What do you think will last longer? G-Flex or Acraglass?

M

Maelstrom78

Joined
Sep 21, 2013
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It's time to replenish my epoxy supply. I've been very happy with G-Flex and have never tried Acraglass.

Any thoughts on if G-Flex will stand the test of time like Acraglass?

Any reason to switch or not to switch?

Thanks!
 
I think both will last a LONG, LONG time.
 
Both high quality epoxy. Both have very high reviews. Cant go wrong. I use G-Flex.
 
scott.livesey said:
two others to look at Raka(http://store.raka.com/epoxy.aspx) and East Coast Resin (http://eastcoastresin.com/products). both last a long time. $16 or $17 a quart makes a lot more sense than $20 for 8oz.
scott
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Scott, have you used these two epoxies? If you have please comment on their drying time and hold. I use G-flex, and I use Loctite ( 5 minute) on liners for speed. I used to bed rifle actions and floor plates with Accraglass. These epoxies have worked without failure for me so far but I am always ready to try something better...if it is. Thanks, Larry
 
I have been very impressed with Blade Bond epoxy. It does not expire and it does a great job.
 
AVigil said:
I have been very impressed with Blade Bond epoxy. It does not expire and it does a great job.
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Agreed. Really like their stuff. Their fifteen minute stuff is quite strong, and provides enough time to actually work with it. Ultra is pretty good, too, for a slow cure waterproof product. I use their Extreme product on anything that will see significant impact.

G-Flex works great, but I struggled with how runny it is. Still have a ton of it, and use it on occasion (like it for stick tangs), but way too much cleanup for me.
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Agreed. Really like their stuff. Their fifteen minute stuff is quite strong, and provides enough time to actually work with it. Ultra is pretty good, too, for a slow cure waterproof product. I use their Extreme product on anything that will see significant impact.

G-Flex works great, but I struggled with how runny it is. Still have a ton of it, and use it on occasion (like it for stick tangs), but way too much cleanup for me.
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I use G-flex but I too do not like that it is runny...it is messy to use. I'm going to try the Blade Bond. Where do you buy it? Thanks, Larry
 
I have just ordered G-Flex because it is thin - it should make it easier to get glue in place when gluing WA handles on Japanese-style kitchen knives. If I will find the time I will compare 15 Blade Bond with G-Flex and maybe even Arcaglas (do not have any yet) in the future, but to my understanding all 3 of these are top-tier epoxy with rather long shelf life.
 
I too like the fact that G-Flex is thin. Much easier to pour down into tang holes and when everything is clamped i know its going to get into those tiny gaps and fill them in. For full tangs I can understand you would want something that stuck in place and didnt bleed out as easy forming a dry join.
 
I didn't like how runny G-Flex was either, so now I mix it up and let it sit for an hour or so before using it. It thickeness up nicely and makes gluing up full tang handles much easier.
 
matus said:
I have just ordered G-Flex because it is thin - it should make it easier to get glue in place when gluing WA handles on Japanese-style kitchen knives. If I will find the time I will compare 15 Blade Bond with G-Flex and maybe even Arcaglas (do not have any yet) in the future, but to my understanding all 3 of these are top-tier epoxy with rather long shelf life.
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You would not compare that to the Blade Bond 15 minute formula. You would compare that to the Blade Bond HT which is made for hidden tang knives and is low viscosity and meant for pouring.
 
LARRYZ10 said:
I use G-flex but I too do not like that it is runny...it is messy to use. (...)
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Buy two additives: colloidal silica, and microballoons. The first will thicken the epoxy without affecting it's strength significantly. The second will lighten it, and depending on the amount you add, it can get as light and friable as a rigid polyurethane foam.
I found that having a very low viscosity epoxy as my only epoxy, plus those two additives gives me the full range of versatility with a minimum stock. Used straight, it's great for laminations (micarta-like) Thickened, great for bonding. And "foamed", I use it to fill gaps on weight conscious applications (nothing to do with knifemaking).

The only other variable is cure time. For that I'm now testing WestSystem's, as it uses the same resin with different catalyzers.
 
LARRYZ10 said:
Scott, have you used these two epoxies? If you have please comment on their drying time and hold. I use G-flex, and I use Loctite ( 5 minute) on liners for speed. I used to bed rifle actions and floor plates with Accraglass. These epoxies have worked without failure for me so far but I am always ready to try something better...if it is. Thanks, Larry
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East Coast is thin and is slow, 30 minute work time, probably best used in two coats. Raka offers several resin and hardeners so you can tailor your work time from 8 minutes to 25 minutes. They have a special UV resistant resin and a hardener that will work at temps as low as 50F. I have had no issues with pieces coming apart. I had to redo one handle after it had aged a couple of days and had to use hammer and chisel to get most of the scales off, still left chunks of wood that had to sanded off the tang. what is comes down to is finding the resin/hardener blend that works best for you. if proper surface prep has been done, parts glued with East Coast or Raka or West System epoxies will last a life time if not subjected to sustained exposure of UV. these are epoxies designed for commercial applications such as boats, surfboards, airplane structure, wind mill blades ..... I think an epoxy designed to give a wood and steel laminate wind mill blade a 30 year service life should work ok for knife.
scott
 
My rifles were bedded with Acraglas 40+ years ago , still hard ,no deer has complained.
It's best to stay away from any 5 or 10 minute epoxy !!!
A search of the BF of a few years ago will show some extensive testing of a good number of epoxies.
 
AVigil said:
You would not compare that to the Blade Bond 15 minute formula. You would compare that to the Blade Bond HT which is made for hidden tang knives and is low viscosity and meant for pouring.
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True, that one is howevet not yet available in Europe


sent from phone
 
The Golfsmith epoxy was supposedly pretty much the same goop as Acraglass. If I recall correctly, what happened is that Golfsmith began selling it only in dyed black a couple of years back and that doesn't work for some folks. In the high end boat building world, Raka is considered a direct replacement for West System. As for how durable these epoxies are, I was told by one boat builder that they cut a round plug out of the bottom of an early 70's custom Rybovich hull (multiple layers of cold molded mahogany and marine epoxy) to install a big sonar transducer and it looked like had just been laid up. That was after 40 years of pounding offshore.
HSC /// said:
I was pretty surprised to see Charles Vestal using golf shaft epoxy.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1403844-Shamu-Loriendesign-Prototype-by-Charles-Vestal?p=16208732#post16208732


As a golfer who reshafts clubs, I never considered it.

My clubs have lasted for years and never had an epoxy failure,

http://www.golfsmith.com/product/30089618/clubmaker-shafting-epoxy-1-2-pint-black-fe
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