Help Identifying a Phenolic Material

Heikki

Heikki

KNIFE MAKER
IMG_5316.jpegIMG_5318.jpegIMG_5320.jpegIMG_5319.jpegI’m really loving my new job in an aviation R&D machine shop. Today they were getting rid of some material and were kind enough to let me take some.

I know the redder colored blocks are 2” canvas micarta - super dense and heavy- but I don’t know the age. It’s the dark brown material that I can’t identify. It’s also very dense and heavy, but it’s not canvas. Could potentially be paper. It doesn’t smell the same when sanded as the other phenolic. I’m told it was used for fixtures for machining and could be 50s-60s vintage. Any ideas what it might be?

When the shop moves I may be getting more.
 
It looks like some really old brown paper maybe. I cut everything into blocks. I can always make blocks into scales, but not scales into blocks. Looks like an awesome haul! Use to be able to find old Micarta everywhere. I bought mountains of it in 2’ square blocks 2” thick about 30 years ago. Had so much of it I used it for rifle targets. It’s all gone now. The foolishness of youth……
 
Edwardshandmadeknives said:
It looks like some really old brown paper maybe. I cut everything into blocks. I can always make blocks into scales, but not scales into blocks. Looks like an awesome haul! Use to be able to find old Micarta everywhere. I bought mountains of it in 2’ square blocks 2” thick about 30 years ago. Had so much of it I used it for rifle targets. It’s all gone now. The foolishness of youth……
Click to expand...
I'll probably be able to tell more once I start cutting into it (grain, smell, color). From sanding it just a little, looks like it will polish up nicely.

Thanks for the insight on blocks vs. scales.

Our shop is moving to a new facility this spring/summer and a lot of stuff is getting tossed. There's a whole shelf of Micarta pieces that I told them I would take if they planned to throw it away. I was shown a 2" thick 4x6 plus foot slab stashed in a trailer! This place is in an old 1940s building outside of Philadelphia and has been around for a LONG time.

Depending on what happens, I may have material to offer others too if there's interest. Shame to see any of it get thrown away.
 
I work in construction and two years ago I was working on a lab remodel. Countertops were all old rag Micarta. I tried to convince them they needed new countertops (unsuccessfully)…….I was drooling lol.
It was probably 100k worth of handle materials. The knife gods have smiled on you my friend!
 
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