Epoxy Problem

Michael J. Spangler

Michael J. Spangler

Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
2,181
hey guys i'm having a problem with my epoxy not holding on my slabs. i go aout business as normal but with the last 3 handles they arent holding. everythign is flat with a good fit, i mix the epoxy as the direction tell you to on the bottle, i let it sit for the given ammount of time that the diretions tell you and then i grind the handle to shape, keeping it cool while i go, and a end up having the handle lift up in a spot every time. sometimes near the ricasso sometime near the back fo the handle. what can the problem be?
i'm using pops 5 minute quick cure epoxy which i heard was very good, should i go with something that has a longer cure time? thanks in advance

Mike
 
Michael,

Is it lifting from metal or handle? How old is the epoxy? Is it sitting warm enough to cure properly?
 
i ordered the epoxy last summer. it seems its on the handle and the metal. it was curing in my house with a temp of about 70F
 
Does the epoxy set up hard ? or does the epoxy cleanly separate from the metal ? If it doesn't set up the way it used to throw it out . Separation might mean the surfaces aren't clean enough.
 
Michael, I think the biggest failures come from dirty surfaces, followed by surfaces too finely finished to give a good bite. Improperly prepared or aged epoxy and insufficient curing at a good temperature would be next to me. Finally would be overheating.

You seem to have covered the bases and don't find a problem in any of those areas. Without seeing the pieces or playing 20 questions with you Im sorry but I have little more to offer. :(

One other thing occurs to me: was the epoxy layer thick enough to do it's job? Every epoxy has a thckness it works best at....
 
well i made sure the surfaces were clean, washed down with acetone and prior to that i had scuffed them up with some 150 grit, applied epoxy to both the material and the tang, pins etc, held them together with c-clamps, not too tight at all, everythign stayed fine except the ends lifted a little,
 
Time does not effect most epoxy. Tests have shown epoxy is still goood for years unless it crystaizes and that can be restored by a putting the bottles in a boiling water bath.
I strongly advise you to stop using 5 minute epoxy. It is the weakest of all epoxies. Try a good epoxy like system 3 where you have access to all the technical data. Read the data and use it.
If you want to read before you buy go to their website and download the manual.
 
it's even on both the metal and the handle material. i try my best to mix equal porportions, and the whole handle did stick together fine except for the end. could it be that i dind't mix it enough and an improperly mixed bit of epoxy was on just the ends somehow>?
 
Personally, Michael, I scuff the areas to be epoxied with 60 grit. Coarser the better.

Don't use acetone with paper towels...leaves a film.
 
Hi,
5 min epoxy is very 'fast' in 'skinning' (?)
Is it possible that the surface is 'drying'-out before you put the surfaces together.
And again another (Fitzo) are ahead of me: use 60 grit as pretreatment at the most.
Erik
 
thanks a lot guys. no time today to try it out but tomorro wi'll make sure my epoxy is well mixed, equal portions, and i'll scuff everything up with 60 grit, i'll make sure to post pics of the work.... that is if the handles stay on. thanks a lot guys. any more info is much welcome too! thanks again

Mike
 
I rough both surfaces with 80 grit and make sure it's clean as mentioned already. Do you use one clamp or two? I use vise clamps, one at the ricasso end and one at the pommell end. If the handle is over 5" long, I use three clamps. What type of handle material is it? I know with bone and horn, if it's not completely flat the ends will pull up.
Scott
 
It's possible your epoxy is too thin. You can thicken it or use a thicker epoxy. As previously mentioned rough is better. A course bead blast adds a lot of gripping surface and also cleans the surface.. Once you break away from the quick minute epoxies you can prime the scales. That is to mix up a small amount. Heat the scales. The heat sucks the epoxy down deep. You can go past the set time on premium epoxies to where it even feels dry to the touch and still get a chemical bond on the next coat. Make sure you'e not clamping too tight.
 
I use 5 min epoxy on everything. The only time I have had any come loose is when grinding to shape and got a little to hot.
What kind of scales are you using. Could it be that they are responding to moisture and growing or shrinking?
Take Care
TJ
 
I ran in to a similar problem with JB Quick. The epoxy would not get hard, stayed flexable. A lot of the quick epoxies will expand more. Sometime back I saw someone post about a problem they were having and found out it was the quick epoxy expanding, changed to the longer setting one and the problem stopped.
 
I never use 5 minute epoxy. The slow set stuff has much greater tensile strength. Is the tang getting hot when you grind to shape? most epoxy does not do well above 140° to 160° and will come loose.
 
I have been using the K&G brand 24 hour epoxy. It is great. i have never had any trouble with it. it is pricey at $8.95 for an 8 oz kit but i think it is worth it. It is alot thicker when mixed than the other 24 hour epoxies that i have used but i like that.
It comes in 2 seperate tubs and lasts forever. If I could figure out how to mix up the correct amount so i dont toss half of it every time i glue up a handle it would last alot longer.

Try it if you get a chance. It is item #EP04.

K&G's number is 1-800-972-1192

thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top