If you’re looking to make a homemade knife, making the grips is an important part of the process. Not only do you need to choose the right materials, but you need to know how to assemble and finish them as well.
Wood is the most common material used for knife handles, but there are many other options out there. From horn to bone, there are a lot of materials that can be used to create beautiful and unique knife handles.
Wood
Wood is a popular material for knife grips because it offers a variety of benefits. These include durability, comfort, and cost-effectiveness.
Hardwood is dense, less porous, and has fine grains. These properties make it a good choice for knife handles because they are less likely to break when subjected to impact, falls, and chemicals.
Ebony is another dense and durable hardwood that can be used to make knife handles. It is extremely expensive and highly sought-after, but it can last a long time when cared for properly.
Cocobolo is also a great wood for making knife handles. This Central American wood is very hard and resilient, which makes it resistant to water and insects.
Knife makers can stabilize wood by injecting polymer resin, which reduces expansion and contraction with temperature changes. Stabilized wood is also a more practical option because it requires less specialized care than natural handle materials.
Micarta
Micarta is a type of laminate that can be fabricated into various shapes and sizes. It is commonly used in knife handles and gun grips because of its durability and easy-to-grip features.
It is made of several layers of substrates, including linen, cotton, or canvas, that are soaked in resin before being molded together. Then, it is cured under pressure and high temperature.
In addition to being strong and durable, Micarta is a good insulator, making it a great choice for many applications. It also can be manufactured in almost any color you want.
It was first invented by George Westinghouse in 1912 and used a phenolic resin developed by Leo Baekeland to make electrical insulators. The resins were impregnated into paper and cotton fabric to create a composite material that is still used today.
G10
There are many materials that knife enthusiasts can choose from when they want to make their own knife grips. These can range from natural materials like wood and bone to synthetic ones that are more durable and offer reliability.
One of the most popular materials for knife handles is G10. The material is made from glass fiber sheets that are soaked in epoxy resin and then pressed together.
This process creates a strong, lightweight material that is easy to work with and has a soft feel. It also resists moisture and has a variety of colors.
It is also one of the toughest materials on the market and can stand up to a lot of abuse. It will not scratch, chip, crack or split, making it the ideal material for tactical and survival knives.
Plastic
Plastic knife grips are very popular because they are durable, easy to maintain, and come in a variety of colors. They also help to protect the blade from scratches and cuts.
Plastics are often combined with rubber, which provides a more comfortable grip. Some plastics have a textured surface, which helps reduce slippage and makes it easier to hold the knife.
The most common plastic for kitchen knives is called Micarta, which was originally developed to provide electrical insulation. The material is a laminated resin-based material made from layers of paper or linen, with the linen being stronger.
Another plastic is called G-10, which is a composite material made by soaking layers of fiberglass cloth in phenolic resin and compressing the resulting material at high heat. This is one of the toughest fiber-reinforced laminates and it’s water- and temperature-resistant.
A more expensive option is carbon fiber, which is a reinforced polymer that contains tightly woven strands of carbon set in resin. While relatively strong, carbon fiber is not indestructible and it may crack if subjected to high impact.