Paper Micarta(paper reinforced phenolic laminate material) is an extremely durable thermoset laminated composite material made from layers of paper and phenolic resins. Micarta was originally developed and trademarked by Westinghouse in the early 1900s and ownership has passed on to International Paper in the 1980's and then to Norplex in 2003. Micarta/phenolics are known to be heat and wear resistant, easily machinable, durable, lightweight, corrosion resistant, low moisture absorption and comfortable to grip when used as handle material.
The term "micarta" has been used generically worldwide for decades as a name for a variety of laminated composite materials produced by many manufacturers. This ranges from industrial grade phenolic materials to custom made artisan materials made from burlap, firehose, paper, organic materials and a number of other substrates. Most of these custom made "micarta" materials are actually made with epoxy resin rather than phenolic resin. Phenolic resins will darken over time which is what gives old micarta an aged look/patina while epoxy resins will be more color stable over time. In the maker community today, almost all such composite materials are generically referred to as a type of "micarta". Our selection of micarta/phenolics includes materials made by Norplex, Current Composites and other custom composite makers and the term "micarta" is used in the generic sense in some of our listings in order to make it easier for customers to locate materials based on common search terms.
