How To Gap between scale and blade.

[mpcoppin]

I screwed up when I was clamping (or something) and left a pretty ugly gap.

Any ideas for fixing/filling?

 

[JHAller]

I think you will happiest in the end if you heat it up, pull it apart, and redo it. Otherwise, fill it with glue or epoxy, but it will still show, and bother you.

 

[Tyshoots]

I have no idea how to fix that. With that large of a gap your scales are not very flat. Or maybe the blade isn't straight. Or a combo of the 2.

 

[mpcoppin]

... Or a combo of the 2.

Probably, unless there is a 3rd way to screw it up. If so, I’m sure I did that too.

 

[john april]

if you want to fill the gap, JB weld is very thick and you can fill the crack and pack it in there with a toothpick.

 

[v8r]

I would say it’s probably the straightness of the tang more than likely. it could have warped during the quench, or wasn’t flat to start with. I would heat up and remove the scales. Clean up the tang and check for straightness with a square.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

I think you will happiest in the end if you heat it up, pull it apart, and redo it. Otherwise, fill it with glue or epoxy, but it will still show, and bother you.

What he said!^^^ Yes you can pack it with JB Weld etc.. if you want to keep it for a shop knife? Fine.. I wouldn’t let anything with my name on it, out in public looking like that!————————- I’ve said these before, if you haven’t had to grind/bust off a set of expensive scales & start over? You haven’t made very many knives!

 

[Hengelo_77]

Redo, shopknife or use it in your kitchen

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Another reason that happens is over-clamping. The clamps should just barely apply enough force to hold the scales in place while the resin is curing. Too much force and you either squeeze out all the resin, or warp the scales up at the ends.

 

[mpcoppin]

Another reason that happens is over-clamping. The clamps should just barely apply enough force to hold the scales in place while the resin is curing. Too much force and you either squeeze out all the resin, or warp the scales up at the ends.

Oh... You know that feeling when someone tells you something and you realize that what they’re telling you should have been obvious to you before they told you...?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I use the cheapest and lightest tension clamps from HF.

I also use a ball burr in my flex shaft to make a recessed area in the scales and on the tang, to allow a reservoir of resin. This guarantees not having a glue starved joint by the scales and tang being perfectly flat. Drilling extra tang holes is also a good practice. That makes what is called "epoxy rivets" connecting the two scales.