# Apple natural and silk micarta build along



## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Hello all :wave:

I've not done a build along yet so decided to do one  I will be making my self an every day shooter. This was my plan when i set out making the pear tube shooter i just finished but it turned out a little nicer than i was expecting ! I just cant see me slipping it in my back pocket every time i take the dogs for a walk.I love the concept of it and how it feels in my hand but i would be gutted if i got a fork hit ! So i'm gonna try and make one the same design and just as tough but out of different materials. I've selected an apple fork and im making some green silk micarta to toughen the fork tips up. I cut the apple a few months ago but im going to give it a few rounds in the microwave to make sure its dry enough. The silk has been reclaimed from a vintage dress i won on ebay for my wife which wasn't in the best of conditions and didn't fit her anyway ! I'm using silk because its so fine and will take many layers to build up the thickness i need which in theory should make it pretty strong.

The raw materials and the catty im trying to reproduce









Ill keep you guys updated as i progress. First job silk micarta

thanks for looking


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

sounds cool


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

OK so my first attempt at the micarta was an epic fail ! I only managed to get about a quarter of the silk down before the resin went off ! I think this was due to me using too much hardener and I was applying the silk one piece at a time . I've just done a second batch , I used less hardener and layered the silk 4 pieces at a time ,I used more resin than I needed to make sure there was enough to soak through the layers . This seemed to work OK and I managed to get the remaining silk down in one go  pics to follow as soon as the resin has gone off. 
Right on to the frame


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## MagicTorch100 (Jun 4, 2013)

This should be good! Come on Dan pics...


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Big Ron and Magic thanks for your interest guys 

Heres where im at so far........

This is my first attempt at the micarta , it seems to have worked fine except its only about 1mm thick :banghead: oh well it'll get used somewhere !!









this is where im at with the frame , i've rasped the forks to about the right thickness and traced around the original catty









next i'll cut out the frame and start to shape the handle while im waiting for the rest of the micarta to cure


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## Mike928 (Nov 20, 2012)

Just a tip, having quite a bit "MyCarta", I suggest using West Systems epoxy. I've had better results with it, VS fiberglass resin. Just make sure to wear a respirator and gloves with either resin.


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Thanks for the tip Mike much appreciated. I'll look into getting some


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## MagicTorch100 (Jun 4, 2013)

Looking good Dan, you can always use that bit for laminate somewhere..


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## tnflipper52 (Jan 26, 2012)

I sense something special coming out of the Ford workshop. Looking forward to the done deal. Looking real good so far and quite an excellent idea too.


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Thanks Magic ! Just had a look at the second board i made and i reckon it's only about 2mm thick which means you need 10 pieces of the silk for each mm of board or there abouts ! I decided not to make any more out of silk for this project i want to save it for something else i have in mind so i just made up another slab using canvas to bulk it out. I'll make a sandwich of the thin silk then canvas then the thicker piece of silk .


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

tnflipper52 said:


> I sense something special coming out of the Ford workshop. Looking forward to the done deal. Looking real good so far and quite an excellent idea too.


Thanks for your interest tnflipper .

i've got the cogs going round regarding materials at the moment ,i'm sure i've got some GRP somewhere.............


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## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

Dan, you are doing it right mate! Looking forward to seeing this through!!!!!!!! I'd want to replicate that sweet pear fork too! That's a doozy friend


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

I'm really interested in this one. I think it's gonn be a killer.


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## Mister Magpie (Apr 10, 2013)

Dan,

Thanks for sharing the process with us. Personally, I am not an experimenter, so it is nice to watch someone do the experimenting for me.


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Btoon84 said:


> Dan, you are doing it right mate! Looking forward to seeing this through!!!!!!!! I'd want to replicate that sweet pear fork too! That's a doozy friend


Thanks for your interest and encouragement Brandon your input on this project is much appreciated  I'm keen to get this one right !



Dayhiker said:


> I'm really interested in this one. I think it's gonn be a killer.


Thank you for taking an interest DH much appreciated



generic said:


> Dan,
> 
> Thanks for sharing the process with us. Personally, I am not an experimenter, so it is nice to watch someone do the experimenting for me.


My pleasure Darren ! I'm hoping to pick up some tips and advice on the way ! Never really saw myself as much of an experimenter !!

With a little jiggery pokery I've managed to make the whole fork tips from the silk micarta like I originally planed without making any more which I'm really pleased about  which also means I have a 5 x 3 1/2 inch slab of canvas micarta spare for another project ! 
At the moment I have one side of the tips glued up and shall leave it till the morning to set then do the other side ,I'll post some more pics in the morning . I shall fall asleep tonight pondering on whether to pin the tips or not..............


