Adhesives?
- Thread starter murphda2
- Start date
HELLGAP
Dealer - Purveyor
I am with you 100 % Jim . I switched from using all the epoxys mentioned and had failures on all of those . You need a jack hammer to get the scales off with gorillar glue. I glued my fingers to a scale the other night and ran out of acetone nearly cut my fingers off trying to bust my fingers off the wood. It was ugly at 3 am with my index finger and thumb stuck to a piece of wood and that was just a couple seconds . I use a epoxy called G2 from lee valley its near bullet proof and has a 6 hour work time 48 hour cure. The best epoxyive used and ive tried um all . Like jim says why wait . Kellyw
McClellan Made Blades
Well-Known Member
Boss,
I came up with a way to measure Arcraglass precisely, I use syringes with a big enough tip (not a needle) to be able to suck it up into it. Usually the 3 cc syringes are big enough. I use 2 at a time, one for the the resin and one for the hardener. You can get them at your local farm store, they're not very expensive, but they are disposable. I use them once and chunk them. The directions for mixing are very specific, getting the combination exactly right is very important, and then it specifies to stir it for 4 minutes straight. I don't know how important that is, but I'm pretty slow, so I just follow the directions. Besides, since I've started using it I've had NO problems with slabs coming off. (I didn't before but I feel that learning from others experiences is a lot easier than figuring it out myself. Once I read Ed's thread about his experiences with the other epoxies, I changed immediately!) I believe in this stuff, the pot time is awesome, the shelf life is incredible, and according to Ed the performance is unbeatable. One thing I would recommend is that when you buy it, it comes packaged several different ways, I bought the kit, not understanding how all the parts worked together, but when I buy more, I will buy it in the larger bottles, remember there are 3 parts, the resin, the hardener and one that isn't talked about a lot is the release agent. Acra Glass dries harder than any other epoxy I've ever used, you can't scrape it off with a brass scraping tool, you can't cut it with an Exacto knife (without cutting into the steel) with the release agent, you simply put on a thin coat let it dry, then a second coat, let it dry and then Acra Glass will not stick to the the area that is coated. Comes in handy around the ricasso, or any where else that you don't want it to stick, after it's dried you wash it off with water. I still use Devcon from time to time but for most every application Acra Glass is the BOMB!!! Another tip, you can color it to match your handle material. I went to Hobby lobby and bought the small bottles of acrylic paint in a brown and black, it helps make a seamless line between the slabs and the tang. When you are adding the paint, add it a little at a time, depending on the color you want, with brown and your wood is a lighter color be very careful, too much and it will be a lot darker. I did a test with a couple of drops, then 3 drops and then 4 drops. I mixed it thoroughly each time put a spot on a board and let it dry, once it was all done, I used it as a comparison to match it to the wood I was using. Since I use a lot of Walnut, I pretty much know about how many drops to put in it. The difference comes in how much your mixing at time, smaller handles will require less glue, bigger handles require more. It will be more expensive at the time you buy it, but in the long run it is more economical than any other. The kit that does one rifle doesn't have a lot in it. I think the hardener was about 2.3 oz, while the resin was something like 2/3 of an ounce. I don't remember the exact amounts, but that's close. I have used it on about 6 knives since I got it and I still have a pretty good bit left. It's extremely economical! It's strong stuff so be careful with it, once it dries it will be there, you can get it off steel with a grinder...so keep that in mind! Rex
Ironwolf
The Knife Poet
I picked some up at Home Depot here in North Vancouver several months ago,
and just went down to get some more after reading this thread,but guess what?
"Not In Stock"...
Same with Ackland Grainger.
For some a55-hat reason,it's now restricted for sale in Canada.
(no doubt a baby-sitter somewhere glued some unruly kids to the dog or something
)(Oh:I've used about 4 drops out of the lil' bottle I have,but if someone near me NEEDS it,the bidding starts at 1 bottle of Flor deCana Grand Reserve!...
)
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Ernie Swanson
SASSY PINK LUUNCHBOX KNIFE MAKER
So far I have tried Devcon 5 minute, Devcon 2 ton clear, and Gorilla epoxy.
I did like the Gorilla glue epoxy, I also use Regular Gorilla glue but not for attaching handles.
Next I am going to try Acraglass.
I did like the Gorilla glue epoxy, I also use Regular Gorilla glue but not for attaching handles.
Next I am going to try Acraglass.