Bonding bone to metal, whats the best epoxy?

L

Lt.Col.Vortex

Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
752
Please kick me in the rear if its is in the wrong section. And I do apologize if it is.

So what works best for holding bone to metal?? I've read that most long drying epoxies will work for wood or plastic scales, but what works best for bone?? Should I treat bone any different than wood or plastic when using it for a handle??
 
In my experience a bone is porous enough and takes any epoxy quite well. So as long as it binds to metal well you should have no problem.
 
I'm looking at getting West Systems G/Flex epoxy to use on the bone handle and on some wooden scales for another knife (any objections?). I thought about the 105 and the 207 but for now I'll stick with the G/Flex..unless you guys tell me otherwise.
 
I'm thinking about bedding some scales in 5200, a marine bedding compound that is ridiculously strong. I've used it a ton and I've used hundreds of gallons of west system epoxy.
Epoxy can break, 5200 won't... it's freakin' alien stuff and it's permanent, unlike stuff like sikaflex.
You gotta use it to believe it.
A friend of mine had a water heater that irritatingly rattled on the concrete floor it sat on. A squirt of 5200 worked beautifully. It actually broke some of the concrete out when he removed it later. Sticks like a mofo...
I'll post my results later if anyone cares to hear about it.
 
^^^ I'm interested! :thumbup:

I have a few projects that I'll need epoxy for; where do you get that 5200 stuff?... :D
 
Subscribed!
 
It's a 3M product. Not sure if it's cool to post links here (some forums are weird about links, advertising) but you can easily google it.
I'll just copy and paste the basics...

3M™ Marine 5200 Adhesive Sealant
High-performance polyurethane adhesive sealant that stays flexible and waterproof, yet resists weathering and salt water. Bonds and seals woods and fiberglass of boat hulls.

... and then there is this stuff...

3M™ Marine Adhesive/Sealant Fast Cure 4200
A one-part general purpose polyurethane that chemically reacts with moisture to deliver flexible bonds with good adhesion to wood, fiberglass, gelcoat, certain plastics and metals.

I'm away from my collection for a while (I work very far away from where I normally live) and the fixed blade knives that I want to try this on aren't with me now. Personally, I like the longer cure stuff, though it takes 7 days to fully cure. It just seems to penetrate a little better. Some 3M products bonds better on moist stuff, just wipe the surfaces with a lightly dampened rag prior to applying the product.
The key is in the prep. Put a good scuff on the surfaces that are to be bonded and THOROUGHLY clean the surfaces before application. I use acetone on metals, fiberglass, G10 and woods but acetone can be risky with many poly materials. Fill all voids and you have a heckuva bond/seal that wont crack or be penetrated. It can be taken apart, but you gotta earn it. It is flexible but you'd never notice it when applied in ultra thin situations like attaching scales to a knife, especially when fastened together. Slightly flexible, IMHO, is better than 100% rigid and potentially brittle.

me - my untested idea... could be worth 2 cents, maybe less
 
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