Recommendation? Gaps where blade meets ferrules

[skeletonhats]

I have a knife with gapes on each sides of the blade where it meets the ferrule. It is a Damascus sgian dubh knife, so I want a way to seal it so it won't rust in there. I have heard of using epoxy, JB weld, and wax (not sure what kind). Any suggestions on the best option that won't stick out like a sore thumb?

Picture of the gap here: https://imgur.com/a/6Ie7tSl

 

[Wowbagger]

If it is just to plug the canyon to keep stuff out of it I would say Epoxy for sure.

I was going to say JB weld was a poor idea because it would stand out and look wrong. Once I saw your photo and the gap I began to waffle and reconsider the JB. It might hide some of the contrast between the light metal colored guard and the darkish blade. Better than plain epoxy.

But finally I don't think JB is the best. If you can find epoxy with aluminum powder/pigment in it then go with that for sure. It would hide the gap better. You could check with the on line Epoxy vendor's sites; they actually offer fillers and pigments. The info on those sites is invaluable as far as handling epoxy. Such as mix the two parts together, mix it until you are just sick to the teeth of mixing then keep going for another minute or two. Down side is you are going to have to buy way more epoxy and filler than you could hope to use in a life time unless you build boats or something.

Of course the best solution is to send the knife off and get it made right. One of the Pros here in the forum.

 

[Wowbagger]

PS: there is a product (probably epoxy based) that is designed to fill threads to build up the hole so it can be retapped / threaded. As I recall it looks like aluminum when cured and filed, sanded or machined. Can get it at Auto Parts stores.

PPS: sorry to be iffy about this stuff. This is not how a pro (me) would fix a stripped female thread. I would drill and tap it over size and insert a threaded steel fitting to make the repair much stronger and more durable for disassembly and reassembly in the future.

 

[skeletonhats]

PS: there is a product (probably epoxy based) that is designed to fill threads to build up the hole so it can be retapped / threaded. As I recall it looks like aluminum when cured and filed, sanded or machined. Can get it at Auto Parts stores.

PPS: sorry to be iffy about this stuff. This is not how a pro (me) would fix a stripped female thread. I would drill and tap it over size and insert a threaded steel fitting to make the repair much stronger and more durable for disassembly and reassembly in the future.

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I agree it's definitely not the best fix for a pro, but it is probably the best I can do. I couldn't find much epoxy with the aluminum powder except for Alvin Lab Metal Repair Putty, which is aluminum filled. Only problem with that is you are supposed to clean the surface with solvent, but if I get solvent in the gap I won't be able to dry it out. I looked up the epoxy from the auto part stores and found QuikSteel Reinforced Epoxy Paste (cures grey) and Permatex PermaPoxy 4-Minute Multi-Metal Epoxy (cures dark grey). I'm not sure if these would be better than JB weld or not. I might just buy both the auto part epoxies and test them on scrap to see which matches best. Thanks again!