Have you ever turned Micarta?

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AlexL

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Jul 24, 2008
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Fuquay Varina, NC
I got an order for a customer pen, the customer wants it made from micarta to match a knife he made. He is suppling the material. Has anyone ever turned micarta? Is there anything special I should know? thanks alex
 
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PenWorks

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Aug 18, 2004
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Scottsdale, AZ
Nothing special, can be somewhat brittle. I made a Havana years ago from it to test the material. Only made one pen from it. Dropped the Havana and it got a hair line crack in it.
 

KenV

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Oct 28, 2005
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Juneau, Alaska.
The original micarta was fabric impregnated with pheonelic (sp) resin - it was an early form of faux ivory with an ivory like variation from the materials in the pheonelic -- but the name has become generic and now used to describe a lot of things.

It has been used for knife handles for a long long time. Brittle and chippy are terms that come to mind from knife handle work some years back.
 

pipecrafter

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Oct 31, 2008
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Clayville, Rhode Island
It depends on the material that's been used. There are a few different kinds of "micarta" - paper, linen, canvas, and woven fiberglass layered with resin. The paper micarta is a bit brittle, but the others are really very strong.

Just keep your tools sharp (they'll dull quickly) and be sure to wear a mask. The dust is a major irritant, along with having a very strong smell.
 

workinforwood

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Mar 1, 2007
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Eaton Rapids, Michigan, USA.
I have some and have made some pens from it. It turned fine although it was hard stuff requiring more time than usual to take it down to size, but drilling was very temperamental! You definitely don't want to drill all the way through, just drill most of the way through and then trim the end with a saw to reveal the hole.
 

Rifleman1776

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Dec 18, 2004
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Mountain Home, Arkansas, USA.
I recently made an Emperor from white paper phenolic micarta, a/k/a alternate or faux ivory. I posted the results here, a search will find it for you.
This was the hardest material and hardest to work with stuff I have encountered in a long time. It makes Lignum Vitae look like warm butter. For one half of the pen, I had to resharpen my high quality, high speed steel, skew three times.
As noted, this material is popular for knife handles and pistol grips. I have material left over for two more pens. After that, never again.
That said, it is a far more realistic looking 'faux ivory' than the alternate stuff sold by CS and others.
It is obtainable from Jantz, a supplier of materials for knife makers.
 
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