how do you do G -10 liners ?

Methuselah · Feb 12, 2015

should i drill divets in the back of my unstabilized ironwood for this >? will the black liners polish up well? is there another place to look for how others have done this ? thanks

Matt Rochester · Feb 12, 2015

I just drill divits in the back of both if the g10 is thick enough. If not just scuff it up. I epoxy it and clamp it together in a vice. Once it cures I treat it as normal handle material. Cut out the shape and attach it to the blade. Make sure you finish the front completely before attaching it. It will polish

Methuselah · Feb 12, 2015

Rookie25 said:
I just drill divits in the back of both if the g10 is thick enough. If not just scuff it up. I epoxy it and clamp it together in a vice. Once it cures I treat it as normal handle material. Cut out the shape and attach it to the blade. Make sure you finish the front completely before attaching it. It will polish

my g 10 is 1/32"
see my other related posts w/ questions similar thank you.

TLR · Feb 12, 2015

If it's that thin make sure that
A) you've flattened your ironwood scales as thoroughly as possible.
B) scuff up the g10 and the ironwood with 60 grit or so and wipe with acetone or denatured alcohol before gluing.
C) clamp your scales and liners to something flat while they cure
D) hope that during the curing process that your scales don't warp.

I generally end up with the scales warped at least a little. Based on the collective wisdom I've read through here at BF it may be shrinkage from the bonding agent or heat or both or maybe there are demons who are jacking with my scales knowing that it drives me crazy. I tend to get a bit thicker liners so that I can flatten them back down and still be able to even things out.

When I put on my scales I drill holes through the liner material and into the wood making divots for the epoxy to hold into. Not only does this help flatten the scales, give a space inside so that you don't have a glue starved joint and give your tang something to bond to beyond just the liner but it also gives more bonding space between your handle scales and your liner material.

Methuselah · Feb 12, 2015

TLR said:
If it's that thin make sure that
A) you've flattened your ironwood scales as thoroughly as possible.
B) scuff up the g10 and the ironwood with 60 grit or so and wipe with acetone or denatured alcohol before gluing.
C) clamp your scales and liners to something flat while they cure
D) hope that during the curing process that your scales don't warp.

I generally end up with the scales warped at least a little. Based on the collective wisdom I've read through here at BF it may be shrinkage from the bonding agent or heat or both or maybe there are demons who are jacking with my scales knowing that it drives me crazy. I tend to get a bit thicker liners so that I can flatten them back down and still be able to even things out.

When I put on my scales I drill holes through the liner material and into the wood making divots for the epoxy to hold into. Not only does this help flatten the scales, give a space inside so that you don't have a glue starved joint and give your tang something to bond to beyond just the liner but it also gives more bonding space between your handle scales and your liner material.

exactly what i was hoping to hear ! my wood is ironwood and has been drying for months i hope it does not warp. now , epoxy? which one?? gflex seems popular devcon does not ? plus i'll add loveless bolts. thanks for your input.

coldsteelburns · Feb 13, 2015

G-flex ftw! Plus since there is a bit of "flex" to the epoxy, it aids in giving the wood or other natural materials some room to move around or shrink a bit etc. without popping off.

~Paul

My YT Channel Lsubslimed

Marko3 · Feb 13, 2015

Double that on the G-Flex . It has the shock resistance that knives need.

J. Hoffman · Feb 13, 2015

I use .030 and .060 G10 as liners. I rough up both mating surfaces on a piece of sandpaper that is on a piece of granite. I use 80 grit paper. I then put a bead of Loc-Tite Go2Glue on the scale and I rub the liner on the scale until both surfaces are completely coated in the glue. I clamp them together and let them dry. Once dry, I drill the small divot holes in the back side of the scale for my main epoxy to adhere to. I only use mechanical fasteners (Loveless, Corby) on scales with liners, and I also makes sure that the shoulder for the fastener doesn't get drilled down to the G10. The Go2Glue is a super glue that dries with a rubbery texture. I've been happy with it.

rybobales · Feb 13, 2015

J. Hoffman said:
I use .030 and .060 G10 as liners. I rough up both mating surfaces on a piece of sandpaper that is on a piece of granite. I use 80 grit paper. I then put a bead of Loc-Tite Go2Glue on the scale and I rub the liner on the scale until both surfaces are completely coated in the glue. I clamp them together and let them dry. Once dry, I drill the small divot holes in the back side of the scale for my main epoxy to adhere to. I only use mechanical fasteners (Loveless, Corby) on scales with liners, and I also makes sure that the shoulder for the fastener doesn't get drilled down to the G10. The Go2Glue is a super glue that dries with a rubbery texture. I've been happy with it.

+1 to this. I was a bit worried the super glue would fail at first. But after using a rasp on the scales during shaping with no sign of failure I felt at ease.