Best Epoxy

[Nev52]

I have not had good luck with the epoxy I have been using to hold the handles to the scales or liners.Sometimes when I am pinning the handles on they separate. I have had better luck with super glue. So far I have tried Loctite 2 part epoxy and Devcon. The pins hold the handles on so it has not been an issue.But I have a knife to work on that the handles are glued on and one fell off.I don't want to give it back and have the handle fall off. What have any of you used to hold on the handles.
Thanks for the information.
Nev

[Jeffinn]

SystemThree Blade Pro
https://www.systemthree.com/products/bl ... cBEALw_wcB
It takes three days to fully cure. Make sure you clean the surfaces with alcohol before you assemble.
Jeff

[dlr110]

Thanks Jeff, I had the same question just never got around to asking it. Good luck Nev.

[herbva]

Nev, I recommend a thorough sanding of both surfaces with very course sandpaper (60 or 80 grit) to give the epoxy a good, clean, stable but rough surface to "grip" onto, and then a thorough scrubbing of both surfaces with rubbing alcohol and a clean rag as a last step before applying the epoxy. And, don't touch either surface with your fingers before pressing both parts together (fingerprints have enough oil to weaken the bond).

[zed6309]

I do the same as Herbva re sanding both surfaces , especially with G10 liners I use on fixed blades , either way rougher surfaces get a better contact

[OLDE CUTLER]

Nev, I recommend a thorough sanding of both surfaces with very course sandpaper (60 or 80 grit) to give the epoxy a good, clean, stable but rough surface to "grip" onto, and then a thorough scrubbing of both surfaces with rubbing alcohol and a clean rag as a last step before applying the epoxy. And, don't touch either surface with your fingers before pressing both parts together (fingerprints have enough oil to weaken the bond).

This is the way I do it too. Scuff the metal two directions to cross hatch it. Solvent wipe the inside of the handle material too to remove sanding dust. I degrease with acetone and dont touch any surfaces. Clamp it snugly for the minimum suggested by the mfger. I have had very good results with the Loctite epoxy.

[Nev52]

Thank you all for your help on this. I do sand the liners and handle material but I use 400 paper maybe it is to smooth. I clean everythig with alcohol and clamp. I will try course sandpaper and see if that helps. I think I will also try Jeff's suggestion of the System three epoxy. I just don't want have the handles fall off after I fix it.
Thank you all

Nev

[Reverand]

Ditto on roughing the surfaces. On bone slabs especially I sand the bottom side before installing. Bone from Culpeppers and other suppliers may not be completely flat, and the dyes cake onto the surface and will keep the epoxy from adhering.
Use Denatured alcohol to clean, rather than rubbing alcohol. It leaves fewer impurities on the surface.
I have used several different epoxies with pretty much the same results. For fairly fast curing times, the Gorilla Glue 5-minute clear epoxy has worked well for me.

Gorilla Glue epoxy

A few years ago I read an exhaust exhaustive test on another forum where they tested dozens of epoxies, and some definitely work better than others. But they found that surface prep made a larger difference than the brand of epoxy in most cases.
One of the weird exceptions was Gorilla Glue original. It is not an epoxy, but held better than most expoxies. I have used it several times with great success. You just have to let it cure overnight, and understand that it will get "foamy" and boil out of every crack and crevice. You have to sand it off around the edges and bolsters. Still, I have tried to remove handles after gluing them on, and I had to split the wood off in pieces and sand the remainder off of the liners. The glue was stronger than the wood. There is a clear version of this that works, but doesn't hold quite as well as the original.

Gorilla Glue original

And, no, I do not own stock in this company. I just try to use inexpensive products that I can buy from local small businesses when I can.
Your mileage may vary, but these work for me.

[Oledadsknives]

I built a fixed blade knife for my daughter and put Buffalo horn handles on it with slow dry jb weld. About a year later both handles came loose at the end. It’s like they warped due to humidity I guess. I took both off, resanded, drilled angle holes in horn, cleaned real well and put them on with panel bond. Never came loose again after about 15 years. Panel bond is what we used in the body shop to glue roofs on cars and vans. Very stout!

