2 questions - spacers/liners, food grade epoxy

[einsteinjon]

Hi guys...2 questions to throw your way that are kind of related, both deal with gluing. Sorry if they've been addressed, but I couldn't find either in a search.

I am considering adding some spacer/liner material to a knife (haven't made it yet) just for the added color and aesthetic. Specifically looking at the vulcanized fiber that USA Knife Maker supplies. I am wondering the best way to attach it. If I have the liner covering the inside of the handle material (micarta or g10), then the epoxy I use to glue the slabs to the tang will effectively only be touching the spacer. If I glue the spacer to the slab in this manner, what glue should I use, and will it hold? Another idea I thought of was to cut out the center of the spacer and only have about 1/4" of the border glued to the handle slab. Then the epoxy would be contacting directly with the handle slab and the tang. Would the spacer/liner hold up in this case? Advice???

Second question, I'd like to eventually make a kitchen chef knife. It'll probably be g10, maybe micarta handles. Is there an epoxy out there that is intended for food grade use rather than the off-the-shelf stuff at the hardware store?

Thank you!!!

 

[Mark Redmon]

Well.. as far as the spacers, they are pretty tough. When I use them, I first epoxy the rough shaped handle material to the liners then after 24+ hours, to the tang. I really wouldn't worry about the slab to tang work around you are talking about. If the bond is good, it will all pretty much be one piece anyway. Pin all your handles too. As far as "food grade", I'm not sure you have to worry too much. Most epoxy when properly mixed becomes very stable after curing. There is very little exposed after the glue up and final shaping. Also, one would have to be dangerously sloppy in food prep or knife design to let the handle muck around in the food one was preparing... I use Brownells Acra-weld for just about everything these days.

 

[jdm61]

Anything "off the shelf" from Home Depot, etc. is going to be an inferior product. Spring for some Brownells or West System epoxy.

 

[silver_pilate]

I also have switched to using Acraglas. I really like it so far. It is a bit thinner than your typical Devcon 2-ton epoxy or similar, and from what I can tell so far, it is tough as nails. I have two syringes I keep (labled resin and hardener) so I can mix the proper 4:1 volume ratio. I just clean 'em out after I use 'em. And I do my mixing in small plastic rinse cups with narrow pop-sticks.

As for liners, I just don't trust the adhesion by itself. I always use corby bolts or pins, and I always drill holes through the liner and shallowly into the handle scale from the tang side of the handle, lining them up with the holes I've drilled in the tang for balance. This allows epoxy to reach all the way from scale to scale making little "rivets", if you will. It's harder than it sounds to cut out the center of the liners; they are pretty tough. If you drill them, make sure you have them held down tightly on both sides of the drill bit with a backing block underneath (I use my fingers pressing down firmly on either side of the liner...I know, not the safest thing, but the liners are pretty light weight and will drill through easily if secured properly). Otherwise, you'll make little vulcanized helicopters with tears in them.

--nathan

 

[White Rabbit]

I've always just drilled the spacer to match the holes in the scales so they fit the same fastener, be it pins or whatever. I've tried gluing the spacer to the scales first and then to the knife as well as doing it all at once and it hasn't made much of a difference to me.

As for the epoxy thing, there should be no leak of contaminants from the epoxy if it is fully cured, no matter what you use. I get my epoxy in 1.5gal amounts from JGreer and I've never had problems with anything leeching away from the epoxy.

 

[einsteinjon]

and I always drill holes through the liner and shallowly into the handle scale from the tang side of the handle, lining them up with the holes I've drilled in the tang for balance. This allows epoxy to reach all the way from scale to scale making little "rivets", if you will.

--nathan

Brilliant!!! I kinda thought it may be hard to cut out the whole middle of the liner but wasn't sure

I'll have to look into some of that good epoxy too.

I guess I should have stated also, I am intending on using pins along with the epoxy. :thumbup: I just wasn't sure if using liners would mean the scales were being held in place only with the pins. Guess there's nothing to worry about then.