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Ed Caffrey's Workshop Talk to Ed Caffrey ... The Montana Bladesmith! Tips, tricks and more from an ABS Mastersmith.

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  #1  
Old 01-17-2008, 12:09 PM
Jim R. Glines Jim R. Glines is offline
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Acraglas ??????

Hi Ed, I was looking to buy some Acraglas for my knife handles, went to Brownells web page and found they have more than one Acraglas. There was a gel, a kit with dye ect. can you tell me what you use, and how you use it.?

Thanks
Jim
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Old 01-17-2008, 01:02 PM
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Ed Caffrey Ed Caffrey is offline
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I use the regular AcraGlass. I do not like the gel, as its too thick for my purposes. Here's a link on Brownell's site to what I use...

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...itle=ACRAGLAS~

go down the page until you find "ACRAGLAS BULK QUANTITIES".... the first item listed under that heading Stock Number: 081-005-028, 28 oz. Resin and 7 oz. Hardener is what I buy. The good thing about it is that the shelf life is 10 years, whereas most other epoxies have a 6 month shelf life, meaning that if you use it after 6 months from the production date, it might, or might not work.

It seems expensive, but considering theres enough that it takes me a year+ to use it all, and if necessary, it will last MUCH longer than that on the shelf, its actually a lot more economical that buying those cheesy double syringe things that the el-cheapo expoy comes in.

If you not familiar with Acraglas, get the mixing cups until you figure out how to use it. Its mixed 4-1, and if you try to add too much hardener, it will never set up.... just turns to a "jell-o" state and stays there. When mixed correctly, I've found nothing that compares!


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Old 01-17-2008, 03:13 PM
Carey Quinn Carey Quinn is offline
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Ed,

Can the AcraGlass be used on slabs or just hidden tangs?

Thanks,
Carey


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Old 01-17-2008, 05:25 PM
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I think the standard Acraglass works great for both. NOT THE GEL! The reason I don't like the gel is that on hidden tangs is just too thick to flow into the handle material, and you get a lot of air gaps. On full tang handles, the gel is OK SOMETIMES..but more times than not the gel is thick enough that you will see a small "glue line" all around the tang once everything is said and done. The regular Acraglass is much thinner when mixed, and you can make it about the consistency of of SAE 20 oil just by warming it a little under a light bulb.


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Old 01-17-2008, 05:35 PM
plain ol Bill plain ol Bill is offline
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After Ed turning me onto Acralas several years ago I find myself using it for almost everything I need a good adhesive glue for around the shop and house.


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Old 01-17-2008, 06:13 PM
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We love Acraglass and have been using it for years. We always use the cups for mixing and I don't ever remember a problem with it. If you leave it in the mixing cup it will harden faster than if after mixing it, you pour it out on a sheet of paper and use it from there. It stays soft enough to do several knives at a time like this and it is also more apparent if the mix is not even.


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Old 01-18-2008, 06:21 AM
birdog4 birdog4 is offline
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Top of the line stuff! I use veterinary syringes to measure out small amounts. Clean up is easy with lacquer thinner and then use a tiny bit of petroleum jelly on the syringe parts. I get a half dozen or more uses . Very little waste. bruce


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Old 01-18-2008, 09:10 AM
Jon Christensen Jon Christensen is offline
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Acraglas is great stuff. Just be careful, it's a decensitizer (spelling) and could cause problems with prolonged exposure, wear your gloves when working with it.
I believe Alpha Knife Supply handles it also
http://www.alphaknifesupply.com/


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Old 01-18-2008, 10:49 AM
Jim R. Glines Jim R. Glines is offline
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Thanks to all who replyed, the acraglas sound like great stuff. I have some on order.
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Old 01-18-2008, 05:38 PM
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Chuck at Alpha recommends either Acraglass or West System epoxy. I went with the slow cure West product because of my familiarity with it. West is the standard epoxy for the custom boatbuilding industry. I also like the little measuring pumps. You will not go wrong with either product as they are both much higher quality than any of the stuff you find at HD.


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Old 01-18-2008, 08:08 PM
Carey Quinn Carey Quinn is offline
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Thanks for the info Ed. I'll have to give a try since I'm leery of the 2 ton stuff after reading so much about it.

Carey


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