Bakelite Grip Crack

[ReneC]

Hello,
I wanted to see if anyone would please give me some advice on one of my Luger Bakelite grips that has a crack on the inside of the grip that does not show on the outside. I don’t shoot it but I’m still worried that with time and handling the crack will get worse.
My question is should I attempt to repair it by adding some glue to the inside of the crack in hopes of stopping any further damage or just leave it alone and hope it doesn’t get any worse.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[G.T.]

Hi ReneC, Bakelite is a hard material to repair! If it were me, I would run some super glue into the crack and leave it at that? A lot of good repair info comes from old radio collectors as they have some tricks to repair old radio shells that were made of Bakelite. I'm guessing Epoxy, but not sure of the integrity of the repair, only for looks I'm thinking. Good luck with your quest, Best, til....lat'r....GT...

[ReneC]

Thank you G.T.

[mrerick]

I have repaired and reinforced bakelite grips, and so far (a number of years later) they have remained stable.

Epoxy adhesives come in a number of grades. Some are like thick paste or viscous thick liquid, and some are much thinner. In general, the thinner epoxy takes longer to "set".

By using an epoxy that mixes to a very thin slow setting liquid, you can get it to flow adequately into the inside of the crack itself and not build up appreciably on the fitted layer that fits against the metal frame. This helps prevent the crack from pulling apart more from the inside surface that you epoxy together. If you do get too much epoxy on the outside of the crack, it can be filed away after it's set hard.

Take your time, and use flat plastic tools to push the liquid epoxy into the crack under slight pressure. Wait at least a couple of times longer than the setting time before picking up the grips again to handle them to ensure that the epoxy is completely hardened.

One thing to note about "super glue" is that it requires an anoxic environment (completely tight seal) in order to set properly. That's why I prefer thin epoxy for grips that may have lost small bits of material.

[G.T.]

I agree with you that epoxy would have a better gap filling capability, and the added bonus of being available in black. But, with either adhesive, little additional strength will be added to the repair, as nothing on the planet, I know of, will adhere the two parts together? (Assuming you have a total break?) Some of the super epoxies might have a chance, but I doubt it... BTW, the stranger the mixing ratio, it seems the stronger the epoxy? Just a shade tree observation? But in this case, epoxy would probably be a better bet.. Best, til.....lat'r....GT...
BTW squared, super glue can be made to, "go off" with just a little pinch of baking soda or baking powder? One of the two, I forget which. You'll even see a little smoke come off the glue joint..

[jeb111]

I would try JB weld. I have used it on similar circumstances and it seems to do the trick. I would try and scuff up the surface on both sides of the crack with maybe a Dremel tool with an attachment like an engraving bit and gently use it. Doing that would give the weld a better purchase. Good luck.
Jim

[ReneC]

Thank you all for your suggestions!
I truly appreciate All the knowledge that is on this forum.

[ithacaartist]

I'm sorta with G.T. here. The liquid form of Superglue--not the gel--would be quite capable of being sucked into a crack by capillary action. You'd need to use this technique if the piece is cracked but not completely broken off, and it's not possible to address all of both sides of the separation.

Another trade secret for Superglue is that sprinkling baking soda on top hardens it in the blink of an eye. The need for an anaerobic environment for it to set is thus avoided.


A grade of epoxy that's thin to begin with can be further thinned with alcohol to get it sufficiently runny to travel far enough into the crack to be effective. Alcohol can also be used to clean up excess before it sets if you use a cloth that's just dampened with it, not a deluge of alcohol.

[gunbugs]

Regular Brownell's Acra-glas epoxy would do the trick. Not the gel. You can use compressed air to gently blow it into the crack. I've done this with cracked wooden stocks on many occasions. Plus you can dye the epoxy black. Super glue doesn't really have any structural strength that I'm aware of. JB weld should be banned from use on firearms in any form.

[DonVoigt]

"JB weld should be banned from use on firearms in any form."

Why?