Installing the scales CLEAN. Tips?

D

Don Nguyen

Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
1,043
Hello everyone.

I've done 3 handles so far, and ONE THING is bugging me. I've learned to shape the front part first before installing them. BUT, when I go to epoxy, I manage to get the epoxy gooing out everywhere, including the front area that I had already cleaned and stuff. I tape up the blade; should I tape the front of the scales too?

What do you do to keep it clean and flawless?

Thanks!
 
I'd let it squeeze out (don't clamp TOO hard, you want some glue left in there) and wipe it off with a cloth and acetone while it's still wet. At the sides/back you'll be sanding it away anyway, but it doesn't hurt to wipe off the excess. I am curious to see what others do, because I'm sure there is more than one way and likely better ways.
 
You can acetone wipe it off


or you can try waxing the front of micarta scales, epoxy usually wont stick to wax

or
Make a chisel out of brass and cut it off later
The brass won't damage the hard steel




or a combo of all those ideas
 
Maybe you could use some sort of wax, like crayons on the front of the scales to keep the epoxy from bonding. You could just apply less epoxy to the front, and be quick about cleaning it up.

Another option, one that I like more, is doing removable scales. This allows the customer to clean/oil underneath AND allows for new/different scales to be made in the future.

EDIT: Man you guys are fast - looks like we both thought of wax and posted at the same time!

I still vote for removable scales.
 
I use a q-tip to apply Vaseline to the front of the scales and nearby areas of
the blade. This seems to help a lot.
 
Thanks for the tips everyone.

I don't know if removable scales will be an option, since I will mostly be doing kitchen knife stuff. I mean, it's a possibility, but I've never really considered it.
 
After I epoxy everything and clamp together, I go to the front of the scales, and anywhere else it matters, and use a q-tip dipped in acetone to wipe everything clean. The scale fronts, and the ricasso. This works great, it just leaves a slight "epoxy wash" film over the steel once in a while. (Note: I find that over-use of acetone/q-tip can occasionally lead to wicking/eroding epoxy slightly from under the front of the scales.) If this film happens on a hand sanded knife, I use an x-fine knife edge cratex wheel by hand, with the grain of the sandpaper finish to erase any film or other smudges. Actually, here's a thread with some pics that I posted about this a while ago. I learned about that from Charles Vestal's thread.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/830183-Thanks-Charles-Vestal!
That also works really well for cleaning up and polishing solder joints.

With these techniques, it's pretty fool proof to get your scales on clean as a whistle.
 
Remember you only need a very thin film, anything more just makes a mess. I coat the blade and the scales, clamp very lightly. I use alcohol to clean up all epoxy that squeezed out including the front. Keep a water after a few minutes a little more make seep out.
 
You can use "White Vinegar" to clean off epoxy. It takes it off very quickly and then I wipe down with denatured alcohol or H20 after the vinegar.

When gluing bamboo flyrods together there is epoxy everywhere and vinegar is a blessing and one less toxic chemical you have to deal with.
 
I tape/mask off the blade and the pre-finished part of the handle scales, and wax them too if I remember. A problem I have with this is that sometimes there is a tiny bit of tape stuck way down in the glue seam if I didn't tape correctly. To get around this problem I take the tape off before the epoxy sets up real hard. Like maybe 45 min or an hour after glue up. The glue is not brittle hard nor is it sticky drippy and I can CAREFULLY remove it with various scrapers and,... alcohol and Q-tips. Acetone should certainly work also. I've never tried vinegar but will do so (if my Swiss cheese brain can remember that the next time I glue something up).

- Paul Meske
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top