Lignum vitae and epoxy

J

JoshEarl

Joined
Sep 30, 2007
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197
I bought some lignum vitae with the thought of using it for some hidden tang knives. From what I understand, this is a very oily wood. How should I prep the hole in the handle before pouring the epoxy in? Any other hints for working with this wood?

Josh
 
I think STR said he uses "Goop" as a fixant for the stuff. I have some but have not used any yet so I can't offer any more advice than- put some notches in the tang, and I would guess not to have the sides of the hole too smooth- something for the fixant to bite onto as it were.
good luck
 
I use Goop to attach it to titanium liners because its the only thing I've ever had work. Lignum is a very very oily wood. It has a long history of marine use in sea vessels but it was never used in any areas that required sealed water tight joining because no glue would work with it for long.

If you use epoxy it will work but it can dislodge under stress. I've seen it happen as a characteristic of the wood and the poor bond thanks to the oils in the wood. Its best to use undercuts and pins in conjunction with the epoxy if you go there with this wood.

In the situations where I used Goop it was also pinned as well as bonded and so far everything I've bonded with it has remained bonded. If it was something done for a customer I have not heard any reports of it coming off.

Any of the naturally oily woods are hard to bond to with 100% conviction that it will last especially in a harder use knife.

STR
 
Wipe the wood with acetone to remove some of the oils.Take the other precautions too !
 
My limited experience with lignum is that it doesn't aquire that super hard surface until you let it dry a little while. I think that if you cut out the hole and let the handle set for a while, it should do better as long as you use good epoxy. i have done a couple of lignum handled knives and they seem to be holding up well. On the last one I did, the hole was slightly wider than the tang and the interior was rough, so I probably ended up with a nice little slug of West System epoxy holding on tight to the surface of the wood. I also used a pin.
 
If it's a hidden tang, your pin should be holding the handle on and the epoxy should just be acting as a sealant to keep the tang from rusting. If you're pinning it I'd imagine you'll be fine.

-d
 
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