Source for Micarta and G10

[Appalachian Hillbilly]

Where are you guys getting black linen micarta and G10? I ordered some phenolic from Binghams for tip overlays and it was just glass that had been ground on both sides.

Got some g10 from Big Jim but it is only 1 1/2" wide. I need some wider for I beams etc.

[OldRawhide42]

Big Jim will custom cut G10

[Crooked Stic]

You can find random pieces on the big auction site pretty cheap.

[Kirkll]

Professional Plastics....

https://www.professionalplastics.com/AboutUs

[Jeff tech]

I only use Linen Phenolic or G10. No Micarta. Isn't Micarta a paper and resin product?
 I get my Linen Phenolic from BigJims or Binghams. JF

[onetone]

I like www.masecraftsupply.com for sheets of linen phenolic and G10.

[Appalachian Hillbilly]

I only use Linen Phenolic or G10. No Micarta. Isn't Micarta a paper and resin product?
 I get my Linen Phenolic from BigJims or Binghams. JF

Phenolic is basically another name for Micarta. Micarta was a brand name.

You can get canvas, linen, and paper. Linen is the finest grain stuff we want

[Bow man]

https://www.alphaknifesupply.com/shop/knife-making-supplies-materials

[BigJim]

We sell G10 by the inch in lengths of 36" or 48". We also don't charge to cut it. So if you want a piece 3" x 36" .. or basically any width, no problem.
As of last week, it is available to purchase on line. The color is black and much less waste and at better prices than most of the knife supply.. or others.

Need it thicker than we offer, or a thickness we don't offer, you can laminate it together with barely a noticeable glue line if you can see it at all.
Thanks, bigjim

[Buemaker]

I have never used G 10, but have anyone experienced when gluing G 10 with wood lams that the finish can crack slightly at the gluelines after time. I guess G 10 is a more «dead» material than wood that can shrink and expand no matter how dry and well finished?

[BigJim]

Buemaker, when using any type of glass or phenolic, this can be a concern. It happens when the wood isn't dry enough and shrinks away from the glass/phenolic.
Personally I never use glass or phenolic perpendicular in the riser and only in extreme rare occasions have I seen it separate while in an I-beam situation.
It is obvious that the wood is shrinking when it pulls away from the phenolic since the outside is rarely smooth after. The phenolic protrudes slightly afterward.
At any case, it is extremely important that G10 and phenolic (G10 is also a form of phenolic) has been sanded with very coarse grit and then cleaned with acetone. 60 grit is acceptable, but 36 is more desireable.
BigJim

[Buemaker]

Okay, Thank you, will remember that.

[Mad Max]

I hear other people say don't use glass in a riser but we all use glass on our limbs.
What the difference ?

[BigJim]

Mad Max, I can't explain it except that in most cases the limb glass is on the outside and the wood/boo next to it is unlikely to shrink enough to show. The glass/G10/phenolic doesn't shrink at .
Wood doesn't shrink unless there was moisture in it to escape, so when it shrinks away from the accent stripes in the riser they can be felt and often times the glue joint is compromised. No amount of finish will alleviate this.

The wood can swell if exposed to enough moisture, but this would be an extreme case and not common to everyday use/storage.

So.. to clarify, once wood is "dry", it expands and contracts as MC changes around it, but it is so slight that it isn't noticeable. The glass and phenolic doesn't.  Because many bowyers don't have great stores of wood aging and rarely know the background of wood they acquire, it can be a sketchy proposition to use glass and or phenolic as accent lines in the riser. Even for the experienced, judging MC is often educated guessing.
BigJim

[Appalachian Hillbilly]

Thanks for the replies Big Jim. One thing I have started doing is put the wood for my next riser in the heat box while curing the current set of limbs. Dont know if this helps any, but makes me feel better. On my current list of things to do is a humidity closet.

[Mad Max]

My bow room has been dehumidified for many years and still running.

[Kirkll]

Big Jim nailed it…. I’ve been using G-10 for I beams for many years, and  I have had more than my share of slight separation or cracked finish. This happens  at the back of the shelf mostly, but has happened in other locations too. But…. The stuff is incredible for strength, and I refuse to stop using it.

 Even when your wood is bone dry, shipping it to a different climate than it was built,  humidity can and will cause the wood to move and no finish you use makes a difference. I’ve had most my issues sending bows to very dry climates like Utah, Co, AZ, NM…. Also Australia is seriously dry climate. Etc…etc… from Oregon. The wood in my shop stays right at 12% year round. Sometimes dropping to 10 in late summer. I lay up most my risers ahead of time and let them dry in my spray booth that I keep heated and dry.

I’ve had my best luck staying below 10% on the I-beam lay up, and then hanging it in the spray booth at 90 degrees for a couple days after it’s been shaped and before I finish it. If it’s going to separate a wee bit, it typically does so prior to finish and the crack can be filled with epoxy before finished.  I seldom have issues doing it this way…..but I still have them come back for refinish now and then. But…. I can live with it, and my customers love the mass weight and the non flex riser.

All the bows I built here with G-10 in the riser that stays in Oregon, or the west coast,  I’ve never had an issue….  Kirk

[Kirkll]

I only use Linen Phenolic or G10. No Micarta. Isn't Micarta a paper and resin product?
 I get my Linen Phenolic from BigJims or Binghams. JF

Phenolic is basically another name for Micarta. Micarta was a brand name.

You can get canvas, linen, and paper. Linen is the finest grain stuff we want

I didn't know that bro.... I always associated Micarta with that seriously dense, glass like material that destroyed band saw blades.

[Flem]

G-10 and Micarta are really simple to make and the color and texture possibilities are unlimited if you do. Must be thousands of how to videos on the subject.

[Mad Max]

Needs to be under high pressure doesn't it?