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  #1  
Old 08-10-2012, 10:13 AM
Jacktheknife Jacktheknife is offline
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Epoxying handles on my skinners

Gentlemen,


Howdy, I have been epoxying handles on 14 skinners when about 5 minutes ago I read right here that the epoxy I am using, {Devcon 2 ton} gets soft in water!
Is that cool or what? I have used it on three knives but saved the other eleven and just in time thanks to old Ray!
I have Locktite and will throw the Devcon in the trash.
I''m holding in my hand a skinner I am very proud of. I used the Devcon epoxy on it but will not sell it but just keep it and the other two for myself. Saved and just in time by the 'Knifenetwork forums'! If the handle falls off I can just put on another with the Locktite.
And I would not have known about using alcohol to keep the epoxy off ones hands either. I remember the old days when I would get that stuff all over me and it is a real drag especially when it gets in your hair.


Ray I owe you a knife


Jack the Knife himself
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  #2  
Old 08-10-2012, 11:08 AM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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If you have to re-glue those I'd use Acraglas bedding compound or a marine epoxy, such as the West system, which is designed to be use in patching boat hulls with fiberglass. Good ol' WD-40 is great for removing epoxy from parts and skin before it dries.

Doug


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  #3  
Old 08-10-2012, 12:00 PM
Jacktheknife Jacktheknife is offline
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Doug,


Thanks for the tip on using 'marine epoxy'. I only have two 'Locktite' containers and when it is gone my epoxy of choice will be 'marine' epoxy, I'll go buy a bunch! {Where is it sold}

I am holding in my hand a skinner which turned out fine!
It is a small knife, the blade is 2 1/4" and the entire thing is 5 1/2". I love it and am real proud. I used 1/4" brass tubing for the back handle pin so I could run a leather thong through it but when I went out to the knife shop {the barn} looking for something to run through my 1/4" tubing handle pin I realized the hole was too small. I tried this and that thinking I had ruined another 14 knives when an idea came to me... First I thought I would try and drill out the holes of the 13 not 'handle pinned' yet, with a bigger bit as the 1/4" hole is already drilled and although the blades are already hardened and tempered 'enlarging' the hole is still possible. Then I was opening the big box full of leather and all kinds of lineage when I saw old hunting boot shoe strings! They are after all for threading through boots and they went through the 1/4" holes like a champ! Ha! They are perfect and one can buy a pair at the dollar store for... a dollar, real long ones.

I will use larger brass tubing for my back handle pins but for 1/4" holes the boot strings are actually perfect. I have learned a lot today, the 'marine' epoxy, and the brass tubing size, using boot strings and I haven't even eaten breakfast yet! The knives are rolling off the assembly line at the rate of one a day and I have two dealers up in New York who want them all!

I think I deserve another beer and then... a chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy with a big canned Jalapeno.


God is Great Sabu...
{And thanks Doug. I know a guy in Decatur, a coon hunter I bought a hound from a long time ago. Katy May was her name and her picture is right here, I loved Katy May}


Jack the Knife

Last edited by Jacktheknife; 08-10-2012 at 12:10 PM.
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  #4  
Old 08-10-2012, 12:08 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Think of epoxy as merely a way to seal up the scales and keep moisture from getting next to the tang and not as a way to hold the scales on (it does, but don't count on it). Obviously, a glue that softens in water or breaks down in UV light is not the best choice on an outdoors knife. DevCon is OK inside a stub tang handle but AcraGlas is better.

I like that gritty Orange hand cleaner that auto mechanics use for removing epoxy from my hands. It works well and smells good. The downside is the bears follow me around until the smell wears off ...


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Last edited by Ray Rogers; 08-10-2012 at 12:11 PM.
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  #5  
Old 08-10-2012, 03:03 PM
Larry Peterson Larry Peterson is offline
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Location: I was born and raised in Spanish Fork, Utah. I now live between Manti and Ephraim, Utah. We built a home here about 10 year ago.
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Please forgive me for jumping in where I wasn't invited, however:

About 18 years ago I was building a Wag-Aero 4+4 airplane. I used wooden spar members and wood assembled ribs. After tacking with tiny brass nails, I glued the ribs and spars with an epoxy called (System 3) T-88. This two part epoxy is rated at 7,000 PSI tensil and 11,500 PSI flex strength. The T-88 is resistant to gasoline and will cure at 30 degrees F. (70 degrees is better though.) It is a little costly but IMHO is worth the cost for the piece of mind. This epoxy bonds with everything I have ever tried to use it with. It accepts pigment very well and does not get brittle.

