vulcanized paper seperation

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kungfucowboy

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Oct 27, 2008
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I used vulcanized fiber/paper liners between 1080 steel and african blackwood on a knife this winter when it was dryer. This summer has been especially humid and I'm getting a bit of separation near the butt end of the knife. Is there anything short of re-handling it that I can do?

Also should I just throw out my vulcanized liners and buy thin G10 or is there a good way to prevent this from happening?

Thanks in advance.
 
When I use vulcanized liners, I vacuum them to the scales with cactus juice. I've never had one come apart.

Try using some epoxy with some dye to fill the gap. Was the wood stabilized?

Edit: I see its Blackwood. Doesn't need stabilization, but might not have been dry enough, and moved.

I like the colours of the fibre spacers better, so I do use them. I've not had any separate and we have wild swings in temp and humidity in my area.
 
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I always epoxy them up like you do with contact cement , epoxy on all sides of liners , wood and knife tang . Never had a problem either even though I have heard some folks have . Also , as Stacy always points out , you may have caused an epoxy void by clamping to tight .
 
Thanks for the advice so far. I may have clamped too tight.
the wood does not appear to be warped or have moved.

I don't think the gap is big enough to get epoxy into the area but I guess it could seal around it. at the moment it's quite small (I can see it and feel the edge of the gap but not get a fingernail into it) i'm worried it'll get worse over time or let rust inside so I want to stop it ASAP. Would super glue be able to get into a hairline separation better than epoxy? is there any way to direct it to the gap so it doesn't get all over the handle?

edit: after looking and feeling more closely I can clearly tell that the spacer is also very slightly recessed from the wood and metal along most of the handle.
 
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As Jack has said get some super glue. I recomend the bob smith "insta cure" is runs like water and will wick up into any space. Then apply the 'Insta set" and it will harden immediately.

Many hobby shops sell it. It comes in super handy and might as well get some "un cure" to help get it off anything you did not want it on.
 
its hard to be sure without a photo. if the liner got wet and expanded do you think it would have enough force to bend the wood outward? i don't, unless it was saturated then froze. i have seen loveless knives 40 years old, and the liners are fine.
 
Super glue should fix it. As said, use the thin formula.

What most likely happened is you clamped the handle together too hard and squeezed out all the resin. Then when the wood moved ever so slightly, the joint separated.
Avoid this by:
Having a 100 grit finish on the mating surfaces and everything sanded dead flat
Drill divots, holes, or relieve a recess in the underside of the scales and tang
Using a structural resin
Clamping only enough to hold things in place
Use Corby bolts or other mechanical fastener
 
AVigil said:
As Jack has said get some super glue. I recomend the bob smith "insta cure" is runs like water and will wick up into any space. Then apply the 'Insta set" and it will harden immediately.

Many hobby shops sell it. It comes in super handy and might as well get some "un cure" to help get it off anything you did not want it on.
Click to expand...

I think they need to put a label on the "insta cure" bottle to buy "un cure" or sell it as a package.
 
rybobales said:
I think they need to put a label on the "insta cure" bottle to buy "un cure" or sell it as a package.
Click to expand...

Very true.

I know apply the insta cure to the tip of a pin or tooth pick to apply. It is much more controlled and eliminates the flood LOL
 
tiancode said:
So is this the reason why G10 liner is considered simpler to work with?
Click to expand...

It's not the only way to do it. I'm set up for home stabilizing, and it works very well for me. Epoxy works very well for most people.
 
Thanks for everyone's advice. A small needle and super glue filled the gap well and I'll only need some very light work to get the extra glue off.
 
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