Here is a short video showing how I make my homemade micarta that I use in knife handles quite often. One tip I didn't mention in the video was to use superglue to finsih the micarta. Sand it to 320 grit, rub it really well with a green scotchbrite pad (hot tip- those with dremels, chuck the scotch brite in the dremel for fast polishing). coat the handle with 5-6 coats of thin superglue, sand it at least to 320, use green then white scotchbrite (in the dremel for speed). that should give you a nice finish. attached are some examples of my homemade micarta. First two pics are a girly knife handled with pink and purple denim micarta. Third and fourth is a kitchen knife I made with the micarta in the vid, and the fifth is some with bright orange cloth. sixth is blue jean and pink jean (this was my sisters christmas present) .
List of ingredients -
- the fiberglass resin
-the hardener that will come with the resin
-and the material used to make it
Note - I want to add that since this video was made, I now use steel plates instead of wood boards. Doesn't break, bend (to an extent) and is much flatter.
List of ingredients -
- the fiberglass resin
-the hardener that will come with the resin
-and the material used to make it
Note - I want to add that since this video was made, I now use steel plates instead of wood boards. Doesn't break, bend (to an extent) and is much flatter.
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Thanx man ! Great Idea !
Have you thought about using a Vacuum food saver to make a vacuum press? It would provide a lot of clamping force without the need for clamps. The vacuum baggers can be gotten from goodwill/second hand shops very cheaply. Roll bags are available in the box stores as well as wally world.
also did you just brush on the superglue ?
How or where did you come up with this or learn about it...
Thanks for sharing!!!
And thanks for the video. I have known about micarta for years, but never thought of making my own.
Stephen.
What are you adding to the resin? Is it a curative/hardening agent?
Can you use different material than denim/cotton? (silk, nylon, etc.)
Once it's hardened and cured, can you just work with it like a block of wood, or do you need to take special precautions? I know a face mask or respirator would be needed, I'm just curious about any additional safety precautions.
I've used other cloths, if you think about it, the resin is soaking into the fibers and hardening, thus hardening the cloth. So anything that will soak up a thick liquid might work. I know that some people use white paper for making a bone substitute.
As for working it, i think it works easier than wood. There's no grain to worry about, it won't split, it's very durable, and it works easy under a rasp or sander. As for protection, you might ought to wear respirator, but I don't. I do wear goggles and a dust mask though. I think I'm fine as I typically work it with a rasp which doesn't raise dust like a sander
Thank you for the great video and also for reinforcing my faith that there are young men growing up to be competent adults!
Oldanvil