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Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials
Making insteresting handle materials from everyday use items.
The resin I use is either polyester or epoxy, and once you mix it with a hardener, as the resin by itself won't dry and get hard, you place one layer of this mix in top of a piece of fabric (like you were putting jam on a cracker), then you place another piece on fabric on top and start doing the same process over and over until you reach the desired height.
Take into consideration that you're going to press that, so the height will get considerably reduced.

Once you get this done, you put it on the vice, making sure that the parts that make contact with it (or the layers of metal that you use between the micarta and the vice) are properly oiled, or otherwise this micarta will stick to the vice and it will be a real mess to unglue it. (Picture 1)

Once it gets completely dry (time would depend on the materials and resins) you just take it off the vice and can use it as you please. You can use pieces of fabric of the same color or different, depending on what you want to achieve. (Picture 2)

What I do in order to achieve some designs on the micarta so I don't have to make stange shapes on a handle or cut diagonally or so, is to place little acrylic cilinders on the bottom and top of the micarta before I press it, so even if I loose a lot of material as I can only use the center part, it gets me nice designs. (Picture 3)

The process for a multilayer wood is the same as the one I use with micarta, but in this case I used black resin instead of transparent, to test how the wood would absorb the resin, making a nice effect. (Picture 4)

Once you get rid of the non usable parts of it by filing it on both sides, you get a piece of this new material that you can use it as a regular piece of wood or micarta on a handle/sheath. (Picture 5)

You can use this technique with a variety of materials, such as leather or acetate. (Pictures 6 and 7)

If you use transparent resin, you get nicer details by using woods of really different colors to contrast better. (Picture 8)
Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials   Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials   Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials   Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials   Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials   Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials   Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials   Tutorials - Making Multilayer Materials
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Finished Knives
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