Epoxy blunder... HELP!

T

ThompsonKnives

Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
7
I'm crestfallen; how do I fix this? I experienced a freak problem during assembly of my handle slabs that I hoped wouldn't come back to bite me but it has. There is now a tiny gap between the slab/liner and the steel. I was going to just finish the handle with Birchwood Casey gunstock oil, hoping it would seal the space and keep things from getting worse. Any better suggestions?
 
if it is a wood handle, just use some of the saw dust mixed with your epoxies and fill it in let dry and sand it down a little bit . the saw dust from the same wood

keep looken back at this post cause the big boys will soon answer you.
vern
 
I use a modified version of the V-6 solution, cut out a little more to make sure there is a good gap to get glue into. Rub the glue into the gap. When the glue starts to set sand with fine paper. This will force the dust into the glue and fill the gap. Most times only you will be able to see where this is done.
 
I'm not one of the big boys you're waiting on, but I've done that more than once.....I mixed some clear epoxy, then did some light sanding of the handle over the small batch, then mixed it all together.
I didn't do anything to widen the line....I dabbed the now brown epoxy over the line with a toothpick, then let it dry almost totally, then sanded it down.
Give it time to set over the crack and it will seep into the crack better.
 
Thanks guys, another clarification: The handle is wood, but I have a red liner between the wood and the tang. The wood-to-liner connection is solid, the problem is between the liner and the tang; that's where the tiny gap has formed. So... I was thinking it wouldn't be good to put an epoxy-sawdust mix between the liner and the steel. Does that make sense?
 
Just pop the knife in the oven at around 220 for 5-10 minutes, and the bond of the epoxy will start to fail. Press the pins out, use a razor to pop the scales off and seperate the liners, resand flush and re-set the handles with fresh pins and epoxy.

--nathan
 
Thank you Nathan ~ Unfortunately I used corby-style rivets, so I don't think I'd be able to press them out... But that's good to know for future epoxy work!
 
Yes it does. I've used epoxy colored red with glass enamel powder in similar cases, but detected the misfit before final glue up so didn't have to do it after the fact. Epoxy with a liquid or finer powder colorant might work.
 
Go to your neighborhod Hobby Lobby and match your liner color with one of the acrilic paints. Mix up some epoxy and color it to match your liner. Then fill it and let dry, sand to flush. Not a perfect solution but a solution that will work. Your only other choice is to grind of the handles and start over. I always try to match to color of my liners with epoxy to keep this from happening. Good luck
 
Let me start by saying that I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH CORBYS. That said, I believe I know how they work. You should still be able to follow Nathan's advice by heating it to break the glue joint. I would try cutting a slot in the corby with a dremel and a cutting disc, and the unscrewing with a screwdriver. IMO, in the long run you will be unhappy with anything short of removing the slabs and resanding falt, and reassembling....
Good luck
Matt Doyle
 
I've just drilled the rivets out, knowing I would ruin the scales and liner. Then I heat in the oven to break the epoxy bond and just remove everything and start over. That way it will look perfect.
 
The problem I see with trying to remove a corby is that typically, epoxy is applied in the threads of the bolt. Even after weakening the bond in the oven, there is such a congruency within the threads that even with a weak exopy joint, it will be very difficult to unscrew. I've never tried it, so it would be interesting to see if it works. And as mentioned, drilling out the corby would be tough without destroying the handle material.

--Nathan
 
Thanks guys, for the ongoing feedback. Yeah, I'm probably not going to heat up and take off the slabs. I guess I should further qualify this project by saying it will end up a 'personal user' and, even though 'knowing' about the epoxy issue may always bug me as a perfectionist, what I'm shooting for here in the end is a reliable user knife. But looks do matter so...

The other reason I don't want to tear stuff off is that the epoxy issue didn't surface until I had almost completed the handle. There was no 'gap' until I'm assuming I aggravated things by allowing wood and corbys to get too hot during the handle shaping. Only then did the gap start to appear. So I have this perfect handle, ready to be finished, and the gap appears. Ick.

So far, this is the compilation of advice I'm planning to follow (but still open for more suggestions):
1) Match and purchase an acrylic paint to the color of a piece of the liner material.
2) Mix this paint with a small batch of epoxy.
3) Heat the epoxy until its 'runny' enough to be maneuvered into the hairline gap using a toothpick.
4) Carefully sand after allowing to dry.
So... if this 'works' to fill the gap, seal it and look reasonably good, I'll be content. What do you think?
 
Well, at the last minute I decided against the acrylic paint and went with mixing the sanded dust of the same liner with a small batch of epoxy and applying it. Just finished the sanding and cleaning, the knife looks great, although the extra epoxy is still noticeable; perhaps I should have gone with the acrylic matching paint after all for a more professional finish. Either way, I've got my knife feeling and looking a lot better. Thanks to all for the help. I feel much less crestfallen now.
 
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