$10 Quickie Replacement Knife Handle

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Recon1

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Now I wouldn't do this to any of my high-end knives but for a quick and sturdy handle replacement on a lower end knife, a couple of tubes of the Oatey Brand Plumber's Epoxy Putty found at Lowe's (not the junk from Home Depot) will work.

It's about $5.00 for a 4 oz. tube and for most knives you would need 2 tubes of it.

You just mix it with your hands ( covered with nitrile gloves) and once the colors are all meshed together it is ready to use. It takes about a minute to mix it up and then you sculpt it directly on the knife tang like playdough. It sets up pretty quick and in less than an hour you have a very durable, sandable & paintable handle.

Just be careful as it gets REALLY HOT while it is curing. It gives you about 4-5 minutes of working time so you may want to build it up in layers.

I've used it many dozens of times on movie prop knives and machetes and several lower-end hard use blades and haven't had any problems with it short of beating it with a hammer, really hard.

Anyway, it's a cheap and easy fix for a beater that you can customize completely to your liking. ;)
 
Here's an older one. The handle on that machete is a custom made from that same putty and it's still holding strong.
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Recon1 said:
...a couple of tubes of the Oatey Brand Plumber's Epoxy Putty found at Lowe's (not the junk from Home Depot) will work.
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Wouldn't the Oatey Brand plumbers epoxy putty at Home Depot be the same thing as the one at Lowes?

Oatey is a brand name and is not a Lowes brand so any hardware store should carry it I would think.
 
The Home Depot here at least doesn't carry the Oatey brand but I know that every Lowe's I have been in has it (so far). The Stuff that the HDs stock (when it isn't Oatey brand) is junk and cracks after a while.
Whoever has the Oatey, that's the particular brand I've had the best luck with. If the HD near you has it, cool.
 
BTW, thanks for the very simple 2 cents.
Everyone on the PLANET know's that Oatey is a name brand and NOT specific to a single retailer. It's amazing that you felt you needed to point that out.
Did it dawn on you that I may be trying to save someone the trouble of going to Home Depot when it's obvious that all of their stores don't stock the Oatey brand epoxy?
 
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Recon1 said:
BTW, thanks for the very simple 2 cents.
Everyone on the PLANET know's that Oatey is a name brand and NOT specific to a single retailer. It's amazing that you felt you needed to point that out.
Did it dawn on you that I may be trying to save someone the trouble of going to Home Depot when it's obvious that all of their stores don't stock the Oatey brand epoxy?
Click to expand...

Easy there fella. The way you wrote it wasn't clear exactly what you meant. Sometimes big stores like Home Depot have things made just for them that is a cheaper version of what other places sell. Normally it is tools like DeWalt but who knows what it extends to. I didn't know if you might know something that wasn't common knowledge. You didn't specify brand or anything just the 'junk from Home Depot' which isn't all that clear. No need to get your panties in a wad.
 
I enjoy my panties more when they are wadded.
Anyway..... to clarify, the Home Depot around here carries a product called PC Putty Epoxy which is useless for this application but if one near you sells the Oatey brand, that's what you should purchase. ;)
 
Kinky!

I wonder if that epoxy that comes in a stick would work. There are 2 different colors one in the center the other on the outside. You cut off what you want and knead it until it is uniform in color and then use it like putty to mold it to whatever you need to fix or to follow the shape of something. I can't remember the name but I think there are many different brands and I think one was even advertised in an Infomercial. It might even be what you are talking about except it come in sticks and not tubs.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
Kinky!

I wonder if that epoxy that comes in a stick would work. There are 2 different colors one in the center the other on the outside. You cut off what you want and knead it until it is uniform in color and then use it like putty to mold it to whatever you need to fix or to follow the shape of something. I can't remember the name but I think there are many different brands and I think one was even advertised in an Infomercial. It might even be what you are talking about except it come in sticks and not tubs.
Click to expand...

MightyPutty.
As advertised by billymays.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
Kinky!

I wonder if that epoxy that comes in a stick would work. There are 2 different colors one in the center the other on the outside. You cut off what you want and knead it until it is uniform in color and then use it like putty to mold it to whatever you need to fix or to follow the shape of something. I can't remember the name but I think there are many different brands and I think one was even advertised in an Infomercial. It might even be what you are talking about except it come in sticks and not tubs.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried Mighty Putty brand but the Oatey is the same way in that it comes in stick form with gray on the outside with an off-white center that you blend together with your fingers. All I can say is that it does work in a pinch for a no-fastener handle replacement.
 
ive seen knives at flea markets with what looks like a jb stick weld (a putty that you knead like clay and it can be drilled, filed, etc) replacement handle, it was a TL-29 electricians slipjoint.
Pretty cool thanks for the tip!
ivan
 
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