Degreasing oily wood before epoxy?

Hengelo_77

Hengelo_77

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Mar 2, 2006
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I just epoxied a hidden tang in a block of bocote wood.
How do you degrease an oily wood like that?
I just pored accetone in the tang hole and pored it out again. It was a bit brownish when I pored it out, so it took something with it.

Am I doing this right?
How do you guys do it?
 
That's what is usually used .Sometimes it's repeated..As for the outside those woods are sometimes not finished , just buffed.
 
Would you do the same thing with Cocobolo scales just clean them good on the epoxy sides a few times?

Jay
 
I always wipe any wood with a solvent like acetone (then alcohol) right before glue-up. I think it pulls a bit of oil out and makes for a better glue-up.
 
Thnx, how long does it take the acetone to be evaporated and glue-ready?
When it looks dry or should I wait longer?
 
In my experience it will dry quickly, give it a little bit (a minute or two should work) after it looks dry. I only lightly soak my rag with acetone.
 
There was a company called Industrial Formulators that made special epoxies for these type woods. They worked very well and never disappointed me. Perhaps you could chase this down? Frank
 
I've been using G-flex and am very happy with it.

One thing I didn't really realize about it is that as an epoxy originally developed for the Marine industry, it was specifically designed to stick well to oily exotics, which are fairly common in boating, especially yachts, etc.

When I first heard of g-flex I thought it was just a flexible adhesive, and I've had mixed luck with those types of epoxies in the past.

That said, I normally degrease with acetone or thinner prior to gluing, just to be safe.
 
The G-flex has the attributes we want. Metlweld has a good bond, but not really co-operative for knife assembly.
 
Chiming in with the acetone crowd as well. And yes, the oily (cocobolo) or waxy woods (lignum vitae, guayacon) don't need to be sealed. They can just be buffed. Make sure that the buffing wheel isn't dirty, or wasn't previously used on steel or other metals.

Craig
 
My process for glue up of any material, including oily natural woods is as follows:
Just before glue up
Scuff/sand all surfaces being bonded with 80 grit Rhynowet Redline
Wipe all surfaces being bonded with Acetone and let dry for a minute
Wipe all surfaces being bonded with Denatured Alcohol and let dry for a minute
Apply G Flex Epoxy and clamp with light to moderate pressure.

This simple procedure hasn't failed me yet, regardless of the material being bonded, and I've always assumed that's what everyone else was doing.
 
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