I'm no knife maker, made a couple over the years and they turned out just fine but it's not really my thing.I was asked almost two years ago to make a particular knife for one of my kids and I agreed to have it done when he comes home. He'll be home in 6 weeks and I get 3 more days in the shop maybe a couple more before he gets home. Knife is a through tang, the handle is mild steel, guard and pommel are also steel. What epoxies will work to bed the tang into the handle? I've heard jb weld and G flex epoxies mentioned in searching for an answer but that was in regards to scales I believe. Would they work just a well of used to bed the tang in the handle? Was going to pien the tang at the pommel though in typing I may rivet it into the pommel as well. I'm open to all the suggestions.

G Flex is good stuff and actually a little flexible when cured, or was, epoxy market is very competitive so things change all the time. Epoxying steel wants texture (tooth) for the epoxy to bind in. Not that epoxy won't bond to steel but some tooth prevents shock from breaking the bond. 

Just roughing the tang up say a pass or two with a 36 grit belt or a corner of a file is what I was seeing when finishing a knife blade was on my plate. That's been years though and I do not know what's the current "best."

The thinner the adhesive layer between things being bonded the better. Epoxy has very little strength other than it's sticktion, thick layers tend to break through the epoxy.

Is there any action on the blade forums? Anybody?

Frosty The Lucky.

I've used JB Weld without any problems and the handles are still as tight as when I made them years ago. I always brad the tang at the pommel and even put some decoration over the brad with the JB Weld. Here is a little leaf blade neck knife I made for Debi probably 15-20 years ago and the deer antler handle and pommel cap are just as strong today as the day I made them. The hunk of steel in the picture is what the knife is made fro.

 

I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~

JB Weld, Devcon 2 Ton if you can find it - I think Ace still carries it, and I've used Gorilla Glue epoxy, which works well, but watch out, it wants to expand. That's nice if you have gaps that you aren't sure you're filling, less so if it puts pressure in places you don't want it.

I don't make knives that often - it's not what floats my boat, but on through tangs, I'm a belt and suspenders type. You don't necessarily need a pin, but it doesn't hurt either unless it messes up the aesthetics. If it's a steel tang in a steel handle I wouldn't think a pin would hurt the look much but it will be much harder to get apart if you ever need to.