Making a Mold for Casting Knife Making Handle Material (Micarta)

[@surge3518]

Thank you for making a video to show me how to make a mold to make micarta to make a handles for diy woodworking tools that will most likely make things to make other things.

[@chstoney]

Thank you for making all these videos. Several years ago you inspired me to build my own belt sander and refurbish my knife-making workshop and I sure won't stop making knives any time soon. My solutions to the various problems are, of course, different from yours, but you were an important inspiration many times. Just by showing one way it can be done, you have allowed me to find another way more suited to my personal circumstances. Inspired by your previous video on Micarta I have made my own flat-ish slabs using discarded (and or course washed) margarine-spread bowls for example.

[@lukasbleifu6476]

I bought an older deckel fp1 milling machine a few months ago. the machine is from 1938 and in the manual that came with it they show how to mill a mold for bakelite light switch cases. the mold is made from steel and is tapered so they could show the use of the universal milling table that can tilt in 3 different directions. in a product catalogue that also came with the mill they show how to make parts using their pantograph copying milling machine. i guess cnc wasnt around back then...

[@steamboatmodel]

Numerical Control machines started in the 1940s, I think it was in the 50s they started using computers with them, but they still used 1" wide paper tape to load the program in them.

[@LastBastionLabs]

I have a Tormach in my basement and would love to see more how to CNC knives. Love the channel and what you do. Don't let the manual guys get under your skin.

[@phaledax3661]

Thanks Walter! my best knowledge comes from you, and then trying to apply it.

[@gmacka6333]

I know we all enjoy making sharp knives, but I'd prefer to keep the skin ON the cat! Lol. Obviously I'm just kidding around, I absolutely love your videos and all the amazing tips and tricks you freely share with all of us. Please keep these amazing and informative videos coming. You have the skills I could only dream of attaining in this field. Hopefully I can get a little closer after watching and practicing the things you share on here.

[@42icee]

Awesome....albeit I have a cnc, I have neverade molds for micarta. I will have to give this a go.

[@delta7_actual]

Awesome idea!

[@JaimeHammett]

Love your voice and accent. Make it all easier to understand as I'm not native english speaker.

[@amaroussama]

Verry good and educative video

[@andrewhamilton3707]

is that technically micarta ? micarta is fabric soaked in resin and compressed together . thats just resin handle material ? i mean they came out cool and im sure they will lookamazing when finished but thats not really micarts

[@DoggoWillink]

Love his videos but I’m still trying to find out what the cards are. I have the description part down though.

[@BeckTools]

PTFE has half the Fiction of HDPE but it cost like twice as much. If the HDPE works no need to spend the money on PTFE. I'm going to have to give this a try. Great video!

[@Nomad1957]

After mounting this stuff as a knife handle can it be wet sanded?

[@kevinorr6880]

I thought that material or paper missed a needed a two piece press? How does this work for burlap for example?

[@MerchantMonk]

@walter do you think this could be 3d printed?

[@hanelyp1]

3D printed would probably work well with a draft angle at the edge, and post processing to remove layer lines the resin could grab onto. Paraffin wax may work well to fill print minor imperfections and act as a mold release.

[@TalRohan]

my cat objects to your way of doing the job but I like it...very useful little project.

[@marchueltz4993]

You can skip all this by making a handle shaped mold of 2k silicone using a knife that fits your hand. Put the knife verically into a holder. Let it hang into an empty plastic beer cup. Spray both with mold release. Pour the silicone into the cup so the handle is just with the upper edge of the silicone. Let silicone dry (I use medium hardness silicone). Remove knife and cup. Now you have a handle mold. Just hang the tang of your knife into the mold using a laboratory stand with clamps or whatever works for you. Pour high quality 2k epoxy resin into the mold. Let harden. Remove from mold and you have a great knife handle. You can colour the epoxy with ink or powder or both. Put glitter in it or whatever. The tang is firmly cast into the handle and its water proof and very hygienic. I sand the handle to about 1500 grid and then polish then with wax and a rotating soft fabric disk. Perfect for kitchen knifes. I use high quality resin and never one of these handles broke.

[@minnow11]

Would a block of PTFE work?

[@philochristos]

I've been thinking about making rubber molds. It seems like it would be easier to get the micarta out of those.

[@hanelyp1]

Rubber molds are good when you can't get draft around the shape to remove it from the mold. In this case a rigid material is fine, just needs to not stick to the resin.

[@bill4639]

How about PTFE (Teflon) Walt? What about silicon Walt?

[@marchueltz4993]

You can get silicone molds for a few bucks in various sizes via amazon, ebay etc. They work great with resins. I use silicone molds for jewelry and knife handles.

[@bill4639]

@@marchueltz4993 you would agree silicone molds are better than UHMW plastics correct?

[@PRO_GAMER_SIM]

why u dont make these molds to sell?

[@jackreeves3001]

Thanks for sharing your time! Great information in a real way. Thanks for sharing! KANSAS

[@henrydando]

does anyone know what type of tap he used to make the feet?

[@jamespilcher4557]

It's a spiral flute tap. It pulls the chip back out of the hole instead of pushing it ahead. Good for blind holes.

[@surge3518]

You could do it with other taps but would have to drill all the way through. Personally, I’d thread the aluminum rod and install t nuts to the base. Only because drilling holes in the exact center of rods at 90 degree angle isn’t easy without a lathe. Honestly you could just drill a hole and epoxy the legs in place. The only benefit I see of screwing them in is adjusting if your worktop isn’t flat/level.

[@pnwprospecting]

So I have quite a few hundred pounds of black sand Magnetite from my gold mining at Cape Disappointment. I’m looking at doing my first Bloomery. And I wanted to ask you a few questions if that would be OK? How would the best way to communicate with you be

[@osoeduardo]

I use PTFE as a mold material.....

[@squishheaddead2850]

Please tell me someone else can hear the voice in the background of this video! I hope I am not losing my mind! lol

[@MerchantMonk]

Wait?.... everyone doesn't have a CNC in thier garage?? Wth

[@censusgary]

This project is nothing but an excuse to use a CNC. Walter knows it, which is why he’s so defensive about the CNC. You can easily slap something together from pieces of scrap that will work as well, with no CNC or router needed.

[@usernameisaname]

...because "slapped together" screams high quality and repeatable. How dare he use the tools he owns to make stuff.

[@randomstew]

If I had a CNC, I'm pretty sure I'd be making excuses to use it also.

[@meatmadmick]

Not an excuse when you actually have a business and/or want precision and as mentioned in another's comment: REPEATABILITY. Consistency is in a 3 way tie with accuracy and quality when it comes to fabricating a product. Slapping molds or anything else ranks very very low.

[@larryohara6513]

Way cool! Stupid CNC....LOL