how do I remove jb welded handles

C

chad2

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Sep 2, 2011
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So I have a knife that after jb welding the handles on and using it I realized it was to short width wise, not thickness or length but width. So I want to remove my handle and make my fully exposed tang to a rear exposed tang only so I can use g10 to hide the front portion of the tang and build up a bigger handle.

Are there any magical ways of removing jb weld or do I have to grind it off:confused:.
 
What steel is the blade? There may be other approaches out there but if you were going to use heat be forewarned that JB Weld will take about ten minutes to breakdown at ~650 degrees. That may anneal the metal and require a new heat treat. Don't know much about that though. Good luck.

Edit: FYI- per their website it maintains its characteristics between -67 and 600 degrees.
 
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You might try putting it in the freezer for a while and then smacking it with a soft mallet... Don't know if it will work,but it shouldn't hurt anything...
 
It is an epoxy so I would think that soaking it in acetone would disolve it . I use acetone on other hardened epoxies and it works great so it might be worth a try.
 
Nomalize three times, into freezer after all three for 24 hours
Thermal cycle three times, into freezer after all three for 24 hours
Anneal three times , three days
Quench, canola oil heated to about 160 degrees, kiln heat 1545 degrees, three times, three days, into freezer every night.
Temper 400 degrees 2 hours, three times, three days, into freezer every night.

After first temper quench in cold running water to help with ra. Second and third temper let cool in kiln parctialy open door to help with grain size.
 
Thank you. That is extensive and you are clearly thorough. I keep it simpler and so far so good. Couldn't you use a heat sink clamped to the blade,or even hang it in some coolant while heating the tang? I don't harden much past the hilt myself.
 
Not to be off topic, but putting a blade in the freezer does nothing for it.

You are likely going to need to grind the handle off.


-X
 
I have removed one set of scales that was put on with JB by putting it in boiling water for 20 minutes and it softened up. Do not know if it will work all the time, this is what someone suggested at the time and I tried it.
 
It only needs to be heated to above 250F for 30 minutes or so and it will come off. Putting it in an oven will work fine, but it will smell up the house.

Since you are going to take off the handle, there are two easy ways to do it.
One is to set the handle on the anvil and smack it hard with a maul. It will split apart. Grind off as much of the epoxy from the tang as is easy, and then soak the blade's tang in acetone for an hour to remove the rest.
The other method is to put the blade in a vise and apply a torch the handle. As it heats up, use a gloved hand and a damp rag to twist and pull on it every now and then. When the wood gets heated to the core, it will come right off.
 
Piggybacking onto the question... Do the JB weld release from the pins under heat as well? Or do the pins have to be drilled out before hand (would prefer to avoid having to do that).
 
fast14riot said:
Not to be off topic, but putting a blade in the freezer does nothing for it.

You are likely going to need to grind the handle off.


-X
Click to expand...
I believe that 5160 likes to rest at its current state for a while, it also helps Ra and grain size amoung other things that I can not explain. But ed fowlers metalurgist can and has and the info has been accepted by many.
 
Yes, sub zero can help, but not a home freezer. Typically -100*F for sub zero.

Good luck with the JB weld, I've never used it on a knife, but I know it works.


-X
 
If there are pins in the way, drill or press them out. From there, there are a few options. If the finish on one of the two bonded surfaces is smooth enough, you may have luck pressing it off. Apply pressure as parallel to the bond as possible. If there are no smooth surfaces involved, the least damaging option may be to grind a thin slit into the handle, above the handle steel just enough to be able to pry it. The fastest way to get an adhesive to fail is by getting one surface to flex, even at the microscopic level, so do it at the end of the handle
 
Soaking in a paint stripper that contains methylene chloride for over a day will dissolve the epoxy, and even G10...
I used to use an epoxy solvent called Attack, but it is harder to find these days.
 
probably easiest way would be pry off old scales and grind with stiff wire brush. other ways may work, but the chemicals mentioned are pretty hazardous and extremely flammable.
 
How about metal to metal? I have a NS guard which I need to remove from a blade which was JB Welded....
 
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