Working with Micarta

[ProSingulisArts]

I'm rounding some Micarta blanks and the way it is "fuzzing" up I'm guessing it would need sleeved like wood.
Any tips for working with this material would be appreciated.

 

[Jim Smith]

I'm rounding some Micarta blanks and the way it is "fuzzing" up I'm guessing it would need sleeved like wood.
Any tips for working with this material would be appreciated.

I am about as far from being an expert as you can get, but the Micarta I have turned was very hard material. I had to use carbide tools and I could feel the heat from the material being removed. I turned it down to near size and then used 240 grit Abranet and worked to finer grits until I took it to 12K. Several coats of thin CA followed by 6 coats of thick and it finished up fine.

 

[Drewby108]

I guess my first question is what kind of micarta are you turning? Paper, fabric, did you make it yourself or purchase it from an experienced maker?

The paper micarta I've made had a few issues when I hit spots with less resin. They were loose pockets that fuzzed similar to what you are saying. I got around this by adding thin CA to the piece after each pass or two as needed. Even the later blanks that got more resin got CA as needed to keep things more stable.

Also be careful drilling, since heat buildup is a great way to crack the material.

I had better luck with carbide, fresh edge and a downward angle of cut (I didn't have a negative rake insert).

 

[Displaced Canadian]

I've made some micarta like blanks using epoxy and fabric. I did a CA finish on then when I was done because of the fuzz. They did soften when I drilled them because of the heat. I also used thin CA while turning to keep the fuzz down. I haven't tried one without tubes yet. I do have one rounded off and in line to be made into a pen but hasn't quite happened yet.

 

[ProSingulisArts]

It was the fabric type from turnerswarehouse