DIY Micarta Knife Scales (pic heavy)

[Woods Walker]

How did I ever miss this thread. Looks great Regulator.

[WOLF308]

Sorry I missed this post as well, very impressive work Regulator.

[dead]

i read some post some were that puting say popcorn down first then the layers wen you san it makes more color

[kbilly84]

Question for those that have done this...
I'm looking at doing something like this for my KaBar/Becker BK11 (linky to amazon page).

Does the fiberglass stuff have a strong odor? Meaning, can this be done safely indoors?
If it needs good ventilation, can it be done outdoors if it's cooler outside?

I live in an APT in MN, but I have a deck if it needs to be done outdoors.

[MaconCJ7]

It has a very strong odor. Very strong. I mixed it up inside because it was cold outside and I refused to take my skirt off. I let it cure outside though and it worked just fine. I did have to open the windows to air out the house though.

[Jamie]

Thanks, I'm going to try this!

Jam ie

[kbilly84]

It has a very strong odor. Very strong. I mixed it up inside because it was cold outside and I refused to take my skirt off. I let it cure outside though and it worked just fine. I did have to open the windows to air out the house though.

Right on. There were no issues curing in cold weather? Did it take longer to cure that way? Once it's cured, is the odor pretty much gone at that point?

[MaconCJ7]

I let it set for about an hour while I messed around with other stuff. After that it was gtg, no smell, and rock hard. Temp was low 40's, so ymmv. Something I noticed with my second batch is the heat produced while curing. I guess a good way to determine if it's ready or not is if it's still hot. Not burn your skin, but noticeably warmer than your body. Like a hot cup of coffee.

[kbilly84]

Wow, 1 hour? I'd figured 24. But then, this is the first research I've done on this project, so what the hell do I know?
Now to find a store near me with some, so I can get this going this weekend. My knife has been crying to me cuz it's nekkid.

I've seen the posts about needing lots of hardener; how much of the actual fiberglass stuff do I need? It's a fairly small knife, but If that goes well, I may make new ones for my (much larger) BK2.

Any brands to stay away from? Or is it all pretty much the same?

[Skull_Hide]

Tagged, so I can turn my Cold Steel G.I. Tanto into a polished turd.

[Regulator]

I didn't think the smell of the resin was to bad. Just unscrew the lid and smell it before you buy it, your nose may be sensitive, or mine may not be I guess. As to cure time in the cold I have to take Macon's word for it as it was a nice warm summer day when I did mine. The resin does set up fairly quick, in fact don't screw around putting your layers down or it will start to set up and you'll have more trouble getting it to flatten out when you clamp it.

Keep in mind too that the cloth is not fiberglass. I used demin and many other things can be used but I'd not use fiberglass cloth or mat. No experienced based reason, I just don't see it being very attractive. And I don't care for all the itchy little fiberglass hairs, even if they're in resin.

As to popcorn, I can see where it would produce a bump in the material so that when you sanded it down you'd get circular rings through many layers. That would show more colors and a cool pattern if you like circles.

Don't forget to post pics of your project!

[Bruno_GO]

Congratulations.
A very nice work. Outstanding.

[kbilly84]

First two attempts are in the books.

The first one failed mightily.
The plan was to alternate strips of old khaki pants, and a green polo shirt. Apparently, polo shirt material is a bad choice. The strips did not want to lie flat, and kept curling up on the edges. Also, I didn't have any clamps, so I used a 40lb dumbbell. Definitely not enough compressive force.

Second attempt went MUCH better, but still an overall failure.
This time, I used ONLY the khaki strips. And I only covered the back side of each strip in resin. This went MUCH faster, and used MUCH less resin. I still didn't have any actual clamps, but I did have a table-top vise (the type that clamps to a table edge). That allowed far better compression. But because I used a couple of particle-board shelves from an WalMart CD/DVD stand, the compression stayed mostly localized. The extremities of the piece are visibly thicker than where the vise jaws sat. And I'm still using too much resin. There was quite a bit squeezed out the edges.

Tonight I'm gonna get some clamps, and maybe a couple hanks of 2x4 to make the compression more uniform.

Is there a way to post pics without getting a photobucket account?

[KentsOkay]

First two attempts are in the books.

The first one failed mightily.
The plan was to alternate strips of old khaki pants, and a green polo shirt. Apparently, polo shirt material is a bad choice. The strips did not want to lie flat, and kept curling up on the edges. Also, I didn't have any clamps, so I used a 40lb dumbbell. Definitely not enough compressive force.

