Brightly colored polishable handle material

Kevin Zito

KNIFE MAKER
Hey folks I'm looking to identify a certain type of handle material. I've seen it on straight razors and knives. I can't seem to find a picture of it and I've looked all over google. So I'll just try to explain it.

It will achieve a very high polish and it comes in tons of different, vibrant colors.
It looks plastic, but not cheap. Think about the scales on a Swiss Army knife or the black part on Buck knife handles. It looks like g10 before you sand it. Any ideas??


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you could be talking about Micarta or Kirinite. Kirinite usually has swirling colors.

Micarta comes in three main types: Canvas, Linen, and Paper. Black Paper micarta will take a shine like a Buck knife. Linen has texture and canvas is rough looking.

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Kirinte


b94ab8f3fae3569b56ec8ee3ef1dbb9d.jpg


micarta


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Kirinite?

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you could be talking about Micarta or Kirinite. Kirinite usually has swirling colors.

Micarta comes in three main types: Canvas, Linen, and Paper. Black Paper micarta will take a shine like a Buck knife. Linen has texture and canvas is rough looking.

649f2597dd863369f6bae38f928bceb2.jpg


Kirinte


b94ab8f3fae3569b56ec8ee3ef1dbb9d.jpg


micarta


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I bought some paper micarta and it seemed to have some texture to it... maybe they sent the wrong thing by accident. Maybe a solid color kirinite??? Nice knives by the way!


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Yeah, I didn't see John's post why I replied. My guess is kirinite, also a lot of people make scales from colored resins. I'm sure one of those people could throw you together a set in a specific color you want. @traviszumwalt and @ak_designs on instagram for example. Here is a set I got from AK designs. Going to make a special thin blue line knife for a law enforcement friend.
613ee7b51e7ddf2892ae0cc9c6a5e52d.jpg


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paper micarta will have some faint texture to it until you buff it with green chrome on a wheel. the black stuff gets a lot blacker and shinier with the buffing


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I'm gonna have to give the paper micarta another chance. I'll also take a look at those instagram folks' products. I'm hoping the micarta works ... prob the cheapest way.


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I suspect what you're looking for is a polyester resin type of scales (based on your statement about seeing it on razors). I would recommend going to http://masecraftsupply-com.3dcartstores.com/ and see if you can find they type of material you're looking for there.

Thanks, Ed. They've got all kinds of stuff! The site (on phone) is weird to navigate... when I get near a laptop I'm gonna search it thoroughly. Thanks for the resource.


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Here are a couple other examples... I'm sure I'm missing something, but I can't seem to find it. Solid color and mirror polishable.

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Corian by DuPont. The DuPont website is TERRIBLE....but you can order "samples" there big enough for knife handles. I believe this material is tougher than any current made for knife handles material. Probably overkill in fact. Polishes amazing. A little slower to work by hand.
 
Corian by DuPont. The DuPont website is TERRIBLE....but you can order "samples" there big enough for knife handles. I believe this material is tougher than any current made for knife handles material. Probably overkill in fact. Polishes amazing. A little slower to work by hand.

Thank you, sir!


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If you go with Corian - go visit someone that puts in countertops for a living. You can get cutoffs and throw aways really cheap. It comes in a load of different colors and patterns. When I was looking for red - I went with Corian and the local cabinet maker gave me a piece. Easy to work with but sand like a beast. Tough stuff.

DeMo
 
If you go with Corian - go visit someone that puts in countertops for a living. You can get cutoffs and throw aways really cheap. It comes in a load of different colors and patterns. When I was looking for red - I went with Corian and the local cabinet maker gave me a piece. Easy to work with but sand like a beast. Tough stuff.

DeMo

Thanks, Dennis, I know just the guy.


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Just a bit of advice if using Corian for knife handles...... don't thin it down too much, and round off all the sharp edges. I've used a great deal of it in the past, but stopped because of thicker handles chipping at any edges that were not well rounded, and with thinner scales (1/4" or less) the scales have a tendency crack or break. The biggest drawback to using Corian as knife handle material is that it has a low tolerance to impact.
 
Thanks, Ed, I've been researching it, and found very similar comments. It seems fairly slick too. Maybe not the best material for a skinner. Thanks for the info!


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