Removing handle scales

H

HikoIto

Joined
Oct 28, 2013
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27
One of my knives came back with a broken scale:/ I used Fantacy Marble from Jantz for the handle and a corner chipped off. Most likely because of my poor technique and wrong epoxy when I made this knife.
Now I have to remove the rest of the scales and put a set of new handle scales. I used epoxy(5min) and brass pins (not peened). What would be the easiest way to remove the scales? Thank you.
 
5 min epoxy?

Drill out the pins and use a heat gun on the scales. That get it moving. If it still resists heat up the scales again and then dunk it into ice water to shock that epoxy and break the bond.
 
My usual method of removing old scales for refurbishing is to use a belt grinder to grind down the pins on one side then knock the pins out the other side then knock the scales off with a few taps of a hammer and/or chisel then grind any residue off. On blades that I have refurbished, the scales are usually just pinned and not glued so it's pretty easy but 5 minute epoxy should pop off pretty easily especially if the materials weren't sandblasted before glue up.
 
Put the knife in a woodworking vise, blade down (and taped up to prevent scratches) with the shoulders of the handle resting on the vise jaws. Put a framing chisel at the back side of the handle against the scales and smack it with a mallet. You used the worst option epoxy, so the scales will likely fly off the knife. Seconds spent. Project done. If you had used west marine gflex epoxy, the method won't work because the glue is stronger than the handle material.
 
Also the fantasy marble is really liked by some people,but it is very fragile. Just drop it on a hard surface an it will tend to shatter.
I have used it by request on some kitchen knives, too many repairs, I won't use it anymore.

Stan
 
5 min epoxy is the worst with short shelf life and a poor bond don't use it. Heat will loosen epoxy ,400F will do it.
 
The fantasy Marble is a very Fragile material. To strengthen it some you may want to try coating it in 30 minute epoxy allow to dry and then polish. This seems to help, but as with any handle it can be broken with a fall, even hard woods and bone. Hope it makes you feel better to know it was probably NOT your workmanship. Just be sure to tell your customers that they must be careful not to drop a knife, they could break more than the handle :):):D
 
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