To embed a tang or not to embed a tan, that is the question?

Brian Avila

Brian Avila

Joined
Jan 2, 2011
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I am contemplating embedding my hidden tangs which would let me remove the handle, work on it and then place it back on the tang and it would fit the same way each and every time, which is nice.

I was wondering if it is really worth the effort to embed the tangs compared to just fully epoxying the handle and then shape with the wood handle on the tang?

I really worry about getting the handle back off after the epoxy has set, I know to use either some type of wax but from what I can gather you really have to wail on the wood to get it off.
 
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No question for me. Even if you are gonna end up gluing it on eventually, being able to remove the handle during the build is very useful. I use renaissance or similar paste wax and if yo are careful with coverage, it comes off with a gentle tap sometimes even just pulling on it by hand.
 
It also never occurred to me that I could use Ren. Wax for the wax, however, I think it is pretty pricey, I have a little jar of it that I use for final finish application to help with rust prevention. How much wax should be used when you are using it and what are some similar past waxes that work well? I am guessing the type of epoxy also matters with this as well?
 
Mother's Carnuba car wax will work just fine. You only need a very thin film, no buildup, so a can of wax will last you a lifetime depending on your ouput.
As far as Epoxy, I mostly use Pop's 30 minutes epoxy or similar. The epoxy type won't make much difference as far as the embedding process is concerned. I just use something that cures a little slower to give you time to work.
 
Question, what do you guys use to clean it out after the procedure? Once you do the embedding I imagine there is some wax or whatever left over that would inhibit the final glue up. Was thinking of doing this in the future.
 
quint said:
Question, what do you guys use to clean it out after the procedure? Once you do the embedding I imagine there is some wax or whatever left over that would inhibit the final glue up. Was thinking of doing this in the future.
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Thanks quint, this was the exact question I was planning to ask as I was reading this thread. Curious how you clean the bedded hole out after setting because I'm sure wax or grease would stay on the inside causing problems with the final glue up bonding properly.
 
Forgot to add that I will even sometimes use a burr on the Foredom and cut a few shallow channels in cavity perpendicular to the tang. I do that just prior to glue up. May not be needed but can't hurt to give a little extra "mechanical advantage to the new epoxy.
 
Not nit-picking here... you'll have better results searching for info on this by looking up "bedding" rather than embedding. Bedding is a very common idea with gunsmiths.

I have used Johnson's wax after hearing about it from Ms John White... it's cheap and you can get it at almost any hardware store. Shoe-polish was recommended to me on here, but I haven't tried it yet. The Ren wax Patrice is using would work great too... it doesn't take much.

I know a lot of guys use stuff like bearing grease or petroleum jelly, but I hate using those. They've never given me the results that the wax does. One REALLY nice thing about the wax, is it comes out with the tang.

I don't bed every handle I do... but it's a nice trick to have in the bag for when you need it. :)
 
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