Looks great, i really like it.
Very nice looking brush
Very nice!
Looks great, i really like it.
Congratulations!! Great looking brush!!
I imagine Micarta would be hard to turn, especially with brass added. Turned out great though!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!
Finished project lived up to it's potential. Beautiful and very unusual handle with an exceptional knot (one of my favorite knots).
Outstanding ! Greg it was very interesting material and very creative
Great turn out . Love the Youtube turning handle
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.
Those metal shavings make the handle just simply amazing.
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.
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.