A few firsts, big problem

[timos-]

Ive got a knife here I really like. First time using oosik (i got from mark knapp for free in a fly naming contest). first time finishing a porous handle material with clear epoxy. This was the first knife i finished since making them as a kid 15 or so years ago. Basically I really like this knife and have hours and hours invested into it.

But there is one big, big problem. I did not clean the steel very well before using the 2 part west systems epoxy. I can now see a very thin bead of daylight between the steel and blue g10 liners that the oosik is epoxied to. There is now a very slight surface contour difference between the pins and oosik.

Id like to try and remove the handle scales without damaging them. I was going to possibly try and drill out the brass pins and clean the steel and inside of g10 liners then re epoxy with new pins.
Are there any tricks to this that could help me? Is this even possible? I am gonna try it, but thought id offer this problem up to all of you wonderful helpful knife loving souls

TIA,

Tim

 

[AVigil]

Put some Zap a Gap in there to seal it off. If you mess with it, that handle is going to crack.

 

[Bill Burke]

your best bet is going to be to center punch and drill the center of the rivet out. then take a pencil type soldering iron and stick it in the hole in the pin until you start to smell epoxie or things start smoking. do both sides of the pin until it is good and warm. you'll need a block of wood with a hole just over the diameter of the pin cussioned with several layers of masking tape. then a pin punch the right size should knock the pin out without busting up your handle. this has about a 75% success rate. good luck.

 

[jawilder]

Fill the gap with super glue, allow to dry, and repeat then sand off the excess. It's a lot easier and safer than removing the scales, which will almost certainly crack when you take them off.

 

[timos-]

Thanks for the tips guys. I should have also mentioned that this is 1095 and there is corrosion going on under the scales. I think this is what ultimately led to the entire surface of the scales lifting off the steel. This knife got glued up last may and only now did i notice it had come apart.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I agree, just seal the gap with thin CA...repeatedly until it is gone, then re-sand with 400 grit and up. I fill all oosik with thin CA. when working the handle.