Super glue handle finish

[Rob!]

When using superglue (cyanoacrylates) to finish handles, how do you apply it? Will it bond brush bristles instantly or can it be brushed on. How long till it can be worked? Does it dry smooth and glossy or does it have to be polished and buffed? Any hints appreciated to shorten the learning curve.

T.I.A.

Rob!



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Rob Ridley
Ranger Original Handcrafted Knives

 

[rotor]

i like to drip the super glue on the handle and spread it around with a Q tip ive never tried a brush so i dont know how it work. after each coat i found that using a hair dryer speeds the drying process repeat till you have as many coats that you want. i like about ten layers this gives me alot of thickeness of glue to sand out the finish smooth i use 220,320,400up to 600 grit then hit with the buffer with tripoli

 

[Mike Hull]

Rob,try using felt pads,or the type of pads used on the handpiece of blade etching equipt.,i think you can get it in 1 inch strips.soak one end w/s.,glue & wipe it on.The glue on the pad w/stay wet for a couple of coats,if/when pad hardens,cut the end off&reapply glue. MJH

 

[Diligence]

Do you sand your handles so that they are thinner than the guard? (ie, to allow for the build-up of crazy glue)

If so, how much do you undersize the handles by? For full tangs, do you also allow for a build-up where the scale meets the long axis of the tang.....make sense? I'm making the assumption that you wouldn't apply the crazy glue to cover the exposed steel of the tang.

 

[Mike Walliser]

Rob, I have used the super glue on scales prior to assembling the knife, laying the scales on a piece of wax paper and pouring it on, let dry and repeat. That works if you have a obvious crack, as far as finishing, I lay the knife on wax paper aply some glue , then rub it around with a corner of wax paper or newspaper. I find the qtips leaving little fuzzies all over. There are varying types of s-glue; super thick, super thin etc. and all are assisted in curing by carbon dioxide (breath). There is an excellerant sold that I think is called Hot Stuff(House of Tools).It speeds up the cure time but I'm not sure its worth the cost and bother. I like the super thin for hair line cracks. You might want to get some of the remover(super solvent) while your at it. As you can guess this stuff runs everywhere and it usually ends up on your fingers. I have yet to find a source for large quantities of it in Canada. Oh yeah, keep it in the fidge to extend the life of it. Hope this helps.