dagger dog
Member
Wanting to use micarta for blade scales on a fixed blade bowie type, Never used it before and wanting to know any special tips on drilling, cutting and finishing.All help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance !
Working Micarta
- Thread starter dagger dog
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It isn't hard to cut but it burns easily. Cut your scales about 1/16" oversize so you can sand them down if you are cutting them with a bandsaw.
Holes tend to drill undersize (kind of a thing with all plastics), and pin stock is often oversize. If you have a good set of number/letter drill bits you may be able to figure out the perfect size bit but you can also use a basic hardware store bit and run it back through the hole a couple times and get close enough for a fixed blade. Run the bit at a medium speed and watch the size of the chips coming out. You don't want to drill too aggressively as it makes the hole size problem worse and can also lead to chipping around the hole.
For shaping and polishing I treat it kind of like metal. Use a rather coarse abrasive to get started (I use 36 grit on a 4x36 belt sander that runs a little slower than my belt grinder), then use progressively finer abrasives. If you start too fine you are more likely to burn it. I usually take it to 120 grit on the belt sander, then start hand sanding at 120 grit, and hit 150, 220, 320, and 400 to finish.
Holes tend to drill undersize (kind of a thing with all plastics), and pin stock is often oversize. If you have a good set of number/letter drill bits you may be able to figure out the perfect size bit but you can also use a basic hardware store bit and run it back through the hole a couple times and get close enough for a fixed blade. Run the bit at a medium speed and watch the size of the chips coming out. You don't want to drill too aggressively as it makes the hole size problem worse and can also lead to chipping around the hole.
For shaping and polishing I treat it kind of like metal. Use a rather coarse abrasive to get started (I use 36 grit on a 4x36 belt sander that runs a little slower than my belt grinder), then use progressively finer abrasives. If you start too fine you are more likely to burn it. I usually take it to 120 grit on the belt sander, then start hand sanding at 120 grit, and hit 150, 220, 320, and 400 to finish.
Use a vac or mask for dust mitigation.
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