Gorilla Glue, Dowel or No Dowel

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BlankJay

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Jan 12, 2018
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I have a Cold Steel Kukri that was left in a fire and the handle was melted off. I have completely cleaned and sanded it and I notice it had 3 pretty big pin holes. I want to cut some Zebra Wood I bought and make my own handle for it. I bought some Gorilla Glue and I was hoping I could glue it together. The pin holes are VERY large. I have some wooden dowels that nearly fit perfectly. I am wondering with gorilla glue if I would be better off doing a glue only connection and letting the glue fill the pin holes or if I should stick these wooden dowels in there?
If I just use glue I have heard that they would make a pin like bond. If I put the dowels in though there won't be much space for the glue to create its own pin and I am not sure how well the glue will attach to the metal.
Opinions?
 
A pic would be helpful, or a measurement of the diameter of the pin holes. I may not be able to help but certainly somebody here will have worthy suggestions...
 
Pics would help as always...

If it was left in a fire, such as a camp fire, the steel is probably ruined. Had the steel change color during the fire ?

But if you want a project go for it. Generally a thin layer of adhesive forms a much stronger bond than a large blob.
 
Sonnydaze said:
A pic would be helpful, or a measurement of the diameter of the pin holes. I may not be able to help but certainly somebody here will have worthy suggestions...
Click to expand...
There are 3 pin holes 2 are about 1/2" diameter and the middle one is more like 1/4"
 
3fifty7 said:
Pics would help as always...

If it was left in a fire, such as a camp fire, the steel is probably ruined. Had the steel change color during the fire ?

But if you want a project go for it. Generally a thin layer of adhesive forms a much stronger bond than a large blob.
Click to expand...

It's totally a project, I have only made a couple handles and never a knife. The metal seems fine I had paracord wrapped around it for a year or so but it finally wore down and I would like a permanent handle.
 
1/2" is BIG
If you can pull off a great dowel to scale fit it could look very cool. Although I'm not sure how well the dowels would stand up. I'd think about trying to find some copper or aluminum pins perhaps.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Wooden dowel will do little good. Use metal fasteners, and peen the ends.
Just glue can easily fail.
Click to expand...
I don't know I would much prefer to use metal pins and do it the right way but I have very little in the way of tools and I have read about good success online with G-Flex and Acryglas and such even without pins? I know drilling some holes and doing straight metal pins would be the way to go and I would like to even expand the wood a little so that the wood near the blade and at the end are much larger like traditional designs I've seen but this is just the way I am going to have to go :( Hopefully it will be better than the paracord.
 
BlankJay said:
I have a Cold Steel Kukri that was left in a fire and the handle was melted off. I have completely cleaned and sanded it and I notice it had 3 pretty big pin holes. I want to cut some Zebra Wood I bought and make my own handle for it. I bought some Gorilla Glue and I was hoping I could glue it together. The pin holes are VERY large. I have some wooden dowels that nearly fit perfectly. I am wondering with gorilla glue if I would be better off doing a glue only connection and letting the glue fill the pin holes or if I should stick these wooden dowels in there?
If I just use glue I have heard that they would make a pin like bond. If I put the dowels in though there won't be much space for the glue to create its own pin and I am not sure how well the glue will attach to the metal.
Opinions?
Click to expand...

If the mating surfaces are perfect : really flat, no contamination on the surfaces (wood or metal) and clamped up under good firm pressure (not super hard because that will squeeze out a bit too much glue . . . you might have a chance.

FORGET ABOUT the glue in the holes. That will provide nearly zero mechanical bond. Glue and ESPECIALLY Gorilla glue needs really tight tolerances to bond right.

Have you ever seen Gorrilla glue left to it's own devises; just a glob sitting there in a hole ?
It foams up and looks literally like a sponge. So Yeah the sides of the knife will be helped to be held together through those big holes with sponge.

Now if you have HARDWOOD dowels that fit right through the holes that will be helpful.
Keep in mind that the wood is going to expand and contract, expand and contract, expand and contract, expand and contract, and could eventually pop loose from the steel and the only thing holding it would be the dowels and they are more than likely going to be a little loose in the holes after all this contracting business.

Ultimately the way to go is to get stabilized handle material in the wood of your choice and rivet it on using the one 1/4 hole and drill some others and forget the big'ins.

One other way to go would be EPOXY now . . . well applied (meaning no gaps / no bubbles) would form a structural component through the large (and small) holes. The wood is still going to do it's thing as far as expanding and contracting.

The joints in this table glue up are Gorilla Glue; it is a bubbinga wood table (as they say oily exotic hardwood). The light colored lines is squeeze out and trust me it is foamy and weak.
New glue redo.JPG

Here are a couple of glue close ups. (don't even ask)
Mr. Foamy.JPG
Pure Gold Well Pure Glue Anyway.JPG
 
Last edited:
Wowbagger said:
If the mating surfaces are perfect : really flat, no contamination on the surfaces (wood or metal) and clamped up under good firm pressure (not super hard because that will squeeze out a bit too much glue . . . you might have a chance.

FORGET ABOUT the glue in the holes. That will provide nearly zero mechanical bond. Glue and ESPECIALLY Gorilla glue needs really tight tolerances to bond right.

Have you ever seen Gorrilla glue left to it's own devises; just a glob sitting there in a hole ?
It foams up and looks literally like a sponge. So Yeah the sides of the knife will be helped to be held together through those big holes with sponge.

Now if you have HARDWOOD dowels that fit right through the holes that will be helpful.
Keep in mind that the wood is going to expand and contract, expand and contract, expand and contract, expand and contract, and could eventually pop loose from the steel and the only thing holding it would be the dowels and they are more than likely going to be a little loose in the holes after all this contracting business.

Ultimately the way to go is to get stabilized handle material in the wood of your choice and rivet it on using the one 1/4 hole and drill some others and forget the big'ins.

One other way to go would be EPOXY now . . . well applied (meaning no gaps / no bubbles) would form a structural component through the large (and small) holes. The wood is still going to do it's thing as far as expanding and contracting.

The joints in this table glue up are Gorilla Glue; it is a bubbinga wood table (as they say oily exotic hardwood). The light colored lines is squeeze out and trust me it is foamy and weak.
View attachment 828294

Here are a couple of glue close ups. (don't even ask)
View attachment 828295
View attachment 828296
Click to expand...
Bah now I am doubting gorilla glue. I wanted to do pure GFlex but the store didnt have it.
 
I think you could use hardware similar to whats used to attach a tek lok to Kydex. Like a barrel nut or post and screw, if that’s the right terminology.
 
Use 3 1/4" pins or tubes. Place the tubes at the ends of the larger holes.
 
Well that was a lot of sanding by hand! Next time smaller scales!
Update!
ij7pU
 
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