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## TxTickPkr (Aug 5, 2013)

Is micarta made much the same as fiberglass by layering fiberglass cloth and resin except using fabric in place of woven fiberglass cloth?


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## Mr.Teh (Feb 28, 2012)

I like topics like this and i will follow him joyfully :thumbsup:


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## AlmightyOx (Mar 4, 2013)

Apple always looks beautiful and with Micarta in there you can't really go wrong. I need to start another slingshot but with 95F days with 75-80 percent humidity I don't really feel like going outside


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## alfshooter (May 11, 2011)

Thank you very much Dan, very interesting.

:wave: .... Alf


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## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

Great project Dan, Can't wait to see the outcome! But I will!


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

TxTickPkr said:


> Is micarta made much the same as fiberglass by layering fiberglass cloth and resin except using fabric in place of woven fiberglass cloth?


Sure is ,theres a really good tutouial if you fancy having a go. Its not difficult as long as your organised and work fast !



Mr.Teh said:


> I like topics like this and i will follow him joyfully :thumbsup:


Thanks for your interest Mr Teh hope you enjoy 





AlmightyOx said:


> Apple always looks beautiful and with Micarta in there you can't really go wrong. I need to start another slingshot but with 95F days with 75-80 percent humidity I don't really feel like going outside


Make one inside then Ox ,i quite often sit watching the TV carving my wife would never see me if i didnt ! :rofl: thanks for your interest mate



alfshooter said:


> Thank you very much Dan, very interesting.
> 
> :wave: .... Alf


My pleasure Alf hope you enjoy !



rockslinger said:


> Great project Dan, Can't wait to see the outcome! But I will!


Thanks rockslinger ! hopefully you wont have to wait too long !!


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Quick update for you guys , i've not done a great deal today work kinda got in the way 

When i got up this morning before i even put the kettle on i cut the rubber bands off the fork tips that i used to clamp the micarta on this is what i found....















So with a nice cup of coffee to hand i did a little filing and was left with this ......















The next step was to prepare the other side of the forks ready for laminating i did this using a rasp then a file then flattened it on a piece of 120 grit paper glued to a thick piece of glass. This is a really useful tool i use it for all sorts especially when im laminating or shaping fork tips , i find sometimes its easier and more accurate to take the piece to the tool instead of the other way round ,i have two different grits glued to mine and i wouldnt be without it !

I decided after much thought to add a laminate of GRP to this side of the forks for extra strength this is probably overkill but i like stuff strong so shoot me ! 

So the next step was to glue up the laminates as i mentioned earlier i use elastic bands to apply pressure ,i just cut them wrap them round and tie them off ,i put the first one on quite loose then get everything lined up then wrap 3 or 4 more on really tight to put the pressure on. I know of at least one professional bowyer that uses this method to glue up longbow staves but using inner tube rubber.









tomorrow ill file these laminates back then drill the tube holes

Thanks for looking


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## Mike928 (Nov 20, 2012)

Looking good. Glad to hear you make use of a true flat surface, it sure makes for a tight butt joint. There is no substitute for its reliability. Personally I use a granite reference block but glass works.


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Mike928 said:


> Looking good. Glad to hear you make use of a true flat surface, it sure makes for a tight butt joint. There is no substitute for its reliability. Personally I use a granite reference block but glass works.


Thanks Mike. Totally agree there really is no substitute. I've even glued fine wet and dry to my glass to flatten the backs of my plane irons ,works perfectly !


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

A few more pics for you guys now the fork tip laminates are filed back and the tube holes drilled.





























The GRP is slightly translucent and shows the green through from underneath and i'm guessing it will be even more so when its polished up nice ,looking forward to seeing how it turns out !

Next i'll start to shape the handle a little more with my knife.

Thanks for stopping by :wave:


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## Mike928 (Nov 20, 2012)

Fantastic job, Dan. I always love a good build along/ WIP.


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## Dr J (Apr 22, 2013)

Great project Dan heading toward a successful completion, you might not want to use this one, as it will turn out fantastic!


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Mike928 said:


> Fantastic job, Dan. I always love a good build along/ WIP.





Dr J said:


> Great project Dan heading toward a successful completion, you might not want to use this one, as it will turn out fantastic!


Thanks for your continued interest and encouragement guys its much appreciated 

Doc i've promised myself no matter how nice this one turns out as long as it shoots ok i'm gonna use it !!! :thumbsup:

Here's where i am now, still a way to go but it's getting there !


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## Mr.Teh (Feb 28, 2012)

Thank you back dan ford, its a cool idea with the tapered fork ends, i enjoy your topic :thumbsup:


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## MagicTorch100 (Jun 4, 2013)

Hi Dan, it's looking really sharp, I'm sure it'll equal the brass tip, if not even better it!


