Glue

[Horsewright]

So to be clear you are using CA glue and pins to attach scales and it's been working well for you for hundreds of blades and a long time? I figured the hardness and relative lack of shock resistance would make CA glue suboptimal compared to epoxy but if you are proving it works that's a game-changer as far as ease of use and time goes.

Yes but the Gorilla Super Glue is the only one I use. I use it on knives that have a bolster. My knives get used in some pretty real world conditions:

Literally, thousands in service, most in the cowboy world. It works.

Anyhoo ya get the idea.

 

[Richard338]

Yes but the Gorilla Super Glue is the only one I use. I use it on knives that have a bolster. My knives get used in some pretty real world conditions:

Literally, thousands in service, most in the cowboy world. It works.

Anyhoo ya get the idea.

Very nice, I'd give it a quick rinse between some of those shots...

 

[Cushing H.]

This is interesting. And here i thought that epoxy of one sort or another was pretty much the universal thing for attaching scales to tangs...

 

[Horsewright]

This is interesting. And here i thought that epoxy of one sort or another was pretty much the universal thing for attaching scales to tangs...

Couldn't tell ya the last time I mixed up epoxy, not counting the JB Weld I use on bolsters.

 

[Cushing H.]

Couldn't tell ya the last time I mixed up epoxy, not counting the JB Weld I use on bolsters.

funny. And .... you do not find the short working time to be a problem? I guess if you are behind a bolster, you do not need to worrry about leakage out the front, and anything else just gets ground away when you finish the handle???

(my own problem is that I have too many past memories of getting CA all over my fingers when I have used it.... :-(

 

[Natlek]

This is interesting. And here i thought that epoxy of one sort or another was pretty much the universal thing for attaching scales to tangs...

I used contact cement for my Parang , you have no idea how much it has been used in the last several years on my fishing trips .I can t see any sigh that somewhere scale /rubber / peeled off at least a half millimeter

rubber pins contact cements

 

[Joseph Bandeko]

G flex is the way to go! It is a truly stronger then wood or micarta bond (trust me I know)

Kind of a side track question, has anyone tried the combat abrasives rogue epoxy?
because awhile ago I tried it (I got two things of it) and the strength was terrible! I made sure to use precisely 1:1 ratio mixed very well, I have knives that I used this epoxy on with wooden scales and if the scales move at all the epoxy fails! and Is left with a gap!!
has anyone else had this problem?

 

[Joshua Fisher]

G flex is the way to go! It is a truly stronger then wood or micarta bond (trust me I know)

Kind of a side track question, has anyone tried the combat abrasives rogue epoxy?
because awhile ago I tried it (I got two things of it) and the strength was terrible! I made sure to use precisely 1:1 ratio mixed very well, I have knives that I used this epoxy on with wooden scales and if the scales move at all the epoxy fails! and Is left with a gap!!
has anyone else had this problem?

I personally haven’t been impressed by anything from combat abrasives so it doesn’t surprise me that their glue isn’t the best. But just to rule out any other potential issues it’s best to make sure woods are very dry and potentially stabilized properly, I also like to sand blast my tangs to get good adhesion and use mechanical fasteners like loveless bolts or corby bolts.

 

[Joseph Bandeko]

I personally haven’t been impressed by anything from combat abrasives so it doesn’t surprise me that their glue isn’t the best. But just to rule out any other potential issues it’s best to make sure woods are very dry and potentially stabilized properly, I also like to sand blast my tangs to get good adhesion and use mechanical fasteners like loveless bolts or corby bolts.

Yah that was awhile ago and since then I’ve figured out how to prevent the scale from shrinking/expanding, but that doesn’t really matter the glue still sucks!

 

[Horsewright]

funny. And .... you do not find the short working time to be a problem? I guess if you are behind a bolster, you do not need to worrry about leakage out the front, and anything else just gets ground away when you finish the handle???

(my own problem is that I have too many past memories of getting CA all over my fingers when I have used it.... :-(

On a bolstered knife I glue on one handle side at a time. The scales are cut a little oversize so the only fitting is the front and that is pre done. So the scales and spacers are ready to go. I put a little glue directly from the bottle where it needs to be at the bolster and along the tang and put the spacer and the scale on making sure everything is flush to the front and then clamp. The Gorilla Super Glue doesn't set up as fast as other CA glues so you do have time to make adjustments as necessary. I don't use it on non bolstered handles as there is more work to do getting the glue on both sides, getting pins or bolts ready etc. Then it does to start to set up before you are ready. Thats why I switched to the clear Gorilla glue for non bolstered handles.

