Crack In Composite Handle??

G

GavonKH1993

Joined
Mar 8, 2014
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33
Hey all, I hope y'all are well.

I happened upon a great Böker Congress knife on the net and naturally, couldn't pass it up.

However, in the description the seller noted a "pincrack to liner on the rear center pin."

My question is 1) should I fix it somehow (i wouldnt know where to start) and 2) if I can't fix it, would the crack get worse over time with the usual wear and tear??

I surely do appreciate any help y'all can lend me.


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Gavon
Post a picture on the knife ( you can use one of the sellers pics) so we can give you a more informed answer. The answer to your question depends on the scale material used.
 
Easy fix if you want to do that. Go to any store and just get some thin super glue. You can fill the crack with that. After letting it set and cure, lightly sand away what protrudes from the crack and give it a buff. That's all!

Depending on the handle material, you can also sand before filling with glue that way you can mix the "dust" with the glue. This will help color the glue to help hide the crack.

Now, why I said get thin super glue and not the gel type thicker stuff. Super glue when it dries, seems to expand. The thinner the super glue, the easier it will be for it to push out the excess for you to sand away. Thicker glue may expand too much causing undo stress on the area around the crack. This can lead to a gap between the scale and liner or allow another to pop up somewhere.

I've had great luck with the stuff from Devcon.
 
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These are the only ones that are any good. And the fella just described it as composite.

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Here's a crack that formed on my mammoth scaled Davison. Was I mad when I found it like this, yep! But, it happens with natural materials that expand and contract so instead of sending it back to Todd to do the same thing, I just did it myself. The thin super glue filled the crack quickly and it sanded and buffed up real easy as well. Wasn't hard to do.

Even though the crack is visible, you can't even feel that it's there.

 
In this case, and it looks to be a composite, there looks to be no need to do anything. The pin crack is probably below the center pin (adjacent to the spine) and if the scales are not lose then I would leave it alone. It should not continue to crack unless dropped ....just right. Let's see what John has to say?
 
You said rear center pin? That pin is a fairly common place to have material cracks, as the material is so thin there, and there is a good deal of force placed on that pin by the spring. Schrade's open stock models and many older Queen folders were notorious for doing that. I haven't really seen many that got worse, especially if it is a synthetic material, so I wouldn't be too worried about that getting worse.

As others have said, the thin viscosity super glue works great. I use Zap-a-Gap, it comes in three different thicknesses; the thinner they are, the better they flow into cracks.
 
And if I was to decide to apply some of this thin super glue or zap a gap, would that discolor the black on the scales?? Sorry if that's a dumb question but one, I've never used the stuff on a knife before and two I don't wanna ruin it. Had to hunt high and low for one of these beauties in a black color

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Shouldn't discolor it one bit. Just make sure to get the stuff that dries clear (some super glue dries white). Also, cut the tip as fine as you can so that it's easier to direct the glue right into the crack.

After it cures, use some 600 or 800 grit paper to smooth it all out, move to a higher grit if necessary, and then give it a good buffing. With the scales being black, that crack probably won't even be noticeable.
 
That sounds great. Thank you all for your help. Like I said I bought this knife online and I haven't had my hands on it yet, hopefully it's not bad and won't need anything.

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Gavon,
New glue suggestion for you...it's called Hypo-Cement.It's a clear glue with a thin hypodermic needle for jewelers to children's toys...working with tight areas and small parts.You might want to look into that also.
 
Now I never would have thought of the needle, good idea! I will look into that but like I said, I haven't gotten the knife yet. Just wanted to be prepared.

Which brings me to the update: knife hasn't been shipped according to the place I bought it from so that's concerning but if it did get shipped but not updated on the computer yet, should be here Tuesday

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I was recently changing from pants into shorts and my TC which was in a soft thin leather slip fell from my pocket onto the concrete floor and chipped. I was really happy that it didn't crack at the pin but definitely wanted to fix the chip so it didn't snag things or get worse and of course I wanted it to still look good.

I got out some needle point super glue and carefully filled the chip. I let the knife sit on a shelf for 24 hours to make sure it was fully cured. Now I originally had planned on using the same process that you would use for wood, ceramic or automotive and that was to step sand with various grits until I was happy with the results. Pretty straight forward but not all that easy on a small chip in a jigged bone handle.

My wife saw me struggling to sand the small surfaces and angles with folded paper and made an excellent suggestion. About 11 years ago she was a cosmetologist and she learned how to do acrylic nails. She told me that people doing nails are looking for the same effect which is a clean, clear and buffed finish.

I took the 4-way colossal buffer which is designed for strange angles and small objects and followed the numbered steps.

1. Files the edge
2. Removes ridges
3. Smooth surface
4. Super shine

The results were outstanding. The finished glue was smooth and crystal clear revealing the colors underneath turning what was initially a real downer into a nice, clean surface. I hope this is helpful and highly recommend trying out the buffer, she has told me they are very inexpensive.

The only camera I have is on my phone so apologies for the lower quality. In person the repaired chip is crystal clear and smooth and looks quite nice.





 
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Just got the knife today, there's the crack. However, there's no movement in the scales or anything else noticeable. Truthfully, it took me a minute to even find it haha.

Maybe I should just leave it alone??

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Looks like it may be taking a path toward the pin, but it's hard to know if that's because it's spreading or if that's the original crack from when it happened. You can always just leave it be for now and keep an eye on it. If you see it spreading, give her the glue treatment.
 
It does go clean to the pin. But like you said, I have no idea whether it's spread or not.

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Don't forget to open the blades near the crack before you fill it, especially if it is carbon steel. The solvents in the glue may cause discoloration to the blades. StoneBeard, that is a brilliant idea to use the buffer! Thanks!
 
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