Another question about grip material

[wavehopr]

I have some Corian that I was using to make knife scales. Does this material also make satisfactory grips? I've never made grips but I thought I'd give it a try.

 

[Sacramento Johnson]

Howdy!
I've been seeing more grips made out of this (and less out of micarta) the last few years. I have one pair in corian; they're ok. A little too glossy and shiny for my tastes, but it has a market.

 

[Bountyhunter]

Some of it looks really nice.

 

[caryc]

One thing people have to understand is that Corian is a counter top material. It was developed to be used in large flat pieces of at least 1/2". It was never meant to be used for knife handles or gun grips.

On a rating scale of 1 to 10 for durability I would rate Micarta at a 10 and Corian at about a 3. That's my personal opinion. I don't really recommend it. I have probably made about 5 or 6 pairs myself and will make a pair if requested, but I always warn the buyer that it is a counter top material.

Micarta is about the toughest stuff I know of to make a set of gun grips from. Corian will chip or break a lot easier than Micarta.

I know there are people that will say "I've had a pair of Corian grips for eleventy-five years with no problems". I did not say your Corian grips will break, I say they will break a lot easier than Micarta.

Corian is very easy to work and a lot easier to polish than Micarta because of course it is a softer material.

 

[Sacramento Johnson]

Hi CaryC,
I originally wrote in my post that it still looks like counter top material even when in grip form (infact, my counter tops ARE Corian!), but edited it out.
As for Micarta, is there a problem getting this material in white for grips now?

 

[caryc]

Hi CaryC,
I originally wrote in my post that it still looks like counter top material even when in grip form (infact, my counter tops ARE Corian!), but edited it out.
As for Micarta, is there a problem getting this material in white for grips now?

I don't know about snow white Micarta but the Ivory Micarta is outrageously expensive compared to black Micarta. I used to make Ivory Micarta grips but I don't make them any more.

I started running into bad material. What it had was microscopic voids in it. These would appear as dust particles on the finished grips. The trouble was that they only appeared after a grip was completed and polished.

I got tired of having to make three or maybe four grips just to get one good set out of it. That took away all the profit. I still have more material but I'm just not going to bother with it.

 

[pvtschultz]

Hi CaryC,
I originally wrote in my post that it still looks like counter top material even when in grip form (infact, my counter tops ARE Corian!), but edited it out.
As for Micarta, is there a problem getting this material in white for grips now?

I don't know about snow white Micarta but the Ivory Micarta is outrageously expensive compared to black Micarta. I used to make Ivory Micarta grips but I don't make them any more.

I started running into bad material. What it had was microscopic voids in it. These would appear as dust particles on the finished grips. The trouble was that they only appeared after a grip was completed and polished.

I got tired of having to make three or maybe four grips just to get one good set out of it. That took away all the profit. I still have more material but I'm just not going to bother with it.

The other problem that I have been running into with the antique paper micarta is an inconsistent color through the cross section. For whatever reason, one side will be much darker color than the rest which shows up in the grips. It has been a popular material but the inconsistencies are starting to kill my appeal for it. The antique paper micarta is a lot easier to work than the black paper micarta (which has been eating my bits for breakfast) but not nearly as soft as Corian.

 

[sack peterson]

I bought a lifetime supply of Corian for like $20 a one point. I still have some. I use it for making jigs mostly. For grips I got disillusioned with it when I busted sets in half putting screw sets in. Now obviously if you do that more than twice it’s a personal problem rather than a material problem. But I do find Corian to be too brittle.

Micarta is not by any means obsolete but I suspect a lot of better materials have now been found for industrial applications. As it follows, artisans who use it have probably seen diminished choices and availability. I get the sense some of the stuff out there now directed at the craft market is yes real micarta / phenolic but maybe cooked up by old materials specialist guys in their garage without the benefit of great equipment. Re that quality problem.

 

[caryc]

Hi CaryC,
I originally wrote in my post that it still looks like counter top material even when in grip form (infact, my counter tops ARE Corian!), but edited it out.
As for Micarta, is there a problem getting this material in white for grips now?

I don't know about snow white Micarta but the Ivory Micarta is outrageously expensive compared to black Micarta. I used to make Ivory Micarta grips but I don't make them any more.

I started running into bad material. What it had was microscopic voids in it. These would appear as dust particles on the finished grips. The trouble was that they only appeared after a grip was completed and polished.

I got tired of having to make three or maybe four grips just to get one good set out of it. That took away all the profit. I still have more material but I'm just not going to bother with it.

The other problem that I have been running into with the antique paper micarta is an inconsistent color through the cross section. For whatever reason, one side will be much darker color than the rest which shows up in the grips. It has been a popular material but the inconsistencies are starting to kill my appeal for it. The antique paper micarta is a lot easier to work than the black paper micarta (which has been eating my bits for breakfast) but not nearly as soft as Corian.

I'm sure you know this but for the benefit of others reading this thread, Antique Micarta and Ivory Micarta are two different things. But, concerning the antique Micarta I've seen that same thing you describe. I made a pair of grips for a customer that supplied the material.

I did not purchase any of that material for myself because I just don't like how it looks. The finished grips look fine from five feet away but I just don't like how they look close up.

 

[quicksdraw]

Dang , I bought several good sized chunks of 3/4 inch thick corian in bone that i thought looked like aged ivory (what do i know about aged ivory?) with the idea of making grips out of it. Of course time never allowed me to until recently , now that i have the time i guess i need to find a better suited material .

 

[caryc]

Dang , I bought several good sized chunks of 3/4 inch thick corian in bone that i thought looked like aged ivory (what do i know about aged ivory?) with the idea of making grips out of it. Of course time never allowed me to until recently , now that i have the time i guess i need to find a better suited material .

Hey, if it's your own time and you have the material then go for it. No one is guaranteeing that they will break on you. It's faster though if you buy it in 1/2" thickness.

 

[Sacramento Johnson]

Hi all,
Thanks for the info. I just picked up two pairs of old model vaquero grips in ivory micarta from a grip maker I've bought from for a long time. Said it was the last of his old micarta stock. Now I see why. A shame, since I think he and it made really fine imitation ivory grips.
My first pair of ivory micarta vaquero grips was a set from Lett custom grips probably 15 years ago; they have aged nicely to a nice soft yellow. Have gotten many compliments on them over the years. My newer, non-Lett ones haven't aged/yellowed as much; I've read this was due to a change in the micarta formula.