Mending a Table Knife

[simonridout]

I have a stainless steel set of cutlery, in daily use, about 25 years old. One of the knives has been loose at the joint of the blade and handle, to the extent that I have been able to pull it apart. The hollow handle appears to have held some whiteish crumbly type of material, rather like a filler for repairing plaster walls. Help on what is the best way to repair the knife would be appreciated. My gut instinct is to scrape out as much of the material as I can, fill it with epoxy and push the knife tang back in.
Thank you.

 

[Hugh M.]

Sounds like a plan. You could try boiling the handle in water? Might get that old adhesive out.

 

[ChaiLatte]

'Epoxy' covers a lot of ground. It might be worth checking up on the food-safeness and dishwasher-proofness of any one you have in mind. A slow (24h) setting epoxy will always be better long term than a 5-minute one.

 

[Hugh M.]

Indeed. I use Z-Poxy 30 minute to attach scales to full tang knives. I cannot see many glues surviving repeatedly going in a hot dishwasher.
I have messed up one or two hidden tang knives and managed to get the unpinned handle off with little more than being held in boiling water for a time.

 

[--Tom--]

Jb weld is more heat resistant than the devcon or west systems epoxies I’ve used
If heat does soften it then it will harden on cooling so will get you another 20years or so.

Only thing to consider is that the epoxied knife may be a bit more solid/weighty than the others

 

[niall Y]

The plaster could well be something like Plaster of Paris with the tang on the blade poked into it until it sets The dimple on the round tang should then stop the blade easily pulling out.
I seem to remember repairing something fitted into a similar handle, though this was filled with a sort of rosin or pitch. These hollow metal handles are often very flimsy and need to be filled to stop them being badly dented or deformed in use.

 

[ChaiLatte]

The plaster could well be something like Plaster of Paris...

How would that stand up to a few years worth of daily immersion in the washing up bowl? Is there such a tight joint between handle and blade that water cannnot seep in there?

 

[niall Y]

How would that stand up to a few years worth of daily immersion in the washing up bowl? Is there such a tight joint between handle and blade that water cannnot seep in there?

Well, to state the obvious - it hasn't.
Plaster of Paris is. in fact, one of the accepted ways of fixing knife tangs into hollow handles especially silver ware. along with blends of pitch or rosin. You can get more resilient and harder versions such as dental plaster ( Crystacal) This might prove a tad more resilient to being wetted on a regular basis.