Wood glue vs epoxy on handles?

Mark Barone

Mark Barone

Well-Known Member
When two species of wood are joined to make scales with no spacers would I use wood glue or epoxy? I would typically use wood glue in other applications and it always seemed stronger at the joint than even the grain. Does the same hold true when making scales. Also is it always necessary to have at least one pin in each wood species or does the glue make it as strong as a regular scale?
 
What you have to consider is the use of the item being "glued".....most wood glues are not weatherproof. Some will say "weather resistant".....but that just means it will take longer to fall apart when exposed to the elements versus something like plain old elmer's glue.

Without getting into a "glue wars" scenario..... my choice is acraglas.....which is a rifle bedding compound from Brownells. Once cured it is TOTALLY weatherproof, and more importantly, provides a guaranteed hold life of 50 years. I could go into a long winded story as to why I use it, but suffice to say that I had knives returned, that were falling apart because the "glue" I had used had reached it's "hole life"....and broken down.....never again!
 
I started using Acraglas after reading some stuff Ed had posted 1year or more ago. Its good stuff way better then anything you can buy in the store.
 
I'd recommend the original..... the gel is too thick for most applications...and doesn't work well at all if building hidden tangs.
 
Thanks Ed, I don’t know why I didn’t even think about the water issue. I will check out that product. So is that what you use on all joining rather than the typical two part epoxy?
 
Titebond III is wood glue and water proof but I still would not use it for wood wood joints on knife handles because of the longevity issues mentioned above. Modern wood glues are made so that they hold to material failure but I KNOW epoxy works. I became sold on two part epoxies when I used to make laminated longbows. When I was making the best epoxy was Smooth-on two part epoxy. I still have the first laminated reflex-deflex longbow I ever made better than 20 years ago and it still shoots just like day one. Think about all the force in flex and shock a multi-layer laminated bow takes and then think about how little a knife handle takes in comparison. If you want to make a bullet proof product two part epoxy is a no brainer for all the joints. Just a little disclaimer to add here: I would not use smooth-on epoxy for knife handles because it is a heat cured epoxy, bad things will happen if you leave it in a car in the Georgia summer...ask me how I know.
 
Thanks Ed, I don’t know why I didn’t even think about the water issue. I will check out that product. So is that what you use on all joining rather than the typical two part epoxy?
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Yes.... it's the ONLY adhesive that I use on knives. In the future, I'm sure something better will come out, but for right now, there is no other adhesive that beats acraglas in term of shelf life, hold life, and durability.

There is a difference in how it's mixed versus traditional 2-part epoxies...... Acraglas is mixed 1 part hardener, to 4 parts resin. AND...YOU HAVE TO BE PRETTY DARN CLOSE TO THAT MIX RATIO! With regular 2-part epoxy, some folks will mix in more hardener to make it cure faster. DO NOT TRY THAT WITH ACRAGLAS! If you get off on the ratio, Acraglas will get to the consistency of chewed chewing gum....and never any harder. My recommendation is to buy the graduated mixing cups that Brownells sells, and use those.....you will quickly get used to how it's mixed.

If you follow this link... and go to the FIFTH item down the page....you will see a listing for 28oz of resin, and 7 oz of hardener. When I was at full production, that was enough to last me a year+. https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...ock-bedding-adhesives/acraglas--prod1033.aspx It might seem pricey....but like I said, it's a year's+ worth of adhesive for me, and if you add up what you'd pay for something like the double syringe type epoxies.....you'll discover that Acraglas is really a bargain!
 
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EdCaffreyMS said:
Acraglas is mixed 1 part hardener, to 4 parts resin. AND...YOU HAVE TO BE PRETTY DARN CLOSE TO THAT MIX RATIO! With regular 2-part epoxy, some folks will mix in more hardener to make it cure faster. DO NOT TRY THAT WITH ACRAGLAS!
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That is good to know, I would be the first one to screw the mixture up...Thanks. $75 for a year of epoxy (more for me) if you count shipping for smaller bottles ordered several times a year I bet the Arcaglas works out better. When I use my current stock up I think I will try it.
 
Gorilla Glue for wood is fantastic adhesive when used properly with wood. It is moisture activated so you wet one side and apply the adhesive to the other side. It tends to foam up where it is not compressed. The foam has no structural strength and should not be considered as a way to fill a gap. Buy it in small quantities as it tends to go off sitting on the shelf after it has been opened. When used properly, Gorilla glue was as strong as any adhesive I tested in the old Glue Wars thread.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
I'd recommend the original..... the gel is too thick for most applications...and doesn't work well at all if building hidden tangs.
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Thanks Ed. What's the pot life like?

I've used it a few times bedding rifles many years ago, and the gel a whole bunch. I seem to remember the original kicking off if in a larger volume.
 
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