I have about 20 years experience working on yachts and the ONLY resin I used or saw anyone of any caliber use was West System. One client "forced" me to use some german made Epoxy "because it was cheaper" after I had told him to get the 105 and 207 so I could make it work in the extreme heat.It was the worst day ever socking down prelaid panels of Ipe and Wenge decking in the hot Florida sun racing against the hardener then the damn stuff took 3 days to fully cure. I was about to lose my shit thinking of the thousands of dollars in materials that might end up in the dumpster if it did not cure properly. You are the only knife maker I've seen on CZcams that uses the good stuff to lay up micarta. Kudos.
Mountain Storm Thank you. I get a lot of comments that I could use cheaper stuff but after torture testing materials made with West Systems I am thoroughly convinced of it's strength and durability. Yes, it is probably overkill for a knife handle but I prefer using the best materials whenever I can.
C&J Composites has an epoxy that is rated to have higher tolerances in every category. West Systems tensile strength is 7,846 psi, where as C&J Composites is 9,800. Compression Yield for West is 11,418 psi, and again C&J is 15,4000. I could go on but this stuff from C&J is amazing. No doubt West Systems makes a great product but C&J is better in all fields and at $115 a gallon it is a bit less pricey. Just in case you wanted to give another epxoy a try some time.
cool stuff. RE the waste bits; you might consider making bass guitar plectrums out of that stuff. Normal guitar picks are not worth the effort but big bass picks can be made of sturdier stuff. Because bass picks are big they tend to become favourite objects so considering that you might have a market for custom bass picks... if you don't want to waste those end bits. I'm only saying this re waste so you can use it all as it looks to cool to bin. Also guitarists like to collect unusual bits... I'd collect a few if I saw them in a shop or on-line. I'd suggest selling matched sets of one off's... as they would be one off's no doubt.
hey if you go to home depot they have the bar resin two piece mix 50-50 for 60 dollars I have tried both and I love the resin I get it only at home depot now and if you make your own molds then you can use the resin for that too
Yes, I just went to a fabric store and bought cotton material. It was high quality with a high thread count which seems to finish better than thinner material, However it can be made with almost anything including canvas, linen and paper.
+RebelForce8 The only air pockets were in the end pieces that extruded beyond our clamping system. The were scrap that was cut off and discarded. The rest of the piece was very solid.
The cheaper epoxy works fine. The even cheaper poly stuff also works fine. It's a knife-handle, if anything happens to it that requires it to be that tough, you won't care, because you just lost your hand.
I actually saw that. I'm not remotely criticizing the stuff. Just saying you don't NEED that toughness in a handle. If you could get it for the same price, great, but, hey, even the cheap stuff is way more durable than wood, and wood is tough enough. Maybe for military applications, where you are crawling around, scraping your handle over rocks, it's a good idea. I'm just saying that for pretty much every situation a knife will ever be in, you can use much, much cheaper epoxy and never feel like you're settling for second best. (At least with a full-tang) Hidden tang knives might benefit from the toughest handle possible
mellowb1rd Toughness aside, a cheap epoxy is better than an expensive fiberglass. Even good expensive polyester resins will feel sticky and clammy in the hand after long periods of use.
Dennis Wood I have not experienced anything sticky or clammy with the West Systems epoxy. In our tests with a hammer, commercially purchased Micarta split rather easily. Our stuff was MUCH tougher. No, you don't need it that tough but sometimes you want the best you can get.
Just a thought. why epoxy each sheet? considering how much squeezes out I think you could get away with epoxy on every second piece...possibly save you a bit of money?
We just want to be sure every bit is saturated so we have no voids or dry spots. I like to sand it smooth and polish it. If you hit a dry spot when you are grinding it to shape it will be a fuzzy spot that you can't finish well.
Никогда не понимал таких "профессионалов": ну ты доделай, потом покуришь. Хотя я сам курю, не люблю так делать. Особенно в таких делах, где важны скорость и качество, и недопустимо попадание посторонних предметов (таких как пыль и пепел) в изделие. И вкус дыма будет испорчен клеем.
i stand corrected sir. i personaly think micarta is similar to kevlar anyway. thanks again for the video feel free to look at mine please id appreciate the feedback.
No, I did a hammer test. I mixed them in a cup and hammer them. If you want to test them, a sample pack is pretty cheap. www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html
BowieMaker yes I have I used to get the same one you use until I went looking I use mine for my micarta and my wood projects I make micarta crosses and it's a lot cheaper they have a small one for 25 dollars its the same resin we use to cover bars
I like the way your helper uses cigarette smoke to protect his lungs from the epoxy resin fumes.
it works, smoke derivated substances will make u sick before so, protecting you efectivelly against resine derivated fumes desease
This is one if the ORIGINAL #micarta how-tos on this platform, and it is just as great today. Cheers, guys!
My type of guys, use the wrench to hit out the bolts and the hammer is sitting right there. I love it. Using tools the way we all do 👍🏼
Excellent presentation! Well thought out and narrated. Thanx
I have about 20 years experience working on yachts and the ONLY resin I used or saw anyone of any caliber use was West System. One client "forced" me to use some german made Epoxy "because it was cheaper" after I had told him to get the 105 and 207 so I could make it work in the extreme heat.It was the worst day ever socking down prelaid panels of Ipe and Wenge decking in the hot Florida sun racing against the hardener then the damn stuff took 3 days to fully cure. I was about to lose my shit thinking of the thousands of dollars in materials that might end up in the dumpster if it did not cure properly. You are the only knife maker I've seen on CZcams that uses the good stuff to lay up micarta. Kudos.
