Micarta Scales Patina & Wax

Thanks for swinging by – I appreciate it!

Since Micarta and similar products that are made from various natural fibers absorb oils during use, they will patina changing the way they look over time.  Some prefer the natural patina that these materials take on and others prefer to apply wax or oil to proactively apply a patina and to help protect the surface immediately prior to use.  I prefer to apply food-safe wax to the scales on my knives that contain natural fibers.  The wax darkens the color a bit, which I think looks slick and it doesn’t seem to negatively impact my grip after the wax soaks in for a day, or so.

The Micarta used on SlicKnives fixed blades is sold in its raw, basic form without any wax or oil applied; all product pictures included in the listings on our website show the raw state of the Micarta scales.  The picture included in this post shows the black canvas and brown linen Micarta in their raw state and then immediately after food-safe wax has been applied, so that you can see how they look before and after the wax has been applied. 

I’ve found that something like Interstate Wood Works Beeswax Paste is a great option for natural fiber knife scales.  Their wax is made in the USA from a non-toxic mixture of beeswax and mineral oil; it works great on butcher block surfaces and wood cutting boards, too.

Hopefully, this bit of information is valuable, and I encourage you to try it out for yourself!

Thank you,
Brendon