G10 Fiberglass Laminate - Knife Handle Material

G10 Info

Description

G10 is a Glass-based Epoxy Resin Laminate, which is formed by soaking layers of glass cloth in epoxy resin, and compressing them down and heating them until they set. G10 is very similar to Micarta and Carbon Fiber Laminate, in that they are all Resin Laminates, only the base material is changed. G10 can also be obtained in a Phenolic Resin version, but is called G3 and not often used for knifemaking. G10 is the toughest of the Glass Fiber Resin Laminates and consequently the most commonly used.

G10 is imperveous to moisture, and has excellent electrical insulating properties making it useful for circuit boards and othe electrical applications. It is also easy to grind and comes in many colors making it an excellent choice for knife handles and parts. It is advisable to have appropriate ventilation and breathing aparatii when grinding G10.

It is often used for tactical knife handles and is popular with many knife companies and custom makers such as Benchmade, Emerson, and Strider. While production knives using G10 tend to be textured, creating a grippy surface for extra purchase, custom makers tend to either bead blast G10, sand it or polish it.

G10 is available in a huge variety of colors,and more and more colors seem to be available all the time. Everything from your standard black to toxic green, bright orange and multi-color versions.

G-10 Examples