The only draw back is that it is not perfectly clear. It has a yellowish tint when cured.

I used to purchase it through Wag Aero, however I now use "Merton's Fiberglass and Marine Supply." I am not trying to get anyone to try it, but in case someone wants a really high tech product, I am sharing my experience for information only.

Best wishes Jack, Larry Peterson
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  #6  
Old 08-10-2012, 03:14 PM
Matt Bufford Matt Bufford is offline
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As for where it is sold; I get my west systems G-Flex epoxy from a local sailing supply shop. Any place like "west marine" or comparable stores should have it on hand. It is very popular stuff with the boaties!


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Old 08-10-2012, 04:49 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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As The Slacker said, most boat supply stores will carry some sort of marine epoxy. USA Knife Maker Supply carries both the West system and Acraglas, which you might be able to get locally through gun store or a gun smith.

With the West marine epoxy, it would be a good idea to get a scales to weigh out the charges. It's not mixed in the usual 1:1 ratio. USA Knife Maker Supply does sell pumps calibrated to deliver the correct ratio of resin to hardener but that volume is usually more than is needed to attach handles.

Doug


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Old 08-10-2012, 05:13 PM
tim37 tim37 is offline
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The West System G-flex epoxy is the best for knife making that I have tried. It is a 1:1 ratio mix so you don't need the pumps. G-flex has a very small bit of flex built in, rather than being rigid when cured - to the best of my knowledge no other epoxy has any flex. As the metal and wood expand and contract due to heat and cold at different rates, a little flex is a good thing. G-flex is much better than the regular West System for knife making.
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  #9  
Old 08-10-2012, 06:37 PM
Matt Bufford Matt Bufford is offline
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As for mixing, I use a couple of 5ml syringes(cheap at any pharmacy) to draw up and measure the epoxy. I squirt them in a little plastic cup, courtesy of taco cabana's garnish bar, and I stir it wil those little plastic coffee lit stoppers from Starbucks. I spend enough on epoxy, it just seems silly to buy the other stuff! I've used 1:1 in all of my knives, and have had zero adhesion or strength problems.


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  #10  
Old 08-10-2012, 09:16 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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I may have to see if I can get some syringes at my local pharmacy or continue to mix by weight. Either will work according to the instructions that come with the West system. You can get more than one hardener for the resin, which is kind of handy. If you want a slower or quicker set all you have to do is get another hardener, which also determines the mix ratio. If you want to use the pump system you have to make sure you order the right pump for the hardener that you are using. The slow hardener that I purchased called for a 1:5 ratio of hardener to resin. The West system is also a lot less viscous than the Acraglas bedding compound which will also make it more usable if one wants to do a home made micarta substitute.

Doug


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  #11  
Old 08-11-2012, 06:39 AM
WBE WBE is offline
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Saved by knifenetworkforums? OK, Acraglas is probably the best there may be. However, in 08' during a hasty move due to flooding, my son lost a bone slab gripped neck knife I had made in 98'. It was two pinned but not peened, and held with Devcon 2 Ton, the slow set. When the knife was found it had been under water 3 months, and in the open elements and wet ground another two months. The epoxy bond is still sound. The knife very rust covered, but the grips are still tight to the tang today. I personally think Devcon has been given a bad rap, but I'm only going by what I see. In another case, I was asked to replace a set of buffalo slabs on a large knife that I had done about two years before. The man decided he wanted ivory. The tang had been drilled with holes for the Devcon epoxy to bridge through. I knocked the pins out fairly easy, but could not budge the horn slabs, even with heavy hammering. I finally had to burn the horn off, and do some scrapeing to remove all the epoxy. I was truly amazed at the Devcons strength. Draw your own conclusions, but I still use the Devcon with confidence.

Last edited by WBE; 08-11-2012 at 06:44 AM.
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  #12  
Old 08-11-2012, 08:41 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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I also used Devcon for many years and agree it's been given a bad rap. I never had a catastrophic failure with it either but I did have some scales come loose. That was as likely due to insufficient prep as a failure of the glue.

Even so, I find Devcon to be more brittle than AcraGlas, and Devcon tells you it will break down under UV light. As for water, it's supposed to soften under water given enough time (WBE's certainly had enough time) but that doesn't mean it will dissolve and wash away by itself. Heat - as in dashboard sunlight - will soften it too.

Your mileage and experience with this glue may vary. Devcon is (sort of) inexpensive and it's easy to use and the negatives seem to vary with your circumstances. We all want our knives to be the best they can be and hopefully last for generations. Using the best glue you can get is part of the recipe that will make that happen...


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