What Is The Difference Between Micarta and G-10 Handle Scales?
I don't know all the knife genes in the world, but the first hundred times I heard the term "Corporal Micarta", I had no idea what it was. Even after handling a pair of Micarta knives, I wasn't sure what I was dealing with; I got even more confused after picking one up on a G-10 scale, and it basically looked like a Micarta. Apparently.
After a while, I got tired of pretending I knew what I was talking about and started to figure it out myself. An easy way to answer the question is that the Micarta and the G10 are actually what we call a phenolic laminate, and in that sense, they are the same, so we can all go home. With the exception of those who have seen or collected both the G10 and the Micarta, who has handled the knife, they say that there is a significant difference between the G10 and the Micarta and they yell at us in the forum. So I have explained what I have found here to all those who are tired of pretending to know that the handles of their knives are made.
What's Micarta?
Pro. Comfort, grip, very strong
Disadvantages: expensive, sensitive to water
Simply put, a micarta is a thermosetting resin immersed in a type of linen or fibre fabric. Basically, it is one or a few types of fabric that are soaked in resin and fired until they become stiff.
But when we specifically say "Micarta", we are actually talking about a company. Norplex Micarta, the company responsible for much of the resin used in knife handles today, has for years been the kleenex of the world of resin materials.
But when we talk about Micarta in general, we're not just talking about resin composites; there's a reason why we're talking about G-10 handles and Micarta cables; Micarta generally means that the base material for handles is linen, canvas or paper. However, it covers a wide range of materials, including wood and denim. Most of the materials used to make the design are canvas and linen, or a combination of both.
If you've done this kind of thing before, you've almost certainly found a large field of Micarta scale DIY videos. Most of them give a good picture of the process: the fabric parts are soaked in resin after placement in a mould and then pressed together with tweezers until they are dry. Once the resin is placed, a Micarta plate is ready and can hopefully be sharpened into a knife dish. This is a simplified version of what normally happens in the industry but does not give a good picture of its versatility. Depending on the material used, there are all kinds of things that can be done with style, the colour of the resin used to dip the layers, and the type of mould used. It is also relatively easy to make them, as you can buy them from any hardware store.
However, creating a G-10 can be quite complicated to do at home.
What is G-10?
After a while, I got tired of pretending I knew what I was talking about and started to figure it out myself. An easy way to answer the question is that the Micarta and the G10 are actually what we call a phenolic laminate, and in that sense, they are the same, so we can all go home. With the exception of those who have seen or collected both the G10 and the Micarta, who has handled the knife, they say that there is a significant difference between the G10 and the Micarta and they yell at us in the forum. So I have explained what I have found here to all those who are tired of pretending to know that the handles of their knives are made.
What's Micarta?
Pro. Comfort, grip, very strong
Disadvantages: expensive, sensitive to water
Simply put, a micarta is a thermosetting resin immersed in a type of linen or fibre fabric. Basically, it is one or a few types of fabric that are soaked in resin and fired until they become stiff.
But when we specifically say "Micarta", we are actually talking about a company. Norplex Micarta, the company responsible for much of the resin used in knife handles today, has for years been the kleenex of the world of resin materials.
But when we talk about Micarta in general, we're not just talking about resin composites; there's a reason why we're talking about G-10 handles and Micarta cables; Micarta generally means that the base material for handles is linen, canvas or paper. However, it covers a wide range of materials, including wood and denim. Most of the materials used to make the design are canvas and linen, or a combination of both.
If you've done this kind of thing before, you've almost certainly found a large field of Micarta scale DIY videos. Most of them give a good picture of the process: the fabric parts are soaked in resin after placement in a mould and then pressed together with tweezers until they are dry. Once the resin is placed, a Micarta plate is ready and can hopefully be sharpened into a knife dish. This is a simplified version of what normally happens in the industry but does not give a good picture of its versatility. Depending on the material used, there are all kinds of things that can be done with style, the colour of the resin used to dip the layers, and the type of mould used. It is also relatively easy to make them, as you can buy them from any hardware store.
However, creating a G-10 can be quite complicated to do at home.
What is G-10?
The answer to the question of what the scale of HANDLES G-10 knives is is meh.
Pros. Lightweight, low moisture absorption, low cost, better color removal
Disadvantages: it lacks hardness and comfort.
Thermosetting fiberglass resin. More or less. This includes grade 10 garolite, a range of composite materials that are mixed, heated and compressed to make them much stronger and smoother than normal fibreglass. The term "Garolite" is also a registered trademark, like Micarta, but I would be damned if I could find a company that actually owns the copyright.
Basically, the G-10 is the same as Micarta, but with fiberglass instead of flax and other natural fiber materials. There are additional risks associated with producing this material because, you know, fiberglass, and that's why you're going to find far fewer do-it-yourself videos about how to work with it, and there aren't many videos about how to make this material for it.
But it's also cheaper in terms of the cost of the material; the G-10 is specifically made from resin impregnated fiberglass cloth that is laminated, pressed and heated in the same way as the Micarta, but processes the raw material which is much cheaper in bulk.
The beauty of the G-10 is that it is very easy to adapt. Typically, when knife manufacturers produce knives on the G-10 scale, they offer them in at least three or four colours. They are also lighter than the phenol flax-based handles.
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