glue

[jrhart50]

I am putting micarta scales on a folder and would like to know what the best glue to use for this job. The knife will have pins also. Thanks in advance and best wishes to all.

 

[Johnny Warner]

Tracy Mikley did several test some time back and published the results, checke out this link" http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337504&highlight=epoxy+wars

Page three is a synopsis of his findings.

 

[Patrickknives]

Thanks for reposting the test, that is a great work. I saw it before and have used some of the glues with some sucess and some failure. In the long run for micarta I use speed bond 324 and 30 min epoxy. The key to both is surface prep and temperature. I sand and clean each side w/220 grit. clean with alcohol (not mineral spirits)and do not touch with your greasy fingers. Apply, very lightly clamp. no more pressure than to hold the two pieces together, like you could apply between your thumb and index finger for 2 hours. Place under a 60w light about 6" away, let set overnight. Make sure the joint doesnt get too hot but near 80f (like on the directions) works fine.

If you need more pressure to fill gaps, resand and start over. Too much pressure will squeeze the glue out and you are left with a weak joint.

 

[jdm61]

I do hidden tang knives and, this past year, I switched from the standard 1-1 mix epoxy that you find at hardware stores and bix box retailers to the 5-1 West System marine epoxy and I have been very pleased with the results.