Jimbo

[Nev52]

Ditto on roughing the surfaces. On bone slabs especially I sand the bottom side before installing. Bone from Culpeppers and other suppliers may not be completely flat, and the dyes cake onto the surface and will keep the epoxy from adhering.
Use Denatured alcohol to clean, rather than rubbing alcohol. It leaves fewer impurities on the surface.
I have used several different epoxies with pretty much the same results. For fairly fast curing times, the Gorilla Glue 5-minute clear epoxy has worked well for me.
1725FF9B-6D4F-44E7-BB38-17F57421D9D8.jpeg

A few years ago I read an exhaust exhaustive test on another forum where they tested dozens of epoxies, and some definitely work better than others. But they found that surface prep made a larger difference than the brand of epoxy in most cases.
One of the weird exceptions was Gorilla Glue original. It is not an epoxy, but held better than most expoxies. I have used it several times with great success. You just have to let it cure overnight, and understand that it will get "foamy" and boil out of every crack and crevice. You have to sand it off around the edges and bolsters. Still, I have tried to remove handles after gluing them on, and I had to split the wood off in pieces and sand the remainder off of the liners. The glue was stronger than the wood. There is a clear version of this that works, but doesn't hold quite as well as the original.
8E5AE82A-49D8-440D-A934-6CFE5CF6E51E.jpeg

And, no, I do not own stock in this company. I just try to use inexpensive products that I can buy from local small businesses when I can.
Your mileage may vary, but these work for me.

Thanks for the information Do you remember what epoxies were listed? I am just curious. From what everyone has stated. I think my main problem is I am using to fine a sandpaper and not leaving a rough surface to adhere to. Thank you again for the information.
Nev

[Nev52]

I built a fixed blade knife for my daughter and put Buffalo horn handles on it with slow dry jb weld. About a year later both handles came loose at the end. It’s like they warped due to humidity I guess. I took both off, resanded, drilled angle holes in horn, cleaned real well and put them on with panel bond. Never came loose again after about 15 years. Panel bond is what we used in the body shop to glue roofs on cars and vans. Very stout!

Jimbo

Jimbo,
I have seen panel bond used on Aluminum panels where they did not tig weld. I did not think of using something like that But from what I recall that might be overkill for a pocket knife handle. Thanks for the information
Nev

[Reverand]

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... y#p1044976

Here is a recent thread with many recommendations. Somewhere in the thread I posted a link to that other forum.
It is an old link so some of the pictures are no longer there, and it is a brutally long thread to read. Take notes on brands as you go, because they kept trying different adhesives and different tests as they went and it gets confusing. If my memory serves me correctly, surface prep was #1 factor, slow-curing epoxy is not always better, and Gorilla glue had the second-best results out of all their tests.
Of course, being several years old, some expoys are no longer made, and many new ones have been released.
The tests did set most conventional wisdom on it's head in the knife-making community, though I don't think that many people changed because of it. After all, we are creatures of habit, and even a cheap epoxy can be incredibly good.

[Nev52]

Reverand,
Thanks for the information. It looks like I do everything the same as all have posted. Except I use a fine sandpaper that could be my main issue The knife I am working on is a lockback with glued on handles no pins. I just want to make sure they don't fall off.

Nev

[ea42]

Same here with the sanding, 60 grit both sides. I used Devcon Epoxy for a while a few years ago but found that it failed at times due to heat buildup in the finishing process. Switched to G-Flex and haven't looked back. it works great even when things get a little hot. I pin my handles on regardless though, I just don't trust glue alone to hold them on. One thing to keep in mind is that you don't want to use super strong clamps such as the metal pony clamps. I think the biggest cause of bond failures is glue starvation. Strong clamps squeeze pretty much all of the glue out from between the surfaces leaving just a thin film to do the work which is apt to fail. I just use the cheap black plastic clamps like these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086D ... =UTF8&th=1

They exert enough force to hold the pieces together while leaving enough glue for a strong bond.

Eric

[Oledadsknives]

I built a fixed blade knife for my daughter and put Buffalo horn handles on it with slow dry jb weld. About a year later both handles came loose at the end. It’s like they warped due to humidity I guess. I took both off, resanded, drilled angle holes in horn, cleaned real well and put them on with panel bond. Never came loose again after about 15 years. Panel bond is what we used in the body shop to glue roofs on cars and vans. Very stout!

Jimbo

Jimbo,
I have seen panel bond used on Aluminum panels where they did not tig weld. I did not think of using something like that But from what I recall that might be overkill for a pocket knife handle. Thanks for the information
Nev

Prep is definitely the most important part on any glue job!
Jimbo

[Reverand]

Same here with the sanding, 60 grit both sides. I used Devcon Epoxy for a while a few years ago but found that it failed at times due to heat buildup in the finishing process. Switched to G-Flex and haven't looked back. it works great even when things get a little hot. I pin my handles on regardless though, I just don't trust glue alone to hold them on. One thing to keep in mind is that you don't want to use super strong clamps such as the metal pony clamps. I think the biggest cause of bond failures is glue starvation. Strong clamps squeeze pretty much all of the glue out from between the surfaces leaving just a thin film to do the work which is apt to fail. I just use the cheap black plastic clamps like these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086D ... =UTF8&th=1

They exert enough force to hold the pieces together while leaving enough glue for a strong bond.

Eric

Those are the types of spring clamps that I use, as well. I have not thought about a problem potentially caused by too tight a clamp. That makes sense, though.