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New handle coming soon.

Thank you. The material was difficult to work with. I kept having issues with the finish and it was surprisingly difficult to photograph, but I am very happy with the results.
I imagine Micarta would be hard to turn, especially with brass added. Turned out great though!
 
I imagine Micarta would be hard to turn, especially with brass added. Turned out great though!

Thank you.
Surprisingly I barely noticed the brass shavings when doing the carving, I'm sure it dolled the tools a lot faster though.
 
Finished project lived up to it's potential. Beautiful and very unusual handle with an exceptional knot (one of my favorite knots).
 
Finished project lived up to it's potential. Beautiful and very unusual handle with an exceptional knot (one of my favorite knots).

Thank you.
It was interesting and frustrating from start to finish. The good thing is, it turned out very close to my expectations (Which I set very high for my own work) and I learned alot along the way.
 

Graydog

Biblical Innards
Outstanding ! Greg it was very interesting material and very creative
Great turn out . Love the Youtube turning handle :)
 
Outstanding ! Greg it was very interesting material and very creative
Great turn out . Love the Youtube turning handle :)

Thank you.
Like I've said it was a difficult project but mostly in good ways, it tought me alot and it turned out nearly to the goal I had set at the start of the project.
I have one more project using this material. My friend wants a matching razor handle. Even though he doesn't yet know what material I chose for these projects. That too will be a challenge. I guess I'm a gluten for punishment.
 
Very cool! I’ve never made/turned micarta but it looks interesting to say the least. The possibilities of what you can use to make it are seemingly endless.
 
Very cool! I’ve never made/turned micarta but it looks interesting to say the least. The possibilities of what you can use to make it are seemingly endless.

I think that if a better resin was used to make it, micata might be better to work with. And if someone had the sense to not put metal shavings in it. :001_302:
 
The most certainly did. That brush is one of a kind. I bet if you sold people would be jumping over one another to get it.
 
From what I’ve seen, epoxy resin is the way to go for making micarta, but it looks to me like you did just fine with the fiberglass resin. I’d wager epoxy would be easier to turn though, I’m guessing fiberglass would be quite brittle.
 
From what I’ve seen, epoxy resin is the way to go for making micarta, but it looks to me like you did just fine with the fiberglass resin. I’d wager epoxy would be easier to turn though, I’m guessing fiberglass would be quite brittle.

I've heard good things about Alumilite for making pen blanks, I wonder if it would work good for Micarta or if it is to thick.
The fiberglass resin didn't seem to soak in to the linen as much as I had hoped.
 
I've heard good things about Alumilite for making pen blanks, I wonder if it would work good for Micarta or if it is to thick.
The fiberglass resin didn't seem to soak in to the linen as much as I had hoped.

Alumilite has its advantages. It’s easy to turn, can be cast in cooler temps, and sticks to wood real good so it’s ideal for “hybrid” blanks. It doesn’t polish to nearly the depth of shine you get with epoxy or polyester resin though, and I’m all about the shine so I rarely use it, only during freak cold spells here during winter when my garage doesn’t get warmer than the 50s. Alumilte costs about 40% more than poly resin too. To get around to your question, I don’t think it would be very good for micarta. It heats up and sets in 4-12 minutes depending on ambient temp and if you get the regular or “slow” cure (6 minute or 12 minute versions, but I’ve had the 6 min set in 4 during our hot desert summers). That’s just not enough time to soak your material and get it properly clamped and into a pressure pot. Yes, a pot is a must with Alumilite. It sets faster than the air bubbles can float out of it. Some of my penturning friends rave about Liquid Diamonds epoxy which has a 30-45 minute set time, but that stuff is pretty expensive. West Systems costs less and you can extend the working time to 20 minutes or so by using a slow hardener.
 
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Alumilite has its advantages. It’s easy to turn, can be cast in cooler temps, and sticks to wood real good so it’s ideal for “hybrid” blanks. It doesn’t polish to nearly the depth of shine you get with epoxy or polyester resin though, and I’m all about the shine so I rarely use it, only during freak cold spells here during winter when my garage doesn’t get warmer than the 50s. Alumilte costs about 40% more than poly resin too. To get around to your question, I don’t think it would be very good for micarta. It heats up and sets in 4-12 minutes depending on ambient temp and if you get the regular or “slow” cure (6 minute or 12 minute versions, but I’ve had the 6 min set in 4 during our hot desert summers). That’s just not enough time to soak your material and get it properly clamped and into a pressure pot. Yes, a pot is a must with Alumilite. It sets faster than the air bubbles can float out of it. Some of my penturning friends rave about Liquid Diamonds epoxy, but that stuff is pretty expensive. West Systems costs less and has proven itself over time. Of course, there are other brands out there.

Thank you very much for the input. I have heard West Systems is good also. I will check them out for micarta in the future.
 
I helped my father in law move today and my wife found these two pens. They are some of the first pens I made about 14 years ago. The black one is water buffalo horn and I believe the light one is cherry.

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