I prefer to use GFlex by West. 5 minute is to fast.

Wipe a thin layer of Johnston's paste wax on the tang, bed it, and clean the residue with acetone or denatured alcohol. Some wrap the tang with teflon tape.

Bob

|quoted:

I prefer to use GFlex by West. 5 minute is to fast.

Wipe a thin layer of Johnston's paste wax on the tang, bed it, and clean the residue with acetone or denatured alcohol. Some wrap the tang with teflon tape.

Bob

Thanks Robert, Typically i use BSI 24 hour epoxy. The info that i found said that bedding the tang is really the only "good" use for 5 minute epoxy. But do you use the normal epoxy to bed tangs as well? Do you just have to leave it sit for 3-4 hours before you can remove the knife?

Yes, I use the Gflex. I let it sit over night.

Bob

I have to admit that I'm a little confused by the question as it relates to a hidden tang. When I hear the term "hidden tang" I think people are referring to a partial or stub tang that is completely encased inside the handle material. I have never done a tang bed on this type of knife. I don't even understand why you would. In order to achieve that "perfect fit" you would have to clamp the handle material, the guard, and the blade together. Why not just do that after everything is ready for final assembly? (I make most of my handles off of the blade and attach them when everything is done) The few times that I finish the handle on the blade are full tangs and an occasional hunter like the one here where the handle, spacer and guard have to be sculpted to flow together. I rough shape the parts, finish the face of the guard and do the final glue up. Then I finish the handle and spacer with the knife permanently assembled. The pin is flush ground.

All that being said, most of the time I see guys bedding tangs it is in a through-tang where the knife is a take-down with a solid piece handle. The take-down handles I have made required no bedding because I used a frame handle design and got a tight fit to the tang in the frame and the mortised scales. I have bedded handles in a through tang with a peen block, but I used a 2-part putty instead of liquid epoxy. It's much easier to use, not to mention less messy. A very light smear of Vaseline on the tang and wrap it with two layers of Teflon tape and it comes right out. If you do this with the standard hidden tang, and you plan to use epoxy to hold the handle on, be sure to provide some sort of mechanical attachment like a pin through the tang. If the tang to bedding is very tight, there isn't much epoxy holding anything. (especially when there is Vaseline residue on one of the surfaces)

so I used to use G Flex until I mentioned to Bill Burke "ok I used a heat gun and got it to release, etc "..........he politely freaked and corrected my choice in epoxy based on I sell a knife to someone who leaves it in a car in say texas, Arizona, California, etc mid summer and the handle falls apart because G Flex releases around 200 deg. Have used acraglass since then. As for bedding a tang I have seen some posts about the Teflon wrap, or even bedding release in a acraglass small kit. My limited experience tells me with say 1/8 material your going to have to deal with doing it because a long bit stands a high chance of walking off course. Upwards of 1/4 ya stand a better chance if you go slow and are careful. As Bill pointed out acraglass is rifle bedding, and I have to Remington 700's fully bedded for long range shooting so it was a bit of a facepalm moment given I push out 250g .338 lapua rounds @ 2900 fps and she holds dead accurate for years now. SO a knife stands a perrty good chance using that for most things knife handle related.