Micarta Colors

Eric Isaacson

Eric Isaacson

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I think the micarta on the Busses takes on a great color after use. Here are some pics of the Colors of Micarta I've seen used on the Busses. Some before use, some after use. Generally, after using them the oils in your hands cause the micarta to darken and take on more of a shine. If you decide to you can usually bring it back to its original color with a Scotch Brite pad and some dish soap.

Here is the Basic Gray Micarta before much use.
 
Here is the same handle with a little color. :D This color can be sped along by a "small" amount of vegetable oil and then wiping it down thoroughly. I like this look much better on the Black blades.
 
Here is another pic of the Micarta that is currently being used on the variants, it is either linen or paper Micarta. The CG use the Canvas Micarta with the quilting.
 
What are the differences/advantages/disadvantages to paper vs linen micarta?

Mark
 
Mark
Good question. This came up about 1 1/2 years ago, here's Jerry's answer to it "There are three types of micarta and several grades of these three types. They all consist of layers of either paper, linen, or canvas. Paper is the most decorative of the three. I have seen paper micarta handles that are 20-30 years old that continue to look great and perform like the day the were made. Linen micarta is the middle grade when it comes to toughness and durability. I used linen exclusively throughout the 80's and very early 90's. It is very attractive when smoothed out and very strong. Canvas is the toughest of the three grades. It surpasses linen micarta by a large margin for strength and durability. Canvas also offers the best overall texture for slip resistance. It is probably the least attractive looking of the three grades unless you suffer from Busse Combat Nuclear Syndrome. In that case you can only find "beauty in the performance". Cosmetics be damned!

It would be difficult to go wrong with any of these three grades."

The original thread can be found here http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=136156

And this he stated in another thread "Our tests have, likewise, shown that due to the coarser fabric in the canvas micarta that it is less slippery than the linen variety. We used linen exclusively until 1994 when we discovered the difference. Again the difference in cost is insignificant and the canvas micarta is stronger and less slippery"

From this thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=135585
 
Thanks for the pics Eric, this is an interesting subject.

I must admit, I prefer the grey micarta look myself. I guess I like the contrast.

I've noticed that sometimes when canvas micarta is smooth ground on a grinder (busse grey/black micarta that is), even with a scotchbrite and detergent it won't turn grey. A bit of light sanding with fine sand paper brings out the beauty though :D

I thought Jerry had accidentally put paper micarta on one of my Busses, but a scotchbrite brought out the grey (and seemed to give the micarta more traction).
 
Excellent heads up Eric! I was nearing to ask a question about the micarta slab differences. After receiving the NO, I thought about the texture and colour of it's handle slabs and remember seeing the 'darker' smoother looking variant of the same. I personally like the one on my NO and in your top pic.

It just has that rough and ready feel....which I like.

What does the CG Mojo have? I have seen some satin Mojo's with the darker slabs.
 
Originally posted by gundy
What does the CG Mojo have? I have seen some satin Mojo's with the darker slabs.
Click to expand...

The CG mojo has the same micarta as your NO (canvas micarta). The satin Mojos you've seen are LE Mojos, they have paper micarta scales, which are totally black. I'm with you, the grey and grippy canvas micarta rules :cool:
 
Good Evening Everyone-

Eric, you da' man.

Thanks for the great pictures of the different colors of micarta...and more importantly, how to influence the color of one's Busse.

Based on what you've shown here, the gray canvas micarta is the best bet for a Steel Heart E. Great grip and it can even be altered to "practically black" if desired. Thanks much.

Regards,

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Excellent thread, Eric. This clears up a lot of confusion on my part, after looking at a ton of Busse knife pics. I never could figure out why so many of the same knives had such dramatically different colored handles. Thanx
 
The pics are ummm, not that good. I need everyone to send all of those knives to me for closer inspection :D
 
To late DN....I sent the owners of those fine tools a private message and they are currently on-route to Australia. I will take some more pics for you however..:D
 
I'd like to see some green, some camo, and some white. Yes white. It would look cool as heck with a CG blade. Nice contrast. MHO.

Mike
 
I'd also like to see some green micarta. However, my current favorite is the micarta that is being used on the variants. :cool:

I think that stuff looks great :D
 
Joe, I used one to two drops of mineral oil on each slab of my Natural Outlaw and the result was instantaneous.

I have never tried to get it off owever, but doubt that something like Dawn, hot water and a toothbrush would have any difficulty.
 
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