Just attached a handle to a san mai acid etched blade. Epoxy is cured and this morning I discovered that when I cleaned the epoxy along the blade that the q-tip pushed a small line of epoxy on the ricasso. Is there a safe way to remove this without messing up the acid etch?
A bit of acetone on a swab will probably not hurt anything. About all you can do is find out.
I began using West System marine epoxy 20 years ago because for nearly 30 minutes - up until the moment it almost becomes solid - it is removable with denatured alcohol. And the alcohol disturbs nothing. It's a bit pricey up front, but one purchase will last you for years.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure they say. Before you attach a handle with epoxy, a light smear of petroleum jelly on anything you do not want epoxy sticking to will keep the glue from adhering to the surface. The epoxy cures onthe "greased" surface and peels right off easily.
“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”
Thanks for the replies Karl and Joshua. I too use denatured alcohol but didn't check to confirm that epoxy was not pushed out on the far side of the swab when cleaning up one side of the blade. I thought about the acetone but did not know if it would mess up the acid etch. I might etch some other metal and test it to be sure. Great idea about the petroleum jelly Joshua, I'll put that in my routine!
