Attaching liners to scales.

coachcampana

coachcampana

Well-Known Member
I was wondering if anyone did anything special to attach a liner to handle material? I've attached g10 to micarta by roughing up the parts and using epoxy. But I was wondering if this is the norm?

I'd like to add a liner to some wood knife scales I'm making. I'm debating between the g10 and some copper sheet I have. Would any of you do anything g different with the copper sheet when attaching it to wood? Or would I just use the same process as before and rough up the mated surfaces and use epoxy?

Thanks I'm advance for reading and or responding.
 
Copper liners are much more difficult. Copper creates a nasty burr when sanding flush to the tang. I would suggest using temporary pins to hold the scales on while sanding the scales and liners flush before the glue up. Then glue the liners to the wood scales using the same temporary pins covered in Vaseline. Once they dry pull that pins out and proceed with your glue up wiping and cleaning the epoxy up as it dries. I would use Loc-Tite 326 adhesive for the copper liner to wood bond. 2 ton epoxy for the final glue up. I hope that helps
 
taylormadeknives said:
Copper liners are much more difficult. Copper creates a nasty burr when sanding flush to the tang. I would suggest using temporary pins to hold the scales on while sanding the scales and liners flush before the glue up. Then glue the liners to the wood scales using the same temporary pins covered in Vaseline. Once they dry pull that pins out and proceed with your glue up wiping and cleaning the epoxy up as it dries. I would use Loc-Tite 326 adhesive for the copper liner to wood bond. 2 ton epoxy for the final glue up. I hope that helps
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Awesome. Thanks for the advice. I think it will end up looking great, but as you pointed out, much more work.
Thanks again.
 
It's an extra step from gluing it all at once but I've seen some better luck gluing liners up if you glue to the scale first, let it cure then glue to the tang. Maybe you already do it that way. Rough I both surfaces with 40 or 60 grit.

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I like to glue the liner to the scale. Then once dry, I will lay the scales out and drill my pin locations. Then I trace the outline of my tang on the liners and staying inside my traced outline, I drill small holes through the liner and slightly into the scale. This way, when I glue the scales to the tang, the epoxy will fill the voids between the scales, liners and as I also have holes in the tang, the glue can migrate throughout the entire handle from left hand scale to right hand scale bonding all the components together and not just squeezing all the epoxy out of the seams.

I've used this method to attach scales with copper liners as well. The holes pucker a bit when you drill through the copper and into the scale, but after all the holes are drilled I just run the liner over the belt grinder to level it back down.
 
Are we talking full tang handle or frame handle? With a full tang I usually drill some larger holes (3/8"-1/2") through the tang and match them on the liners, making shallow indents in the scales in the same location. Then I glue and pin it all up together. This creates a sort of "epoxy rivet" from one scale through the liner and tang, and through the other liner to the other scale. On a frame handle, I cut out the center section of the liners leaving a horseshoe shape that matches the frame. The pins go through the scale, liner, frame, liner, and the other scale. The center void is filled with the epoxy or bedding compound to secure the tang in place. The pins serve to hold the entire assembly together, especially if you peen the pins after everything is dried and cleaned up.
 
Now what about if you were using the scales for a friction folder? I was planning on just doing as suggested in this thread. Glue the liner to the wood, shape after.
 
On folders, you still have to add additional security to keep the scale from delaminating off the liner. Here are two pics from a couple of slip joints I made many moons ago. The Damascus folder has three pins securing the liner in place and a hidden screw in from the underside through the liner into the rosewood scale. The other knife has a dovetailed front bolster and a rear pin that is peened from the inside against the liner and then peened a little on the top side of the burl scale.

DSCN3745.jpgknives 013.jpg
 
cliffrat said:
On folders, you still have to add additional security to keep the scale from delaminating off the liner. Here are two pics from a couple of slip joints I made many moons ago. The Damascus folder has three pins securing the liner in place and a hidden screw in from the underside through the liner into the rosewood scale. The other knife has a dovetailed front bolster and a rear pin that is peened from the inside against the liner and then peened a little on the top side of the burl scale.

View attachment 55821View attachment 55822
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Thanks cliffrat, that's the tip I was looking for. Much appreciated.
 
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