For me using the Gorilla Super straight out of the bottle is much less messy. No mixing, no wondering if ya got it right, consistency every time, put it exactly where ya need it, doesn't get all over the place, doesn't drip out all over the place, (look at that table in post 13 where the knives are clamped and drying, years of epoxy dripping out), works in all temps. I can zap the spacer with accelerator after its clamped so it doesn't slip. The list goes on and on. Gflex is great stuff and I made a couple thousand knives with it. I don't change because something is quicker, easier or cheaper. I change because something is better. Sometimes that better involves how I work too. If I was doing a knife at a time or maybe even 2 or 3, I'd probably still be using Gflex cause it is good stuff. But try it with 10 or 20 or 60 or 90 at a time. Try it on 60 when your ambient temp isn't gonna be above 35 degrees and the stuff doesn't set up overnight, so you carefully move your drying tables inside the house, hoping that a spacer doesn't slip from the movement, but one always does. The Gorilla super glue isn't as watery as other CAs and thats part of why it doesn't seem to get all over the place and why ya don't get it all over you. When I was using epoxy I had glueing up shirts and jeans cause doing that many ya were gonna get it on ya for sure. Now I don't have glued on clothes anymore. Or, and this happened to me with one time with Gflex, ya got knives to glue up and its backordered from your supplier. Heck ya even ordered in advance but they were out and so and so was out and heck. Even our lil ol cowtown in the mountains here I can get the Gorilla Super at Tractor Supply, Home Depot or Walmart. Cost per knife is probably quite a bit more with the Gorilla Super than Gflex but remember: "I don't change because something is quicker, easier or cheaper." Are there glues out there stronger? Probably. But the practical reality is this stuff is working and in some of the harshest conditions all over the world by folks that are using them as tools and using them hard. I've replaced a few cracked or broken bone scales but I have never had a separated scale.

My thoughts anyhoo.

 

[Cushing H.]

Thank you dave. I will consider giving it a try. But i am definitely working on a onsie knife at a time pace...

I can definitely see your reasoning. Actually, the thing that may keep me away from the CA is its shelf life after opening. With CA fresh is definitely better, and at the pace i use glue, i would likely be tossing bottles (or looking at them wondering if it had gone bad). Epoxy does not have the same issue...

 

[Horsewright]

Thank you dave. I will consider giving it a try. But i am definitely working on a onsie knife at a time pace...

I can definitely see your reasoning. Actually, the thing that may keep me away from the CA is its shelf life after opening. With CA fresh is definitely better, and at the pace i use glue, i would likely be tossing bottles (or looking at them wondering if it had gone bad). Epoxy does not have the same issue...

Another advantage of the Gorilla super. Best designed bottle and cap in the business. Simply a non issue for me anyhoo. All other supers need to send their bottle and cap design folks to Gorilla school!

 

[AVigil]

Another advantage of the Gorilla super. Best designed bottle and cap in the business. Simply a non issue for me anyhoo. All other supers need to send their bottle and cap design folks to Gorilla school!

Oh, it is the best for sure. They put a small pointed steel rod in the the cap and keeps the glue from sealing in the tube.

I have Bob Smith CA and the tips get over ran with dried glue.

BTW if anyone is worried about the shelf life of the CA glue, just put it in a baggy or container with a lid and put in refrigerator to prolong the shelf life.

 

[Scaniaman]

I use a few drops of crap quality CA to temporarily attach my blanks to the scales when drilling pin holes. A tap with the hammer knocks the blank right off.

A couple of knives ago I was out of the crap CA but had a fresh bottle of thin viscosity BSI CA that I had not tried before..
Well, I tried it. Scales were micarta. Thin CA went all over the tang and there for sure was no tapping with the hammer afterwards. I had to use a chisel, and the micarta ripped apart and I had to grind the remainder off from the tang.
Removing G flex epoxied scales have been a lot easier.

So, I have been wanting to try and use CA for scales mounting. But how do tou guys deal with the clean up at the ricasso? Any good ideas?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Wipe it off with acetone or nitrocellulose.

 

[AVigil]

I use a few drops of crap quality CA to temporarily attach my blanks to the scales when drilling pin holes. A tap with the hammer knocks the blank right off.

A couple of knives ago I was out of the crap CA but had a fresh bottle of thin viscosity BSI CA that I had not tried before..
Well, I tried it. Scales were micarta. Thin CA went all over the tang and there for sure was no tapping with the hammer afterwards. I had to use a chisel, and the micarta ripped apart and I had to grind the remainder off from the tang.
Removing G flex epoxied scales have been a lot easier.

So, I have been wanting to try and use CA for scales mounting. But how do tou guys deal with the clean up at the ricasso? Any good ideas?

You used the wrong one. That one is good at wicking into areas. you want the Maxi cure.

You want Un Cure on a qtip to wipe away any that remains where you do not want it.

 

[Scaniaman]

You used the wrong one. That one is good at wicking into areas. you want the Maxi cure.

Tell me about it. It was thinner than expected. Live and learn.

I have both the BSI Maxi cure and "Medium gap filling" as well . I don't use the maxi cure much anymore, but the medium gap filling is my go to for liners and multi part handles. It's perfect for that

 

[Scaniaman]

I have the Uncure at hand. A little nervous if it would weaken the joint when cleaning up at the ricasso though

You want Un Cure on a qtip to wipe away any that remains where you do not want it.

 

[AVigil]

I have the Uncure at hand. A little nervous if it would weaken the joint when cleaning up at the ricasso though

Do not do it until it is mostly dry. A few wipes and it will come off the surface and not the joint

 

[Diego_B]

Yes but the Gorilla Super Glue is the only one I use. I use it on knives that have a bolster. My knives get used in some pretty real world conditions:

Literally, thousands in service, most in the cowboy world. It works.

Anyhoo ya get the idea.

Now I feel like I have been misunderstanding adhesives. I always figured that epoxy was the standard but what you guys are saying about Gorilla Glue is now making me wonder why I haven't used it before. I will have to pick up a bottle and try it for myself.