My handle chipped......... :(

Retroguy said:
Speaking of epoxy and sorry about hijacking the thread. Two questions. 1. Do most folks put the epoxy on both sides and B. How do you gauge how thin to put in on?
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I will be interested in this answer, good question.

I mostly use Gorilla Glue for scales
 
Justin, to big of a pin and too close to the end, resulting in the end grain popping!! By the way that is a wicked blade! thumb up.jpg

As to the epoxy question I use 30 minute for several reasons. But the main reason is the time factor. When I fit a handle for pins I often use welding rods for the pins! Very good steel and I use up all the drops from my hot can!! My largest pin is usually 1/8" diameter. You can peen them but in reality a pin is for shock on the handle. IMO. I always rough up the center of the pins to give the epoxy something to bite on!

I will drill the pins thru then I mark the slabs with a left and a right. Reason being if you pick them up and reverse them the pin will not go thru! I drill holes thru the metal handle to let epoxy to pass from side to side. I also drill holes in the inside of the handle pieces to let them fill with epoxy. Then I slather on a very liberal dose of epoxy to both handle slabs as well as both sides of the metal of the handle. Put the handle slabs in place and run the pins thru and clamp. Not trying to kill the handle material only pull it tight to the handle. I have been known to wipe of the excess from the handle and run tape around it. After all I want to keep as much of that epoxy in place. If it sounds messy it is but, hey they make those gloves for something else besides the Doc checking your prostrate!!

The one thing you want to do is have the ricasso end of you handle slabs as close to finish state as you can before glue up, and especially where they meet the blade. You can always clean up the epoxy but sanding there is bad juju! Those pins you left long can be cut and ground down with the handle. The one thing you got to watch is the heat of that pin it will scorch your handle material if you let it get too hot!!

Often I will have my handle slabs 95% finished before I glue them up. If you do that then you can take the pin down with a dremmel or similar and the file them even to the handle material and polish with sand paper!!

I hope this all make sense and is of some help! I am battling one of the worst colds I have had in years. So if I am rambling it is the cold medicine!!
 
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opaul said:
What is smooth on epoxy?
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It is a brand name industrial two part epoxy. Most bowyers use smooth on or urac 185. At least they did when I was in the game. Smooth on is a great epoxy it will just soften in high heat because it is heat cured. Actually it more than likely would not make much diffetence in a knife scale because of the pins. But if you leave a laminated longbow braced in your car during the summer it will delaminate violently.
 
Chris Railey said:
It is a brand name industrial two part epoxy. Most bowyers use smooth on or urac 185. At least they did when I was in the game. Smooth on is a great epoxy it will just soften in high heat because it is heat cured. Actually it more than likely would not make much diffetence in a knife scale because of the pins. But if you leave a laminated longbow braced in your car during the summer it will delaminate violently.
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Thanks Chris! First I heard of it.
 
That is a cool looking knife. New compound swear words are definitely in order!! lol,,, Like stated above moving your front pin would be the best fix. If you feel for any reason that might be a problem changing your scale material to something like macarta could help. Best of luck.
 
I would not let one of my knives out into the wild with a chipped or visibly repaired handle so I'd redo it as others have said.

I'd take it to the portaband and cut them off then grind whatevers left off with a 36 belt.
 
It was a bit disappointing that the handle chipped out but now I know how to fix it. THANK YOU to everyone who gave me some tips on how to make my next try go a lot better. The size of my pin stock is 1/4 inch. I am gonna knock it down to 1/8 inch and try that.
 
Chris Railey said:
It is a brand name industrial two part epoxy. Most bowyers use smooth on or urac 185. At least they did when I was in the game. Smooth on is a great epoxy it will just soften in high heat because it is heat cured. Actually it more than likely would not make much diffetence in a knife scale because of the pins. But if you leave a laminated longbow braced in your car during the summer it will delaminate violently.
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That is very interesting Chris. I had a custom 60lb recurve bow (A canadian brand if I remember correctly) made and sent out to me in the early 70's and when hunting rabbits with a girlfriend stopped to have a chat and a rest when the bow which I had strung did just that and delaminated about a foot of the upper limb. Always wondered why and was very disapointed as it was not a cheap bow
 
If the bow was sitting in the direct hot sunlight that coold be the case. Not sure if it was used in the 70’s though.
 
Smooth on makes another adhesive too I believe it is something like EA 40 or something but it, when cured, can be drilled and tapped.
 
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