Here's another issue I'm struggling with. I've always been using 24 hour epoxy to glue my scales to the tang. I use the G2 2-part epoxy. From all the research I've done and all the people I've talked to, most support the argument that the 24 hour stuff holds the strongest and is the most durable. My problem is, I hate having to wait an entire day before I can start working on the knife handle. I know some makers swear by the 5 minute epoxy saying they've never had any trouble with scales detaching down the road. I was wondering if there's a way to split the difference with a decent 30 minute epoxy. Which way does everyone else lean when it comes to fast or slow drying epoxies? Jim T
I've been using the devcon 30 minute epoxy with good results. I am planning to switch to acraglass. I am pretty impatient and also don't like to wait. What i like to do to make the wait a little less painful since save the gluing for the evening just before I go to bed. That way the epoxy is set and ready to start making dust when I get home from work the next day.
The last time I used 30 min epoxy it started hardening in about 10 minutes, right when I was in the middle of process. That handle was ruined and I don't trust 30 min epoxy anymore... G2 is what I use since then and I like it a lot.
I've always used the 5 minute and had no troubles-did some comparisons between 5 min and 24 hour years ago and found they sheared at close to the same pressure
Hi Jim, I use Acraglas and wait the 24 hours. It's not really a long time to wait when I am trying to make the best possible knife, that I hope will last a lifetime. Not specifically about curing time, but of great interest to knifemakers... There is a great thread on the Knifenetwork where some gents test a number of different adhesives. Tests are conducted by Tracy Mickley (who we know from the USAKnifemaker.com website) and Steve Sando. It's a a series of posts that occupies a good number of pages but the tests are fairly well done and a lot of factors were taken into consideration. Situations include wood on metal, metal on metal, synthetics on metal, heat, dishwasher, hammer, shear weights, freezer and more. Here is: link: http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27463 Of course, for different applications different adhesives stand out. Quote: For overall use: Loctite E-120hp K&G Epoxy Golfsmith Golf shafting epoxy Acraglass (Acraweld is different and was not tested. Acragel was tested and failed) End Quote: You'll have to read the whole thread to get the most of it, but it's worth it. Happy knifemaking! Dan
Thanks Dan. Can you get any of the epoxies you've quoted in Canada? I've heard a lot of positive things about Acraglas, but I understand you can only get it from Brownell's in the States. I had a quick glance at the link you listed. It looks like quite an indepth experiment. I'm looking forward to reading the whole thing. Jim T
Hi Jim, Acklands-Grainger sells Loctite Hysol E-120HP. It's in 200ml size at around $90. Sounds a tad on the expensive side, but 200ml is like 40 knives if you use a teaspoon each knife. The question is how long it lasts on the shelf. Acraglas has doesn't seem to be sold in Canada. Once I did see it listed on Amazon.ca, but it is now showing 'Currently unavailable'. I bought mine off of eBay for and it ended up being CA$40 with shipping. As far as value goes, Acraglas will do many knives and has a long shelf life (over 5 years as published by Brownells). The 2 oz (85 ml) size makes about 17 teaspoons (@5 ml each). I mix 5 ml for a typical full tang knife and have plenty of ooze. So 17 knives for $40 isn't bad. What I'm paying for is peace of mind. My thoughts anyway. With either product case the cost per knife will be about the same. Maybe Santa will be putting some aerospace or firearms grade epoxy in your stocking! Dan
Jim 30 min 2part epoxy from KMS tools went toe to toe with G2 that I've used for the past few years...... your tang prep work is just as important as a good epoxy......
