This has not been sanded or polished. This is straight off the surface grinder. But I can tell the material characteristics, and the quality. I'm really STOKED over this Fossil Misquito Tusk I have mad..... Ah .... Excavated ... .

The options are limitless. For an artist, this type of new experience is everything.

Ok, I'm happy; so don't be a bummer.



(BTW - note I've been cranking the gun work, and some quick math will show how much of this extra stuff simply goes to pay my sky rocketing $1,500+/month health insurance and the extra several hundred $ for meds. Yippie).

Is that some of that old fashion carbon fiber mixed with a few colors? I bet that is going to look sweet polished up. Maybe some stainless and a blade mixed in? Yummy!

Hi Sal,

Yep. The color is in the matrix material. This one will have a stainless blade. The liners are bonded now. Brass. This will be a button lock. A slightly shorter version of the Mdl. 97. I can see that this material will look killer in polished form, or in a satin finish. I can't stand it.

When I began making knives, I read about this material. Hunted and hunted for it. Finally tracked to a plastics company in the city - 50 miles away. I was a babe in the woods. Made a trek to the place and found all sorts of odds and ends of pcs. in the natural color - mostly of a paper matrix. At that time, the rage was what they were calling "Ivory Micarta" ... a Cream color paper base Phenolic. But I couldn't find it.

Well, forward from 1975 to 2015, and I've cracked the code. I can dig for the stuff in my own Tar Pits! haha. I'm stoked about the quality. It took custom steel molds and the pressure of Eons of Time (or Hydraulic if you are more rushed) ... along with research- just like the old days when I sat in bed at 2am and read everything I could find on subjects. This stuff is harder then bone. That's what I was going for. Bone was the ideal benchmark. Bone is a near perfect natural handle material. Very stable. Warm. Beautiful. Can be dyed. Ages gracefully. Is structural. Is solid throughout. Bingo!!!

Thanks Sal,
Gary

Wow Gary,
Your enthusiasm sure shows through. I can't wait to see how this turns out. Just don't get too excited and shoot yourself in the eye Red Rider!
Later,
Jeff
P.S. Haven't been posting much because of a big house problem I have tried to write about twice - each time I lost the post. Hope to have it sorted out soon.

Ah Jeff,

You're killin' me. Lost posts. You have to write it elsewhere. Copy it - Command C, then bring up the post window here, hit Command V. I'm sure you know all that. But then you won't run afoul of your connection to the forum timing out. And your post will be secure elsewhere. It's a bummer to loose posts. I hate that too.

Good hearing from you. Hope the house thing gets straight. I sort of shake and wobble whenever I hear the word "house" ....
Gary

Stabilized camouflage I like it . Hope it turns out just as planned . It always fun discovering new ..... Dig sites !

Thanks
Kurt

That's right Kurt. Secret dig sites.

I'm sure glad when I wasn't here on the Studio patio about 8pm when these Saber Tooth Misquitos roamed the earth! The ones we have now drive me Nutz.



Gary

I anticipate there is a huge urge to experiment with colors and patterns in this new material!

Nah ....

Just what the ole Tar Pit yields.

Hey Jerry ... Just conversationally speaking, how many colors do you think there are ...

Gary

I'm told real men only know 6 colors but I think there might be a couple more...