Gone and done it...

G

Guy Thomas

Joined
Feb 1, 2000
Messages
1,370
Yep, yelled at my wife while working on a knife. I was gluing up the handle and needed some vaseline to put on the C-clamps. Well it wasn't where it was supposed to be (of course it was the only thing I didn't get out ahead of time!) and there I was with only minutes of epoxy working time left yelling like a mad man for the vaseline while she's taking a bath. Oh well, apologizing and explaining that I wasn't mad hasn't helped much, however some important lessons can be learned here:

A: Don't yell at or around your wife.
B: Get everything you need ahead of time.
C: Don't yell at or around your wife.

Of course if I could learn to use a little less epoxy I wouldn't have needed the vaseline in the first place! Oh, and by the way did mention that you shouldn't yell at or around your wife while making knives? -Guy Thomas
 
Get a dog
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Thats why I have my shop away from the house.It saves this problem from becoming a problem...
You might try buying something expensive tommorow and surprising her,It works for me most of the time.
Bruce

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Bruce Evans Handcrafted Knives
The soul of the Knife begins in the Fire!!!!!
Member of,AKTI#A000223 and The American Bladesmith Society
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If it's 2 things I learnt in 25 years of wedded bliss is to not irritate the wife or step on the cat...20 lb. cat, but wife's worse!!!!!!!!!!!
I use Shafting Epoxy from Golfsmith...a LOOOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG set-up time, & stronger than anything else I've tried.
Also, wiping the pads on the clamps w/ WD-40 will keep 'em from stickin' also!
 
I'll have to remember the WD-40 thing, and the shafting epoxy sounds tempting. It would certainly give me more clean up time (I seem to get epoxy everywhere but thanks to Jerry Hossom I know to use rubbing alcohol to keep my hands, fingers, blade, etc. clean!) As for my username it helps remind me that I am usually better off if I can live up to it!
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-Guy Thomas
 
U could always loose the wives.......Just kidding guys!!!!!!


 
My shop is in my basement. I was grinding on a micarta handle last night until minutes before our dinner guests arrived. The wife sure was mad about the smell!
 
Epoxy-
1)5 minute epoxy is not waterproof
2)2 Ton or 30 minute epoxy sets up in 5 minutes in the summertime.

3)I use paper plates to mix epoxy on.
4)I also use those disposible latex gloves that you can get at any pharmacy/Walmart/K-Mart/Target/etc. Sure does make clean up a breeze.

Never, ever hand your wife hot knife.

Craig

P.S. You still need a dog
 
i see you haven't heard the rule! keep your shop far enough away from the house that you have to walk out side to reach it. no one will walk in there and take your tools, or anything else, they probably won't even walk out there, ever. plus you can play Tom Petty, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, and the Who as loud as you like
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[This message has been edited by magnum .44 (edited 01-08-2001).]
 
Well I'm getting several messages here and I've identified some problems. I was working in the kitchen because my garage workbench is so cluttered I couldn't find a spot to work on it. (However if I had been working out there the lack of heat would have slowed the epoxy reaction somewhat and I would have been staring at the WD-40 can!) The disposable gloves are a good idea and I actually think there are some around here. I'm puzzled by one thing though, what do I do with the dog, yell at it? I do have a dog by the way but she is more my wife's pet than mine, if I yelled at her I'd be in just as much trouble!
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In any case all has been forgiven which is a good thing because it's a long haul to payday!-Guy Thomas
 
Just to add my 2 cents...

I have many small pieces of class, cut to about 4x6 inch. I pick up the glass for pennies from my local hardware store after they mess up some cut and chip or brake off a small piece. I slice it up to useable sizes to mix most anything on. (Always run some sandpaper over the cut edges before handling and you will not find any sharp edges...).

Works great for mixing epoxy, paint, etc... because it does not absorb any of the mixture.

If you run short of glass and you forgot to clean it before the last application of epoxy/paint dried, it will easily scrap off with a razor.

In addition, I always use two pieces of glass, one to initially mix part A, part B, and the dye (if used). To mix the ingredients, I use a medical spatula that my pharmacist donated to my tool box. It’s stainless steel, easy to clean and flexible enough to take a 180 degree flex and spring right back. Sure makes spreading the epoxy easy. Anyway, I used two pieces of glass, the first to do the rough mix and then I transfer the epoxy over to the other piece of glass and do the final mix. I have never had a handle break loose. This I attribute to the last minute “roughening” and cleaning of the handle material, the blade, and even the pins, mosaic pins, and thong tube… Also, I fell this prevents those “rich” areas of the mix where there might be just too much resin, hardener, or dye…

My next advice is to ensure you never store the 5 minute epoxy with the 30 minute epoxy. By the time you realize you’ve mixed them up you will probably be clamping the scales on and wonder why they do not seat… I now spray RED paint on the epoxy “piston handle” so I don’t make that mistake again…

My final advice concerns the Golf Epoxy… It is rated at something like 5 ton verses the usually “30 minute – 2 ton” variety. To achieve this, it requires that long set time (like concrete, if you want it strong, keep it damp so it cures slowly…). I have a friend who re-handles golf clubs and uses this stuff. We’ve been able to go to lunch and he was able to continue using the same batch he mixed before we went to lunch.

I remember this being discussed months ago in this forum, you might try doing a search on epoxy.

Any case, the golf epoxy is not expensive, but you must buy it in larger quantities (my friend buys it by the quart) and it comes in cans. You will need to buy some hypodermic needles at a local feed store and fill them with part A/B if you want any consistency…

Bruce Jensky

 
I buy my shafing epoxy from a local guy who makes clubs for golf pros & some PGA guys....in all the years he's used this stuff, he's NEVER had a head come off a club, and these guys can swing 130 MPH+, and do on a daily basis!
The last thing I want is "another" knife coming back with the handle separating....had one with natural desert ironwood come back last year, but finally got the guy to admit his wife (?) left it in a sink full of water while they took a 2 week vacation.....now "every" wood gets stabilized, and I make it a point that this is NO way to treat a custom knife!!!!!!!!
 
I have all my friends and family save me the covers off the margarine bowls and use them to mix my epoxy. Works great and you get so many of them, you just throw them away after every use.

Marcel
 
I use golf club epoxy in squeeze bottles. I mix in small paper cups with popsicle sticks. The cup is small, doesn't take up space, is easy to hold, and gets thrown away without a mess.

For clamping I never use C clamps. Too easy to accidentally apply too much pressure. I use spring clamps with plastic covers on the tips. They are cheap ($1 each at Home Depot) and the plastic tips on the clamps will not stick to the epoxy. No need to use vaseline or WD-40.

I love dogs and have two, but will not let them hang around the shop when I am grinding. Dust kills dogs as well as people.

My shop is cold in winter, so I keep the epoxy in the house. I take it into the shop to work with and then take both the epoxy and the glued item back into the house.

Remember to wipe your shoes before coming from the shop to the house. That has gotten me into trouble with the wife more than once. We have a white carpet!
 
Go to the store and buy your withe the expensive "I'm sorry" item. Stop at the grocery store or drug store on your way home and pick up a jar of vaseline for what... $2? Keep it in your shop!

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"Come What May..."
 
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