Epoxy question

M

mtngoat

Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
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I am making my first knife, almost done, I mixed some 60 min Locktite epoxy to attach black walnut scale for the handle. The instructions said it would take 24 hrs to set completely. It has been 3 days and where the pins are the epoxy is still tacky, not hard at all, kind of like thick jelly. Any body have any ideas why this happened, did I do something wrong?

goat
 
You may not have mixed the epoxy thouroughly. What's the temperature where you're letting the knife cure. If it's cold, it takes a lot longer.

Will
formerly known as badbamaump
 
the first night it was out in the garage, but I moved it inside the second night and last night II moved it in the warmest room in the house. Inside temp between 68F & 72F, outside probally 40ish.
 
use the 2-ton epoxy, all of the others stay a little gummy, use it at comfortable room temperature, make sure you have the mix right, and mix thoroughly, it should work. If you got jelly peel it apart, clean it off start over

-Page
 
I think loc-tite is having some QC issues recently, we had a whole batch of loc-tite epoxy tubes harden on us at the shop. They weren't even a couple months old. Others have had some complaints about the stuff not curing on here... they're losing my favor.

FYI, I wouldn't depend solely on epoxy to hold the scales, some sort of mechanical fastener is in order.
 
I'm very fond of Loctite EHP-120, which also did very well in the Glue Wars. However this is one of their industrial epoxies, not a consumer product.

Tracy Mickley, who did most of the Glue Wars testing, has told me that people are turned off by the need to buy a special (cheap plastic, about $20) gun to hold the glue tubes and disposable mixing nozzles for it. Personally, I think this is one of it's major advantages -- the glue is always correctly mixed with no effort on my part. It's worth the price.
 
What Sunshadow said. If you use it above 80o, you can go back to work on the knife in about 2, to 2 1/2 hours. It will be set enough to take all but the roughest treatment. After maybe 12 hours, it is hard enough to break rather than bend very far.
 
Before I use any new epoxy anymore (or stuff that's sat awhile for that matter), I mix up a little dab on a piece of cardboard and see how long it takes to set before I proceed to mix the stuff for the knife handle. If it doesn't set I'll add a little extra hardener just to see wazzup and if that doesn't work it goes in the trash, thereby saving me the hassle of cleaning it off a handle.

I liked the way the Loctite 324 Speedbonder acrylic cement worked, but the expiration date on the bottle is a little short for my liking.
 
A little trick I use for epoxy is to mix it inside a ziploc bag, (I use the snack size bags), One because I can never keep from making a mess with out it, two I ues 8oz bottles of epoxy so I can make sure I get the right amount of hardner in. Put both parts in the bag and knead it like dough. until it starts gettin a little warm or until completly mixed, then snip off one of the corners and squeeze it out helps a bunch when your tryin to get it in the small hole for a block type handle. no mess, trow out the bag.
 
I had the same problem with about the same temps in California. I place the assembly under a 60w light and keep it warm all night. I have not had the problem since. It gets very warm to the touch but not too hot to handle.

If not too difficult take it apart, clean and reglue just make sure you let any solvent used in cleanup evaporate first. I used denatured alchole with epoxy.
 
Use better epoxy. Any 1 to 1 ratio mix is going to be a compromise. i just bought some West System and it is great stuff.
 
I probably used the same epoxy on a handle to impregant the cord with. Big mistake. after 10 days, it was still tacky. Use Devcon or something like west systems. Devcon can be purchased for a lot less price wise.
 
I do like the baggy idea. Thats a good mess saver and I need those. Well I will probably still make a mess just not as big I hope. Jim
 
hi 'goat'

The mix ratio is important with all epoxies to get the correct cure. You may have possibly mixed too little hardener.

Alternatively it may have been stored by you or by the shop for a long time... the resins can destabilise as such and components in the mix can separate like old paint.

Most likely you can bet that if it hasnt set in 24 hours, its not going to (unless you intentionally got slow cure epoxy)... start again.
 
I've gotten a few bad tubes of epoxy, but about 99.9 percent of the times it's been good.
 
I use Gorilla glue clamped for 24 hours. Damn strong stuff. Moisten the tang with water and put the glue on your handle material.
Scott
 
Scott,

I rehandled a machete with Gorilla Glue, I have not had time to put it through the works to see how tough it was. I'm glad to know it is good stuff, I have tons of it from doing cabinet work.

As for the epoxy, I stripped off the handles cleaned everything off and let it dry. I then remixed the epoxy making sure it was an even mix, reapplyed, and now it is solid as a rock.

Thanks for all the great info guys.

goat
 
goat, I've had very good results with it. I recently had a test knife out on a winter camping trip and it held up great through repeated batoning, chopping and single digits temps.
Scott
 
I saw the pics on the Hoodlum fourm looked like a great trip, I am going to use it on my next knife, what do you do to remove all of the foam from it? The spine is easy but isn't the ricassa(spelling?) finished before you attached it. I didn't know until recently that you have to use water on it.
 
As the glue foams/expands, I use a Q-tip with Oopps (a cleaner like acetone) to remove it along the ricasso. It sands easily when dry if you miss some. Any excess around the tang can be scraped off with a knife when dry. Then I finsh on the belt grinder. I like it because it expands and fully seals around the tang. The key is to leave clamped overnite.
Scott
 
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