Scrimshaw help

Has anyone used corian as the medium for scrimshaw? I have a project due for a client and I was considering micarta but corian would be a little easier to come by. I wonder how it would work though so if anyone has used it I'd appreciate the feedback.

Ooh yes, I can answer this one! I have found Corian quite lovely to work on! I expected it to be "plasticky" but it honestly scrims very much like ivory. I prefer it to Micarta.

-Katherine

Hi Mark. Welcome to the Cafe!

Katherine is the expert on scrim but I have experience in commercial/industrial. There are a number of products that are "similar to" Corian and sometimes substituted for Corian without the supplier readily disclosing that information. Some contain an MDF (medium density fiberboard) core and you won't find out until you cut it .... major problem when you're trying to install "monolith" table tops with exposed edges and all of a sudden there's that nasty core sticking out. One similar product actually seems to be more user-friendly than Corian and right not I cannot recall the name but it does take to cutting, finishing & buffing easier than Corian - I want to say it was Staron but I'm not sure, it cut smooth and finishing back to a high shine was quick & easy with S/C wet sanding & buffing with blue compound. Other imitation products are nasty and aside from finding the hidden imitation wood in the middle, they tend to be sticky and do not cut or finish well at all.

i've fiddled with this stuff a bit, tho i'm never going to be known as a scrimmer. the stuff worked for me.make friends with guys that install sinks. maybe they can hook you up wit a huge "drop", or waste piece.

monk said:

i've fiddled with this stuff a bit, tho i'm never going to be known as a scrimmer. the stuff worked for me.make friends with guys that install sinks. maybe they can hook you up wit a huge "drop", or waste piece.

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Monk,

Excellent addition. I didn't even think of it - rarely was there a time when I didn't have a lot of drops at the end of a job.

And, just to clarify my previous post, the Corian isn't very difficult to re-finish after cutting or edging but it does require a little more effort and time if you need to buff it back to a high gloss finish. BTW, if you do make a rough cut on it and choose to use a power sander to speed-up the work, keep it cool especially with a belt sander, short cutting time, long cooling time. AO (aluminum oxide) works okay for roughing but you'll definitely want to do all the finish sanding wet with SC (silicon carbide) - SC mesh works best if you have it handy, if using regular wet sand paper, plenty of water and rinsing the paper off regularly will keep it cutting fast & smooth.