G10 Questions

K

k.berge68

Guest
Hi guys,

So I've always loved knives ever since I was a little boy. And the last couple years I've been wanting to try to making them but I just recently got serious about it. I don't want to just jump right in with no idea what I'm doing so I've come to you gentlemen.

I'm going to do my research and order books and stuff before I try to make a knife but I want to try re-scaling some of my folders.. I want to use G10 and maybe some micarta.. How hard is it to work with these 2? I heard G10 can be VERY hard to cut. Would a dremel with a cutting wheel work? I heard a coping saw does pretty good?

I want to make a Home Depot trip today, what do y'all recommend I buy?
I heard I'll need a P100 respirator? What brand or model would be best?

Should I buy sand paper?

Files? What files would work best on the G10, If any. And what should I get for filing steel?

Sorry about all the questions. I'm a college student with a lot to learn about knife making but I'm VERY determined.

Thanks guys!
Kevin
 
G10 is a nasty material to cut because the fine dust is irritating to the eyes/nose/throat/lungs. It's just fiberglass and epoxy, basically, and you can imagine getting that all through you! Not hard to cut, but not easy either. I dremel and cutting wheel will do the job, but I like using a hacksaw or such for greater speed and accuracy. Micarta is similar but is composed of paper, linen or canvas and epoxy. Easier to cut, imo, and there's a great variety of thicknesses and colors.

As for sandpaper, you can never have too much. Most commonly-available papers are rather chintzy, but they work. I prefer to buy mine from autoparts stores as they seem to carry better quality and finer grits than you'll find in Home Depot and the like. I would suggest you get an assortment from 80-grit up to 600-grit, with the majority being in that low/middle range where you are trying to remove material and refine shape.

Files? If it will file metal, it will file plastics. Get as many as you can afford, though you don't need a large assortment when you're just starting out. A basic set of Nicholson metal files, and a wood rasp, will see you a long way down the road.
 
I would agree with Vaughn T, use a saw blade to cut it. If you don't have a bandsaw, a hacksaw would be the next best option in my opinion. Once you have it cut to shape G-10 shapes very easily IMO. I also second using the best sandpaper you can find especially if using a lighter colored G-10. Cheap sandpaper has a tendency to stain lighter colored material as you sand it if you are wetting it. A spray bottle with water will help keep the dust down (this is not a replacement for a respirator, just helps prevent skin irritation as the dust gets everywhere).
 
Thanks for the info! Any specific brand of respirator y'all prefer? I definitely wouldn't mind investing in a good one
 
All of mine are the 3M 7500 series. You can typically pick them up on fleabay for $30-40 and the filters are fairly reasonably priced and seem to last forever.
 
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