# Epoxy or something else?



## FiveAgst1 (Aug 12, 2021)

Hi All -

I'm very new to fixing up knives. I've done little more than sharpening, cleaning and light refinish on wood handles.

Well now I have one I want to clean up, but there is a VERY small gap between the tang and wooden handle. Can fit a piece of paper in, but doesn't go all the way through. Do I fill with epoxy, clamp and then sand it down or should I be using something else?

Thanks!


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## cotedupy (Aug 12, 2021)

Yep! Epoxy is very definitely your friend here.

If the gap is very small - the warmer epoxy is, the runnier it is. But NB it also sets quicker.


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## Heckel7302 (Aug 12, 2021)

If it’s not loose I prefer wax. Beeswax ideally. Fills gaps great and watertight, but isn’t glue so easier to get the handle off if you ever need to.


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## Olsen (Aug 12, 2021)

I would recommend bees wax as well  And asn Heckel7302 says you can remove the handle much easier


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## FiveAgst1 (Aug 12, 2021)

Will give wax a shot first. Figure if it doesn't work I can remove that and epoxy later. Can't go the other way easily.

THANKS!


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## M1k3 (Aug 12, 2021)

If the handle is already secure, use beeswax. If the structural integrity needs some help, epoxy.


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## Heckel7302 (Aug 12, 2021)

It the handle wa or western? If western, I put the wax and handle in a bag then put it in a 150 water bath to melt the wax. Once melted take it out and massage it in. Repeat a couple times. Every gap should be filled and the wood comes out nicely conditioned.


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## cotedupy (Aug 13, 2021)

FiveAgst1 said:


> Will give wax a shot first. Figure if it doesn't work I can remove that and epoxy later. Can't go the other way easily.
> 
> THANKS!



Might be trickier than you think going the other way... epoxy won't bond to wood that's been waxed. You'd want to clean it very thoroughly and sand back a fair bit. Which mightn't be a bad idea anyway before doing anything if you can get a bit of sandpaper in the gap, as the tang will almost certainly have rusted.

(Though yep - still easier removing wax than than trying to get epoxy off completely! Which is almost impossible).


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## Bensbites (Aug 13, 2021)

I would use thin superglue and accelerator to set it. The accelerator is options. 

cover the surrounding area with beeswax/mineral oil, aka board butter. Fill the gap and harden with accelerator. Wipe off the extra, maybe even smooth it out with acetone.


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## zizirex (Aug 24, 2021)

I like to use melt glue to fit a handle and let it overflow, remove excess and it will be tightly fit. if you want to remove it, just put in the oven for 5 minute


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## P3454NT (Sep 14, 2021)

FiveAgst1 said:


> Hi All -
> 
> I'm very new to fixing up knives. I've done little more than sharpening, cleaning and light refinish on wood handles.
> 
> ...


Hey mate, unsure if this has been sorted out now… but I saw that James from Knives & Stones uses silicon? Can be seen at about that 21:30 mark on his video:


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## Jaeger (Nov 15, 2021)

I don't know if silicone is a good choice especially for non stainless blades. It can start rust...

For small gabs and holes in the handle, i prefer CA glue. Dip it in, let it dry and wipe off the excess or sand it. This stuff is like water and flows deep into the gab. 

Cheers Fabian


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## Nemo (Nov 15, 2021)

I'm pretty sure James uses hot melt (glue gun) glue rather than silicone.


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## JoBone (Nov 15, 2021)

Neutral bond silicone is a good choice


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## McMan (Nov 16, 2021)

Do you have a pic?

You're talking about an old full-tang western handle with gaps between scale and handle right?
If so, if you use beeswax, you're wed to that. As @cotedupy pointed out, epoxy and way don't play well together. The challenge is getting it to reasonable match. My suggestions is to mix with sawdust. You can buy a pen blank of a similar colored type/color wood for a few bucks on ebay and then make some sawdust. Mix that with the epoxy. I think some people have also used colored wood putty with good results (and that stuff dries hard, sands well, and is waterproof). I haven't tried this, but it seems like it'd be worth looking into.

On western knives, I don't like beeswax in the space between tang and scales. Holding/using the knife wears it away. On a wa handle, it's different and mostly stays put. YMMV.


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## gregfisk (Nov 16, 2021)

If you’re going to use beeswax or maybe better paste wax like minwax you can heat it up with a heat gun. It will flow right into the crack and then harden nicely. Then simply rub off the excess and you end up with a nice finish on your wood handle as well. If you don’t have a heat gun Harbor Freight sells them for cheap.


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## Jaeger (Nov 16, 2021)

This sounds good too


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