DIY Micarta

[rickiesrevenge]

Anyone ever make a set of micarta grips?

[Drm50]

I’ve made grips out of hi voltage material that is similar to micarta.

[winelover]

272277


272278


Fashioned after the now discontinued Bianchi rubber grips, converting exposed hammer to a shrouded one.


Winelover

[smithnframe]

Good lookin grips wine lover!

[leadeye]

Very good work!

[DHDeal]

I’ve made grips out of hi voltage material that is similar to micarta.

That's the real Micarta. That should have been Westinghouse Micarta and from what studies I've done on it, was what Micarta was designed for in the first place (an electronic insulator).

I'm a huge fan of Micarta as a grip material and have always been impressed with some of the polished white or black grips. Some of the older stuff (or the new craft made stuff) has such nice "grain". Linen or paper Micarta looks as good to me as some natural materials and is tough! My hats off to you guys on your attention to detail but I'm without that talent and will have to continue to pay for my grips.

[bedbugbilly]

Beautiful job winelover! Those look great!

Years ago, I bought a chunk of micarta from a fellow at a gun show who made custom knives. It is probably what DHDeal refers to above as "linen" in color. I bought it just "because" I thought it might come in handy to have on hand. I used it to make a nut and saddle for a violin I was restoring and it worked great. Once it was polished and installed, it looked like Ivory. I didn't have a way of turning an end peg to hold the tailpiece as I would have liked to. It's an interesting material to work with.

[CastingFool]

I once made a knife, using micarta for the scales. While the scales turned out ok, the micarta was a bear to work with.

[mattw]

You bet, have used denim and thick colored paper to make several sets of 1911 grips.

[samari46]

Some of the fancy exersize machines like the tread mills have a thick base plate made out of micarta. Sears brand comes to mind. The wife would kill me if she saw me disassembling her treadmill just for the micarta. It's not a little piece either. probably 2' wide
and 5-6' long and about 5/8ths thick. Frank

[winelover]

Micarta is pretty easy to work with. Some of the micarta folding knives I have made, in the past. The second one has the matching micarta scales as the grips on the Model 60. Also made a matching grips for my Browning HP. Don't have a picture of those, available. Scrimshaw work was jobbed out.
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Winelover

[onelight]

winelover you do nice work !

[rickiesrevenge]

I've got a new to me FA that has the rubber grips. Don't care for the grips at all. Not sure if I want to spend the money to send the whole gun back to FA just for grips.

[DHDeal]

The only thing I can add to whether you want to send it back or not is will you want to have them do any other work while it's there. Does it have their action job? Tigger stop? Possibly an older one with the non replaceable firing pin? Maybe flute the cylinder?

I had to send a FA83 back for the action job as it was listed as having it and didn't. It showed the end of the box but being both impatient and a knothead, I didn't pay attention. As I didn't use an FFL to ship it, it was expensive. Bundle any stuff you want done and send it. FWIW, their grip fit is seamless on my 4. A fingernail cannot feel the lines.

3 of mine have black Micarta and one has the wood. When and if the one with the wood grips breaks a firing pin (it's an older model 83 with the fixed pin and hardened barrel bushing), it'll go back for the replaceable firing pin, black Micarta, and fluting to match the other 3.

Don't rule out the white Micarta (almost a cream color to my eyes) as it's not seen as often. More expensive for whatever reason, but it looks really nice.

[flint45]

I have made Micarta out of many different materials one that I really like a lot is using a ivory colored paper it looks very much like ivory and is extremely strong and stable just make sure the resin is deeply embedded into the material it works great on knives and handgun grips.

[rickiesrevenge]

Both of my FAs have the replaceable firing pin. The 475 has wood stocks which fit me well. I knew I wasn't going to love the rubber because I once owned a 454 with them and it wasn't great. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. Send it out or DIY. Sending it from AK gets spendy quick. Even with an FFL sending it itdd not cheap


Aaron

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[DHDeal]

No, I suspect it isn't cheap coming from Alaska.

[DHDeal]

I have made Micarta out of many different materials one that I really like a lot is using a ivory colored paper it looks very much like ivory and is extremely strong and stable just make sure the resin is deeply embedded into the material it works great on knives and handgun grips.

I'd love to see some of your work. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm a big fan of Micarta and from the examples I've seen, the paper adds that grain and makes it look like an organic material. I've had to get Holly grips to simulate ivory but the white paper Micarta simulates it even better (plus it's tough). I might be gun poor, but my wallet draws the line concerning ivory.

[DHDeal]

Micarta is pretty easy to work with. Some of the micarta folding knives I have made, in the past. The second one has the matching micarta scales as the grips on the Model 60. Also made a matching grips for my Browning HP. Don't have a picture of those, available. Scrimshaw work was jobbed out.
272353

Winelover

That is some fine work!

[winelover]

The scrimshawed knife is handled in ivory micarta. It ages just like ivory. Randall custom knives, out of Orlando, use to offer it as an optional handle material, don't know if they still do. Sometimes it's unobtainable.

Winelover

[alamogunr]

I've got quite a bit of Micarta that I got as scrap when I was working. It is all the electrical insulating material that was used on very high voltage equipment. What I have is kraft/phenolic brown. I've used it for various applications but never for stocks/handles. My skills don't lend to that type of work. The stuff I have doesn't look very good anyway. It sure does stink when run across the table saw or when drilled. Whenever I do any of that, I have to put my clothes in the wash.

As Winelover said, it is somewhat rare today, especially in the decorative types. Westinghouse was the original manufacturer, my employer when I first learned about the stuff. I continued to work for the successor company after Westinghouse went under. I retired almost 15 years ago and I don't know what is used as electrical insulation in the large transformers now. Maybe someone still makes the insulating stuff. Have no idea about the decorative Micarta either.

[Green Frog]

I read the title on this and thought maybe the OP was going to give instructions on how one could make steps to make Micarta oneself. I remember seeing some 30-40 years ago that people were making themselves using a variety of types of cloth and paper. Some of them were very attractive and seemed pretty durable as well.

Can anybody post a reference to D-I-Y making of Micarta? I’m thinking an ivory colored silk based Micarta would be neat to work with.

Froggie

[rickiesrevenge]

There are video's on youtube showing how to make it. Doesn't seem that hard to do really. I was just wondering if anyone here has done it.