Second attempt went MUCH better, but still an overall failure.
This time, I used ONLY the khaki strips. And I only covered the back side of each strip in resin. This went MUCH faster, and used MUCH less resin. I still didn't have any actual clamps, but I did have a table-top vise (the type that clamps to a table edge). That allowed far better compression. But because I used a couple of particle-board shelves from an WalMart CD/DVD stand, the compression stayed mostly localized. The extremities of the piece are visibly thicker than where the vise jaws sat. And I'm still using too much resin. There was quite a bit squeezed out the edges.

Tonight I'm gonna get some clamps, and maybe a couple hanks of 2x4 to make the compression more uniform.

Is there a way to post pics without getting a photobucket account?

You need a website that hosts (puts your images online). This can be anywhere on the internet, it just has to be a public URL to the image you can copy paste in. Most facebook photos are NOT public, wheres photobucket, image shack and others are.

[Jamie]

I'm wondering if I can do this "around" a surplus SKS triangular spike-bayonet?

I was thinking of shaping the attachment end, and then clamping some of the material and liquid directly to the spike...do you think this is possible or easy or stupid?

Jamie

[MaconCJ7]

The way I did it was to coat one strip at a time. I had my mix in a tupperware dish. I would dip each side, then wring it out by squeezing. Open it back up flat and using my thumb and index finger as a squeegee, would remove a bit more excess. Lay that piece flat on some wax paper, and move to the next. I would do this until I had a large enough stack. Then I would fold the wax paper over the top, and lay the product between two 1x6's. Using C-clamps as my pressure force, I would get it mushed. You have to be careful, while being quick with this step. Careful to not let the block slip out from between the boards, and fast so it doesn't harden before you get all the pressure on it. I determined pressure by turning the clamp screw until it wouldn't turn anymore. To reach the final pressure I was alternating between the two clamps to attempt a constant flatness. It seemed to have worked.

Jamie,

What do you mean "around" the bayonet? Like a permanent sheath? That rosin it sticky shit. The wax paper isn't to have a nice pretty block, it's to have a nice pretty block not attached to the boards. Even the wax paper succumbs to the stickiness and has to be sanded off. As far as possible, anything is possible. Easy is a relative term, and stupid for me may not be stupid for you. If it's something you want to do, give it a go. My only suggestion is to lay more than you want the final product to have so you can shape it as you desire.

[Storm Crow]

I'm wondering if I can do this "around" a surplus SKS triangular spike-bayonet?

I was thinking of shaping the attachment end, and then clamping some of the material and liquid directly to the spike...do you think this is possible or easy or stupid?

Jamie

Look at how Maldon007 did the wrapped handles on his prybar knives.

[kbilly84]

*snip*
I would dip each side, then wring it out by squeezing. Open it back up flat and using my thumb and index finger as a squeegee, would remove a bit more excess. Lay that piece flat on some wax paper, and move to the next.
*snip*

That's pretty much exactly how I did the first one. Maybe it was the strips of polo shirt screwing things up, but that seemed to take too long. Or maybe I just need more practice.
I didn't have time to get clamps last night. Hopefully soon though.

[kbilly84]

Seems the third time was the charm. I went much quicker, and got a much more quality product. Used the vise I did before, but also three C-clamps to prevent the warping. This one is almost perfectly flat and even. Now chop and shape it and put em on.

Question: It seems that I can "whittle" this stuff with a regular knife blade. Is that normal? Strikes me as less durable than expected...

[MaconCJ7]

Seems the third time was the charm. I went much quicker, and got a much more quality product. Used the vise I did before, but also three C-clamps to prevent the warping. This one is almost perfectly flat and even. Now chop and shape it and put em on.

Question: It seems that I can "whittle" this stuff with a regular knife blade. Is that normal? Strikes me as less durable than expected...

I didn't try whittling, but I don't see why you couldn't. It's an epoxy resin with fabric strengthener. You can whittle other epoxies, so this should be no different.

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

Wow. Thanks for the bump guys. Awesome, awesome job Regulator.

-

[Jamie]

Jamie,

What do you mean "around" the bayonet? Like a permanent sheath?

Nope as a handle...

J

[kbilly84]

I didn't try whittling, but I don't see why you couldn't. It's an epoxy resin with fabric strengthener. You can whittle other epoxies, so this should be no different.

Huh. Right on. Been a while since I've played with any sort of epoxy. I may try to cut it entirely by hand; use a thin jigsaw blade. Might be fun

[Jamie]

I "cast" a handle around my surplus triangular bayonet today...cut up jeans soaked in the epoxy, formed around the bayonet, and pressed/clamped while setting...I'll grind and shape it tomorrow with my dremel and then post some pics...

Jamie


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