood Dymondwood. It just isn’t listed in the pull-down menus in their online site. They only have the 3/8″ thick stuff – not the 1.25″ I used on the pictured knives. I’ll give it a try. If it turns out good, what am I gonna do with all this real rosewood?

I browsed thru their catalog and geez, you almost don’t need tools anymore. You can even buy the brass with the right sized slots in them.

[Mr.Wizard]

While searching for additional sources for Dymondwood I found two different references to the supplying factory having burned down.

Special Note to our customers: Since the Rutland Plywood factory fire in late August we have experienced a large increase in sales volume for Dymondwood. Available inventory is limited to stock on hand. We still have significant stock in many colors, but currently have a 2 to 3 week backlog of open orders. We need to process existing orders so we can determine how much remaining stock we still have available for sale.

We have taken down the Dymondwood shopping cart while we process open orders. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Like everyone else that uses Dymondwood, we are waiting for any news concerning Dymondwood. We have been told Rutland Plywood will not rebuild. But we understand there is a possibility Dymondwood could be licensed or sold to another manufacturer. If we get any further information we will pass it along.[/quote]

If you can get your hands on any you may be doing well, regardless of the thickness, unless this is outdated information.

[Author]

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