apoxy under cord wrap?

[Joe H.]

im makeing a knife out of O-1 steel, with a cord wrapped handle. Im wondering if putting a thin layer of apoxy under the cord wrap is a good idea to provent rust?
thanks,
Joe

[Fsawyer]

actually a small coat of super glue works real good as a sealer.

[Jason Cutter]

Almost all the guys (myself included) who do wrapped handled knives in that modernised Japanese style, will seal the handle and wrap with "something."

I use epoxy - the slow-cure type applied liberally, then helped around the handle with gentle use of a heat gun. The excess drips off the bottom of the handle and is cleaned away. A disposable brush or old toothbrush will help force the epoxy into tight spots. I think it is important that the epoxy cover the handle quite well, including a small area in front of where the handle wrap starts, so no gunk or moisture can get underneath the handle from the front.

You can use superglue to harden the handle first, However, my experience with superglue tells me that most cyanoacrylates are not as water resistant as I intially thought. Superglues are also simply not sufficiently wear resistant to last on "using" knives of this type.Unless you apply it in HUGE amounts, it will only soak INTO the handle but not stay on the surface enough to create a seal. So I always use superglue first, but then seal everything with epoxy. Be warned - you should wait at least overnight for the superglue to cure fully before applying the epoxy. Otherwise the curing superglue can cause a hazing / clouding of the epoxy above it which is quite unsightly.

My 2 cents worth. Jason.

[Joe H.]

thanks for the replys. as always, there are two ways of doing things.
If i remember, ill let you guys know how it turns out. (could be a couple weeks, work and school take up most of my time)