epoxy problems

[woodsman1031]

I epoxied a set of scales on using loktite 30 min epoxy. The epoxy never hardened after sitiing overnight  :mad:   . It was about like dried sap on the outside of a tree.
I have always been leary of the double syringe style epoxies. It always seems like more comes out of one than the other, but in the past it has always worked.

I have only had that container of epoxy about 2 months. I used it 2 other times on scales and it worked perfectly. I have kept the lid on it. I know I mixed it properly. It has been out in my shop in this super hot Texas heat. Should I keep epoxy inside my house? or does it have a shelf life? I tossed the package when I opened it, so I cant read up on the shelf life.

I just bought some Devcon from wal-mart. It is in the syringe style container as well. I will re epoxy my knife on my next day off.

anyone else had epoxy that did not harden? or Do you know the reason my epoxy did not harden?


Tommy

[OconeeDan]

Tommy, I have found that the Loc Tite epoxys are junk.  Every time.  Then never get completely hard.
The Devcon, on the other hand, is a very good epoxy.  I use it, a lot.  Found at Wally World.
Others here will say you need a marine epoxy or expensive exotic epoxy, I have never had the Devcon let me down, ever.
Usually, the problem with epoxies are that it wasn't mixed thouroughly.  Not the case with Loc Tite.  I have tried to get it to work many times, so I feel I have given it a fair chance.
Dan

[woodsman1031]

Dan,

 I am glad to hear I am not the only that has had problems with loc tite.


Tommy

[Ray Hammond]

I have found the marine epoxy excellent as well,but for a different reason perhaps than others.

I bought mine in bulk...so got a lot more than I would have if I had bought the same money's worth of Wally stuff...then, it takes longer to set up..so I mix up a good little bit and can use one batch to do up several knives because of thelonger time available, and third its marine characteristics make it as reliable as it can be for a user knife...water isnt going to hurt this knife EVER.

It mixes great with sawdust too, because it can be mixed thin and the wood dust added,to fill gaps around pins that sometimes occur.

[tippit]

I've switched to thick super glue gel that I get from Woodcraft.  It never dries up in the container and scales adhere with in a half hour.  My son-in-law lost his knife in the snow last year...found it in the spring with scales still attached!  I had to grind the scales off before cleaning all the rust off and re-doing the blade...Doc

[woodsman1031]

Tippit,

Using super glue sounds great to me, but I tried it on my friction folder and it was drying too fast to use. I was using loc tite super glue gel. Does Woodcrafts dry fairly slow? I would certainly try it again if it does. The gluing up a friction folder is way faster than gluing up a full tang.

I am very new at knife making and it seems like I am all thumbs when it comes time to epoxy and pin on scales. I keep thinking I need to hurry so I can wipe it down. I think I would be in really bad shape thinking about super glue gel setting on me too soon. Please let me know how much working time it offers.

Thanks
Tommy

[Jon Christensen]

Tommy,
I use AcraGlas from brownells. Alpha knife supply also sells it   alpha knife supply  

You need good measuring cups but it works great. I use it to glue up my knives and also to glasbed the handle if I'm making a take down design.
Note on Safety, it's a desensitizers so you have to wear gloves or you could have problems down the road.

I've only used the quick set epoxies (double syringe types)a few times in the past and have never been happy with them. Once they are opened it's anyones guess how long they will last and they always seem to ooze out on my shelves.

Super glue stores well in the frig. I would think that epoxy would also as long as it doesn't freeze.

Jon

[woodsman1031]

Tippit,

I looked it up,you must be using special T. It says it has 30-50 seconds, not bad. I may order a bottle and give it a shot.


Thanks

[Wampus]

Gorilla Glue works great for wood or bone scales.  Brownell's acraglass is a great epoxy but it's fairly expensive so I usually use the Devcon slow curing stuff in the syringe for hidden tangs and havent' had any problems.
For the last year or so I've been using loctite 324 for micarta or G10 scales.  The bottle of 324 can be left out in the shop, but the spray activator needs to be kept in the refrigerator or it will go bad.  It sets up fairly fast but not as fast as superglue and it's really, really strong stuff.  Tool places like MSC or Enco carry it.

[theunluckyhunter]

i use devcon 30 minute, and loctite goofproof super glue. the goofproof just means it dries faster

[Kevin Evans]

I also use acraglas.Very good stuff

[drewsbow]

I get mine from dolllar general for $1 , these are single use and work great and they are cheap.

[woodsman1031]

Dan,

  cleaned up and re-epoxied my scales on my knife yesterday morning using the Devcon. I dried solid and hard as a rock.

I always leave my leftover mixed epoxy out so I can check it out after the 8 hrs. The Devcon was almost crystal clear compared to loc tite always being amber. Loc tite was amber even when it did dry correctly. I do like the Devcon.

Drewsbow,

  I used the Dollar General epoxy on my first knife I made back in january. I epoxied the blade in a wooden handle and realized 2 or 3 days later that I had forgotten to re harden the blade after I shaped it.
I then put the handle in my vice and heated up the blade to soften the epoxy so I could remove the blade. I planned on drilling out all of the epoxy after I removed the blade and put the blade back after hardening. I was not able to get that epoxy to budge with a mapp gas torch on it. I ended up having to break the handle from around the blade. That Dollar General epoxy realy held tight. I never bought it anymore because I ended up getting the loc tite brand. To tell the truth I forgot about them having it. I remember it being a small ammount but it was perfect for a knife. I would not have a problem using it again.

Tommy

[OconeeDan]

Tommy, I don't think that the Loc Tite ever claimed to be clear, it is obvious that it has a yellow tint.  Not usually a problem.  I never got it to set hard though.  
Never had any problems with the devcon, either the 5 min. or the slower cure.
Now, to be fair, I have had good results with the Loc Tite super glue, the kind in a bottle with a brush attached to the cap like fingernail polish.  
Dan

[woodsman1031]

Dan,

  I agree Loc Tite has very good products. I have thier super glue gel (squeeze bottle) that works great. I used it on a couple of projects without fail. I have also used thier automotive projects. I just dont care for thier epoxy.

Tommy

[Darkstar]

Just my two cents. but i use super glue delayed set 30 min and devcon 2 ton delayed set and always had good luck.  

[woodsman1031]

Darkstar,

  Where did you get the 30 minute super glue?


Tommy

[drewsbow]

Tommy :   dollar general

[woodsman1031]

Thanks,

Is it their brand? I thought 30 minute super glue would have been a specialty item.


Tommy