Mountain Storm Thank you. I get a lot of comments that I could use cheaper stuff but after torture testing materials made with West Systems I am thoroughly convinced of it's strength and durability. Yes, it is probably overkill for a knife handle but I prefer using the best materials whenever I can.
BowieMaker how many handles did you make with that piece?? About two??
Thorough a "great twist" to micarta ! I may try this , great video !
Great tutorial. Thanks!
Thanks for posting. I hadn't heard about West Epoxy.
Great video
Awesome!
C&J Composites has an epoxy that is rated to have higher tolerances in every category. West Systems tensile strength is 7,846 psi, where as C&J Composites is 9,800. Compression Yield for West is 11,418 psi, and again C&J is 15,4000. I could go on but this stuff from C&J is amazing. No doubt West Systems makes a great product but C&J is better in all fields and at $115 a gallon it is a bit less pricey. Just in case you wanted to give another epxoy a try some time.
cool stuff. RE the waste bits; you might consider making bass guitar plectrums out of that stuff. Normal guitar picks are not worth the effort but big bass picks can be made of sturdier stuff. Because bass picks are big they tend to become favourite objects so considering that you might have a market for custom bass picks... if you don't want to waste those end bits. I'm only saying this re waste so you can use it all as it looks to cool to bin. Also guitarists like to collect unusual bits... I'd collect a few if I saw them in a shop or on-line. I'd suggest selling matched sets of one off's... as they would be one off's no doubt.
great video, just a question, what are the materials used for the red and black color?
Naww man, cut those end pieces into pendants and cabochons, polish, set in silver, you got a cool new type of jewelry.
nice video
hey if you go to home depot they have the bar resin two piece mix 50-50 for 60 dollars I have tried both and I love the resin I get it only at home depot now and if you make your own molds then you can use the resin for that too
oh wow.. didnt think it was that easy... gotta try that with some neon green and purple..
what kind of red and black material did you use? cotton fiber?
Yes, I just went to a fabric store and bought cotton material. It was high quality with a high thread count which seems to finish better than thinner material, However it can be made with almost anything including canvas, linen and paper.
Did this ever make it on to a knife? Curious to see the finished results.
Andrew Dunn Yes you can one of them here czcams.com/video/9dAHzDE2rOE/video.html
Wow! Very impressive! Thank you for the follow up.
Looked like it had airpockets in the middle, or were those filled with epoxy
+RebelForce8 Looks like air pockets to me too. Maybe tighter clamping would help reduce?
+RebelForce8 The only air pockets were in the end pieces that extruded beyond our clamping system. The were scrap that was cut off and discarded. The rest of the piece was very solid.
The cheaper epoxy works fine. The even cheaper poly stuff also works fine. It's a knife-handle, if anything happens to it that requires it to be that tough, you won't care, because you just lost your hand.
See www.fendleyknives.com/LM105_tough.htm
I actually saw that. I'm not remotely criticizing the stuff. Just saying you don't NEED that toughness in a handle. If you could get it for the same price, great, but, hey, even the cheap stuff is way more durable than wood, and wood is tough enough. Maybe for military applications, where you are crawling around, scraping your handle over rocks, it's a good idea. I'm just saying that for pretty much every situation a knife will ever be in, you can use much, much cheaper epoxy and never feel like you're settling for second best. (At least with a full-tang) Hidden tang knives might benefit from the toughest handle possible
mellowb1rd Toughness aside, a cheap epoxy is better than an expensive fiberglass. Even good expensive polyester resins will feel sticky and clammy in the hand after long periods of use.
Dennis Wood I have not experienced anything sticky or clammy with the West Systems epoxy. In our tests with a hammer, commercially purchased Micarta split rather easily. Our stuff was MUCH tougher. No, you don't need it that tough but sometimes you want the best you can get.
could i make a bow riser out of this?
I don't know much about bows. I do know at one commercial bow maker uses micarta in their bows but I don't know if it is on the risers.
no it's not flexible enough sorry I tried it's too rigid it goes around two feet! it was funny though.
BowieMaker
guess ill try it and see.thanks
That's some vise.
Dickins and Fenster.
Look it up if you don't know.
Can you please re up the audio? Thank you.
i have to use polyester resin couse epoxi its too expensive
Just a thought. why epoxy each sheet? considering how much squeezes out I think you could get away with epoxy on every second piece...possibly save you a bit of money?
We just want to be sure every bit is saturated so we have no voids or dry spots. I like to sand it smooth and polish it. If you hit a dry spot when you are grinding it to shape it will be a fuzzy spot that you can't finish well.
Next time try using Pam spray.
nice when a project comes together like sweaty buttcheeks.
West Systems epoxy is the brand Tom Sachs also endorses, which means it's probably the best.
Никогда не понимал таких "профессионалов": ну ты доделай, потом покуришь. Хотя я сам курю, не люблю так делать. Особенно в таких делах, где важны скорость и качество, и недопустимо попадание посторонних предметов (таких как пыль и пепел) в изделие. И вкус дыма будет испорчен клеем.
It is not "literally" bullet proof stuff haha
+Diesineveryfilm Customs It is against a .22 or .38
i stand corrected sir. i personaly think micarta is similar to kevlar anyway. thanks again for the video feel free to look at mine please id appreciate the feedback.
US Composites' epoxy is just as good and a lot cheaper.
Have you done comparison tests of both?
No, I did a hammer test. I mixed them in a cup and hammer them. If you want to test them, a sample pack is pretty cheap.
www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html
BowieMaker yes I have I used to get the same one you use until I went looking I use mine for my micarta and my wood projects I make micarta crosses and it's a lot cheaper they have a small one for 25 dollars its the same resin we use to cover bars