Carbon Fiber Bronze look Medium twill 4.75"x10.5"x 1/8"

Carbon Fiber

• Bronze tone
• Aerospace grade

This is true aerospace grade carbon fiber material. This particular type comes to us in two size twill (fabric weave). We have a large and medium twill. Looking at the material in raw form you will see a very distinct bronze tone or color 'inside' the material. This bronze color is the result of the epoxy resin and light reflecting back from the carbon fiber. The bronze tone will tend to mostly disappear when you sculpt or grind the carbon fiber. If you leave it largely flat and simply buff it up, the handsome bronze tone will remain.

Let's talk just a bit about carbon fiber material. It is insanely strong construction material. It's really over kill for a knife handle but when it is done right, it looks very cool and very 'hi tech'. Always, always, wear a respirator. You don't want this in your lungs. In fact, you might wear a long sleeve shirt since it makes you itch if you are grinding it. I know this from experience. Carbon fiber, when you grind it, throws out a black soot dust blanket over everything. (And itchy stuff.) It really makes a mess. Once you have it ground, you should sand it down to around 400 or even 600 grit and then buff it with a white (medium approx 1000 grit) to get the shine back and the depth back to the material. (I tried green chrome buff and it didn't do much. Neither did pink no scratch.) You can't leave it rough and have a 'grippy' handle like canvas phenolic. You will not 'feel' the carbon fiber texture ever. This stuff doesn't work that way. You have to buff it up to make it pretty. If you leave it rough because you like the grippy feel, use (way) cheaper phenolic and save your money for something else.

• Wear a respirator.
• Cut it, grind it, shape it just like phenolic.
• Sand to 400 or even 600
• Buff it - a lot. This is stubborn stuff.
• Admire it.

The difference between this material and say canvas phenolic is you will have to spend some time learning how the weave will look when you sculpt the material. With phenolic, the canvas layers are very predictable and you can create something like map topo lines in the handle. The stuff is a little harder to understand as the weave is more sophisticated. It's not a deal breaker. It's just different material and it is more advanced stuff than simple canvas phenolic. Consider this truth in advertising. I want you guys to know what you are getting. 


NOTE: The picture will show the bronze tone of the material. If you look at the smaller piece where I have shaped it, you will see the bronze tone is mostly gone but there is still some bronze tint that remains. Also note the twill pattern can be managed as you sculpt the material.