How to remove epoxy?

G

garrisonknives

Joined
Jan 10, 2006
Messages
43
I was working on a knife last night and got epoxy all of the the tang. I made scales that are slightly smaller than the tang, (its a full tang) and when I squeezed them down tight the epoxy leaked out. I wiped up what I could but now it is dried onto the tang all the way around the scale. Does anybody have any suggestions to get it off?
Thanks
 
Make yourself a small brass chisel from a piece of brass rod pin stock. Remove what you can with that. What's left will have to be removed with acetone and q-tips.:( Bummer!

Rob!
 
Mount a burr into Dremel and see if you can carefully remove it.
Would help if you could mount Dremel with burr down and then
just move the knife's handle around the bit, with the bit at right height to
remove the epoxy but not touch the metal.

If you don't have a rigid-nuff setup, Dremel will inevitably take
a bite or two out of slabs and/or tang.

My $.02 :rolleyes:

And since you probably have the epoxy on the edges of the slabs, using a burr
will take care of that too.
 
In an oven Heat it to 300degs if you used quality epoxy 250-275degs for fast cure and CAREFULLY pry them off or drive out the pins first, then pry.
You will most likely ruin your finish any other way and this way you can clean it back up.
You have to use the epoxy sparingly and stay about a 1/4" from the edge of the scale, clamp and Watch/wipe for at LEAST one hour
 
Most epoxies can be removed with acetone.It takes a little rubbing,but it will all come off.There is a solvent called ATTACK,sold by the jewelery industry that completely dissolves it.A brass chisel is a must for cleanup.
 
On my damascus full tangs, I etch the entire tang deeply, which then requires scales to be finished prior to fitup much like the front edge of a bolster. This often leaves epoxy that I can't scrap with brass, or anything else. I usually put a strip of tape down the spine and cut it with a razor along the edges prior to attaching slabs. Then once the epoxy is dry, I use a heat gun lightly along the spine to just get that part a bit warm, and then when I pull the tape up, all it takes is a minute of delicate razor work and acetone to get it looking nice. Use STRONG tape....the packing tape with lengthwise fibers works best.....
 
If I have exposed blade or tang that I don't want epoxy on, I do like normal and wipe excess off as soon as I clamp, then wait for an hour or two and go after it with acetone, WD40, vinegar and the like. They'll all remove epoxy if it's not totally cured.
Giving it an hour or two first, lets it start to set up real well, so after cleanup you won't have it constantly running out from under the scales.
You still have to keep an eye on it though, for awhile.

It might be best to do what someone said above and bake the scales off, clean everything up and start over.

I don't know if you've handled lots of knives with the tang extending from the scales all around, but they're uncomfortable in real life.
 
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