Is there any way to epoxy a handle without the mess?

Danbo

Danbo

Joined
Nov 28, 1999
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Just epoxied and pinned a little knife together last night. This is the second knife I have put together(other than skeleton handled knives that didnt need handles), and I cannot believe how much of a mess I made. Anybody want to share some tips for newbies on how to epoxy handle slabs on without getting epoxy everywhere?
 
It's always been kind of a mess for me also. I butter the scales, leaving the tang dry.After clamping up, I wipe around the tang with cotton swabs, or whatever is at hand. That is only done to prevent epoxy dripping on the floor, and pets walking in it.
If you are having problems with epoxy oozing out the front of the scales, and you don't have bosters or guard, just let it set up, 25-30 minutes, then rub it off the offending area with a cotton swab dipped in Acetone. It will be hard enough at that time, that the Acetone will not affect the scale bond.
 
I also tape the area I don't want epoxy on and remove the tape after a few minutes when the epoxy starts to harden but it still pliable.

Tim
 
Hey Dan-

Just let it get everywhere :p

No seriously, I like K&G epoxy the best of what I've used.

And here's what works best for me. I mix it in a plastic cup over a bench light. This makes it ooz even worse, but it sets up faster as well.

Then it's about like what Mike said, I wipe off the excess with a paper towel and then come back and clean up the rest with acetone on a cotton rag.

With full tang, you can put paste wax on the sides of the scales and then the epoxy won't stick even if you wait until it's hard.

Nick
 
I tape the blade off and just let it get everywhere. Also place some strips of paper towel between the handle and clamps to keep them from stickin. Heck, it ain't no fun unless you get it all over ya :D
 
Use MUCH less than you think will be needed. If it doesn't slightly ooze, clamp it tighter. I wipe it down constantly while clamping it, come back in ten minutes, wipe it down again. Then, when it's dry, I find that I've still missed a bead of it in a corner, so I use a brass chisel type tool I made from pin stock to scrape the bulk of it out of there, and buff off the remainder.
 
I put vasaline everywhere I do not want epoxy to stick to. After I clamp the scales you can use a rag to wipe the extra epoxy off. The vasaline doesn't allow the epoxy to stick to the blade and it will wipe off very easily.
 
I clean up with white vinager including my hanhs and
the little mixing cups I get from Brownells and use
them over and over. On stag handels I clean them
up with a stiff brisel brush diped in vinager then
wash off with the hose, works great no problems Gib
 
I use the bottom of a beer or soda can as a mixing bowl.Always have plenty of them.I use packaged alcohol swabs to clean up the excess and myself,way less fumes than acetone.Set clamped knife over a piece of newspaper to catch any drippings.And last but not least, don't mix a ton of the stuff, a little goes a long way.Dave
 
Well, after the total mess I made last night, I thought I had epoxied the clamps to the knife. Turned out allright, and I have done a little shaping on the knife. Whatever sanding and finishing needs to be done, I will do by hand. I do have a few epoxy marks on the blade that need to be removed. Suggestions?
 
Hi, I use WD40 on a disposable rag. WD40 is mostly kerosene and cleans epoxy well. Its much less harsh than acetone and cleans and oils the blade too. Works for me.
 
For the epoxy on the blade, use a piece of wood or micarta, with one end somewhat sharp. Place it against the epoxy and tap it with a small hammer, if regular hand pressure won't dislodge it. You can use a flat punch against stuck "C" clamps, a sharp rap where the clamp is stuck will break them loose.
When I put a handle on, I tape the blade. My handles are somewhat oversized when epoxied on, so I am not really worried too much about the sides. All that is going to be ground off anyway.
I do not like the idea of wax or vaseline, as there is great risk of getting it where it does not belong, and contaminating the bond. JMO.
 
After i glued and clamped a handle i usually put it in the oven for 10 minutes (100°C).
10 minutes after taking it out the epoxy is like gum and you can cut it off with the sharpened brass rod pretty easily.

You can also abrade epoxy off the blade when it is completely hard with that brass rod. Its much softer than the steel and wont scratch the finish.
 
1. Prior to applying the epoxy, all the parts are cleaned with acetone.

2. I always have a box of latex or plastic gloves in the shop for use during epoxying.

3. I also keep a stack of paper plates around and that's what I place the parts on before and after epoxying the scales.

4. I wrap the blade and guard with duct tape for among other reasons, to keep the epoxy off of these areas.

5. I "butter" the tang ,scales and the "epoxy side" of the guard or bolsters with epoxy.

6. I use the spring type clamps, not C-clamps. C-clamps tend to squeeze out too much epoxy for my liking.

C Wilkins
 
You might want to give one of the one part activator acrylics a try. I use one of the Loctite versions but there are some others. It comes in a package with a tube of adhesive and a small spray can of activator. The adhesive doesn't react at all until it comes in contact with the activator. When I'm doing a batch of knives I will butter up the blades and spray activator on the scales. When the two parts physicaly come together, the curing process starts. Prior to that you have almost unlimited working time and generally whatever oozes out hasn't been activated and never sets up. The acrylics have very high shear strength and extremely good thermal and mechanical shock strength as compared to many epoxies. As for peel and compression strength, in my tests G-10 substrate will fail before the adhesive lets go.

Cecil
 
One of the (many) mistakes I made starting out was to put too much clamp pressure on the epoxy. Like C Wilkins said, spring clamps only.
Still learning, Lynn
 
Being a total pleab at knife making I have no experience (yet) with scales, however, I have done a number of rifle stocks, forend tips, grip caps and the like. Based on that experience, epoxy should be applied very thinly (use a popsicke stick to grade the excess epoxy off the surfaces) but the surfaces the epoxy bond to should be scored so as to allow the epoxy to pool more thickly into areas that will not be seen. This gives better bonding because it provides greater surface area for the bond and serves the same purpose as tiny pins or screws would if they were present. If totally fashoned wood (that which requires no more sanding) , it should be sealed well and the grain filled before bonding to prevent excess epoxy from getting into the grain of those parts which will be seen. Regardless, there will be epoxy squeesed out onto unwelcome surfaces that must be wiped dry. If the grain is not filled wiping the wood will not remove the discoloring epoxy from within the open grain. Sanding will presuming you can afford the lose of that much wood surface and that is the normal way to do it on rifle stocks - I should think the same will apply to knife making but I have yet to learn that.

Of course the item(s) is clamped tight until cured. Like concrete, epoxy does not completely cure in one day. All epoxies should be allowed to cure for approximately five days before removing clamping. Knives may be a bit more forgiving but high power rifles like their epoxy done.

Here is a cleanup tip that took me years to learn: a very lightly dampened cloth or paper towel with vinegar will cut epoxy. It works on epoxy like gasoline works on a wet paint brush. Too much vinegar will find its way between the parts being bonded and will cause that area(s) to not cure. Use as VERY little vinegar as possible. Great for cleaning epoxy off your hands too. It works right now and smells like a Ceaser salad.
 
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