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

you are killing it with this build log. im enjoying every word and pic of it.


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## Quercusuber (Nov 10, 2011)

It's becoming a masterpiece!!!

Beautiful work so far :thumbsup: Those fork tips are too much!!!!

Awesome!!

Q


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## AlmightyOx (Mar 4, 2013)

Setting those up for easy looped tubes? Dan did you read my mind?



dan ford said:


> BUILD ALONG 001.JPG


I love the one on the right. That thing has such a nice curve to the handle.


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Mr.Teh said:


> Thank you back dan ford, its a cool idea with the tapered fork ends, i enjoy your topic :thumbsup:


Glad your enjoying it Mr The 



MagicTorch100 said:


> Hi Dan, it's looking really sharp, I'm sure it'll equal the brass tip, if not even better it!


Thanks very much Magic !



Imperial said:


> you are killing it with this build log. im enjoying every word and pic of it.


Thank you Imp glad your enjoying it mate



Quercusuber said:


> It's becoming a masterpiece!!!
> Beautiful work so far :thumbsup: Those fork tips are too much!!!!
> Awesome!!
> Q


Thanks for stopping by Q and thank you for the awesome comments ! 


AlmightyOx said:


> Setting those up for easy looped tubes? Dan did you read my mind?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sure am Ox I love the concept of being able to change band sets in a few seconds but I also love natural frames hence this project 
Thanks for your comment mate much appreciated !


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

Today has not been a fantastic day ! Just tried to upload some pics to show you only to find out that my SD card is broken :-( so no pics guys sorry . 
Things just haven't gone well today first I cut the handle too short ,not a massive problem I just added a micarta GRP micarta butt cap and all was well again but then I took too much meat from the thickness of the handle so I added a small swell of micarta to the side its only a couple of mm thick but it made all the difference .Still not as thick as I would have liked but it still fits nice in my hand so I'm happy. On the plus side the fork tips turned out really nice I'm really pleased with them . The silk micarta is a fantastic material to work with the layers are so fine it looks awesome polihed up  there is definitely more silk micarta projects coming from my workshop it the future  
Well its all finished now ,its been sanded to 2500 and I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice the grain in this fork is it looked quite bland to begin with .I've rubbed a little camellia oil in and I'm pretty happy with it . I've had some of this oil for years and used it on my tools to stop them rusting apparently its used on samurai swords to keep them blemish free ! It wasn't till I saw that Bob uses it to finish his frames with it that I considered using it for finishing wood but I'm glad I tried it! It brings the grain out real nice without yellowing the wood look BLO can . 
Tomorrow I'll sort out an SD card and take some pics of the finished slingshot

Thank you all for your awesome comments and continuing support , you guys rock


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## quarterinmynose (Jan 21, 2012)

looking good man. Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

quarterinmynose said:


> looking good man. Can't wait to see the finished product.


Thanks buddy ! You won't have to wait too long I've just found our spare SD card so as soon as it gets light I'll be on it !


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## ash (Apr 23, 2013)

The tip technique is really speaking to me. Such a great combination of a best-of-both-worlds kind.

I just noticed that my latest natural uses a similar technique at the butt end to cap the handle, but it's strictly cosmetic, not for reinforcement.


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## Spectre (Jun 13, 2013)

Curious to see the colours of it when you finished it! Thanks for sharing the build log :thumbsup:


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## tnflipper52 (Jan 26, 2012)

Dan, that is gonna be a knock out. The beauty is coming through already. When you finish it I may drool all over myself. You go man.


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## TxTickPkr (Aug 5, 2013)

Dan, This "Hybriding" of the natural is first rate. You have made fork ends that could enable almost any type band or tube connetion on a natural You added utility, strength and a great look as your choice does not overpower the grain.


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## dan ford (May 13, 2013)

A big thank you to every one for showing interest and support on this build along I have enjoyed doing it very much because of this ! 
You guys rock !!


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## Bob Fionda (Apr 6, 2011)

:bowdown:


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## DougDynasty (Jul 8, 2013)

I have no idea how I've missed this and just now seeing this. Holy crap. AMAAAZING Dan! Thank u so so much for all the insight. Wow ur a talented guy. Hats off to u my friend. Doug


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## alfshooter (May 11, 2011)

Thank you very much Sir, I like to learn. :wave:


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## SmilingFury (Jul 2, 2013)

This was a great read! I assume the finished fork is the one in your avatar? Those are two awesome fraternal twins!
Thanks for the insight into what and how you do this amazing process.

Be well,
SF


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