'bout to Start Makin' Some Knives Again!

[luieb45]

As many of you probably know I haven't really posted around here for a while except for when I'm selling guns :haha:. So yes, I still do shoot muzzleloaders some and I'm gonna make a knife starting some time this week when the blade comes in. So I have a few questions again. What type of epoxy is it that you guys like to secure the blade with? I can't remember what I used last summer so my memory may need to rejogged. I don't use pins in my knifes because I always figured the epoxy was strong enough anyway. How do you guys work off the extra antler material between the top of the handle and the blade guard, without sanding it making it look squarish? I've done that on my last knives and I want to make this one exceptionally better than my past ones.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Good luck.
No master knife builder here. But, I consider the glue an adjunct to the pins. In other words, pins crucial, glue is insurance.
Removing the excess can be done with files if you don't want to use a sander. I use a 1" belt sander/grinder.

 

[crockett]

PC-7 or JB Weld will both work but you NEVER want the epoxy to serve as a filler for voids, or what is essentially a bad sanding job- looks really bad. In sanding, you need to be very precise. I get an absolutely flat surface and place a sheet of sand paper on it and then sand in one direction only and I use masking tape on the scale to create a mid-length "handle" so I get a flat surface. For me at least, getting a really flat surface requires close attention.
Sometimes, I'll use a dremel tool to "hollow out" the interior surfaces of a scale- maybe 1/16"- no more- and this leaves a 3/16" rim around the border. This reduces the sanding to a flat surface to a great degree and it gives a good bearing surface for the interior epoxy putty.
You don't have to use pins but they make a knife look more PC. If you use pins, then the holes have to line up properly, make a drilling jig for this.
PS: on the pro-builders that use epoxy glue. The idea is to eliminate the ability of water to seep in between the scale and tang. This is sort of PC in the respect that the PC "filler" was cutler's rosin. There were a couple of different formulas for this, I've used pine sap and powdered charcoal- it is jet black and dries very hard.

 

[lonehunter]

I use Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy.
While not P/C I know it will never come loose!
IMHO you kinda need a pin, Or it looks funny.
You can use files to remove antler material, Then follow up with sandpaper.

 

[luieb45]

Devcon! That's what I used! That stuff hardens up so good I don't think you could get that blade out of there if you tried! :haha: I don't mind not having a pin in there because I'm not meaning for these to be that historically correct. I know what most of you will think about that but in my case it's not needed because the people I'm usually selling my knives to don't care, they're just hunters who have an appreciation for the beauty of a deer antler :thumbsup:

 

[LRB]

Use the 2 ton long set type. I made a bone slab gripped small knife back in the mid ninties. It was lost in our flood of '08. When found, it had been under water for about 4 months. It was rusted and looked terrible, but the grips were still tight, with no separation at all. The grips were pinned and epoxied to prevent water intrusion, and it did it's job. That knife is still in use.

 

[necchi]

Use the 2 ton long set type.

That's the stuff alright, handles the temp swing extremes we have here in MN an does it for years.
104/-60 and still stays stuck!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Or, not mentioned yet, hide glue.
I made two knives with antler handles when I was eight years old. Probably my first craft project. My father had a hide glue hot pot. I am now 73 years old. You do the arithmetic at how long ago that was. I still have the knives and you couldn't get the blades out with an act of congress or a tractor.

 

[crockett]

I thought hide glue wasn't waterproof??? I did a cloth lined hunting pouch with hide glue just to be pc and actually the thing has stayed together fine even when sligtly wet from a rain. I know the NDN's used hide glue to attach sinew to the back of their bows- seemed to work okay. Maybe it takes a lot of water to effect hide gule- or cover with something.

 

[gmarc]

There are a number of very good epoxies out there...Devcon makes a solid line of products. I favor the "gel" type epoxies as they fill in well on hidden tang knives. Also, select a type that is made to glue multiple surfaces...this type allows for differing expansion rates of materials.

Some other strong epoxies for knife makers are: Hysol Epoxy-patch, K&G house brand and Devcon 5-minute gel. Note that some epoxies require heat to help them set. I have successfully used a small heater/fan unit for this. Do not use heat on an epoxy that does not specifically require it.

 

[LRB]

The one nobody can beat is Brownells' Acraglas, the original type, but it takes a couple days to set well, a couple more days to fully cure, and requires close attention in mixing.

 

[Shack56]

I use Devcon 2 and a pin or two on mine with no problems. Check out the tutorials at www.northcoastknives.com lots of good info. Good Luck, Steve