Guard and handle removal

DanL · Jan 18, 2004

What temperature do you have to get epoxy to , to make it let loose. Need to remove pinned guard and micarta handle to re-heat treat. Major blunder

Mike Hull · Jan 18, 2004

200-250 Degrees F.
Micarta will off gas toxic fumes at those temps, so maybe it would be better to place the handle in a pan of boiling water for awhile, VS the oven.
I don't know what type of epoxy is on your guard, if any, but if it is JB Weld, that will take at least 400-450 to break loose.

I would not recommend doing this in the house, because of the toxic fumes that will be generated.

Dan Gray · Jan 18, 2004

soaking in acetone
for few days should do the trick too.
just cap the jar. beware of safety precautions

DanL · Jan 19, 2004

I think the acetone is what I'll try, need to get something taller than a mason jar. Will the acetone eat up the micarta, I have more but was just curious?

ErikD · Jan 19, 2004

I don't think that the acetone would affect the micarta. I know that at least if a small amount is put on for a short time it has no affect. Not sure what would happen if left in acetone long enough to dissolve the epoxy, but micarta was designed to be rather impervious to most things...

Dan Gray · Jan 19, 2004

I don't believe so but again I'm not sure
I've done this with bone..

Mike do you know ???

Mike Hull · Jan 19, 2004

. I've never tried using Acetone, and probably never will. The fumes from that are just as bad, if not worse than the gasses given off by hot Micarta. Plus, they are explosive.

A number of years ago, a knifemaker in Texas was using Acetone, with dry ice for cryogenic treatment, the fumes found the water heater pilot, and it was room addition time.

Dan Gray · Jan 19, 2004

Originally posted by Graymaker
beware of safety precautions

!!!!a reminder of what I said. above!!!!.

That stuff is used by painters and Glass users all the time as a reducer. ( respirators)
I think it's in the Minwax wood hardener
that some of us are using as a stabilizing medium too..

If you use a 1 gal pickle jar with the cover
it only takes a sec to put something in and replace the cover,
and the same for removing it. and it can be done out side
heating something in an oven, is it mobile to the out doors?
if so that's the place to use it also for this project.
as Mike said heating Micarta has it's own fumes.