I have some linen micarta but I have more canvas. My wife likes burl so that is what she would pick. This is the last knife I did with canvas micarta, never thought about it in terms of blade size.Ask your wife, that's what I do. seriously though, personally I'd go with the burl or bone...or linen micarta, I'm just not big on cavass micarta unless it's on a big chopper
Does canvas micarta leave a texture finish from the thread pattern showing? OR, is it a really smooth finish? It looks like it would be a good non-slip handle.
That sums up my thinking perfectly. I love stabilized wood because you get to have your cake and eat it too! Pretty and tough enough to use...I'm a sucker for wood, so no matter how nice a man-made material looks, I am always biased to wood. I guess the real question is: how do you plan to use the knife? If knives were guns, my thoughts are like this- everyone loves an English Walnut stock until you imagine yourself scraping and scratching the snot out of it crawling through briars and brush. All of a sudden that black plastic stock makes so much sense! Is the gun a user-gun, or is it an heirloom? That's my thinking. Form follows function.
Having said that...
For all the blood, sweat, and tears we all put into our blades- it is most often the handle that sells the knife. "Pretty" sells. "Pretty" determines value in many peoples' minds. It's just as easy to put a beautiful handle on a knife as a micarta one. The same knife will sell for a lot more money with a beautiful handle, assuming the fit and finish is there.
On some of my G10 knives I finish them to around 120 and use mineral oil to make the G10 pop. it doesn't have any odor, I've never put anything on micarta though.It depends how far down in grit you go. I never finish G10 or Micarta past 240G and then wipe it down good a couple times with believe it or not WD40! Their is also a Micarta that has a covering on it after you final shape the scales you peel the protective coating off and it has a traction like coating on it if I was reading the description correctly? USA Knife Maker sells it if your interested.
When are you going to try a paracord wrap with super glue finish?
Thanks Smallshop, but it's not a stamp, I do it freehandOpaul....meant to tell you...super nice leather stamp!
I'd say about three minutes. I've looked into getting a stamp but it's like $100How long does it take?
Is the buffalo horn brittle? I have been using Corian lately and LOVE it...it is hard (and brittle) and sands very nice. I followed Ed Caffreys advice and do not make sharp corners with it....nice big radiuses...lol. Then it can take a whack better'n anything I've tried. Would love to try bone and horn...just wonder about cracking, etc?