Getting Epoxy off a blade

I was down at the local antique store yesterday and they had a gorgeous little Spike that was in decent condition. The biggest flaw is what appears to be some epoxy on the blade near the point. I'm not sure what it is but it is relatively translucent and very hard. If it is epoxy is it difficult to remove? They only wanted $10 for it so I'm ok with using some elbow grease but I don't want to get something that can't be fixed without taking that part of the blade off (I guess I could turn it in to a coochie razor pretty easily...).

Nice find!
A careful picking at it with an Xacto knife would be my first action; slide the sharp Xacto blade along the surface of the blade as though you were cutting something off it, you are. You could place it into boiling water at ~about 210º and that will soften the epoxy to make it easier to scrape off. That temp will not affect the temper. But...It will deform the scales if they are in the water. There are desolvers for some of the CA's and Epoxies.
Another possibility is use of a paint remover, it may not work or it may. The stench is bad for your health!
Above all, do not try to remove it with abrasives. either paper or on a Dremel. The epoxy will prevent the paper from contact with the spot and the abrasive will hollow the steel around it.
Respectfully
~Richard
PS let some more folks give their methods, I can always learn!

Acetone may soften it if it is epoxy. I know many of the makers at BF have mentioned that before. As Richard said, I would probably try removal by heat 1st (water, or maybe even a hair dryer on high). Just don't get it up into tempering range, and I would think you will be ok.

The first thing I would try is to gently scrape at it with an xacto knife like Geezer said. If everything comes off, great! If it does not, the next step I would take would to soak the affected area in acetone for a short while to see if the epoxy can be broken down. Acetone can be found for ~$5 at most hardware stores, or in the form of nail polish remover. The last method I can suggest if mechanical means or acetone do not work is to use methylene chloride. I suggest this last because it is a little nastier chemical than acetone. It is very volatile, and if you get it on your skin, even on latex gloves, you get a nice burning sensation for a couple of minutes. You may be able to find some paint stripper that contains methylene chloride. Again, acetone and methylene chloride (also known as dichloromethane or DCM) are both volatile, so work with this stuff outside and away from ignition sources with the acetone.

The DCM is my favorite of the three; I work with this stuff every day in a lab, and it really does cut through most organic junk.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I would avoid letting the scales come in contact with the methylene chloride.

Acetone will work but be careful because it can damage your skin with long exposed contact.

I'm not sure about acetone. It works to dissolve _uncured_ epoxy, but it's slow on _cured_ epoxy. Nail polish remover is, I think, toluene. So is "Goof-Off". Toluene is a little more aggressive than acetone, IMHO.

Methylene chloride maybe, MEK (methyl ethyl ketone ???) maybe. I've always had the approach that "epoxy is forever".

If you have a Dremel with a _brass-bristle_ brush, you might try that, at a low speed, with light pressure. Epoxy is tough (for a plastic), but it's a lot softer than razor steel. With an Xacto knife, you're doing "steel-on-steel", and the possibility of scratching the razor blad with the Xacto is always present.

Charles

This has kind of gone off topic, but nail polish remover is definitely acetone. Paint thinner, however, can often contain toluene. I wonder if heating up an xacto blade would allow for the epoxy to be melted? Has there been any progress on the removal?

+1 to cutting it off. I keep single edge scrapers on hand. Much like shaving, a lower angle is less aggressive than a higher angle, and you might be surprised how effective they can be. You'll notice that the spines and tang/tails tend to be softer than the actual blades, so you'll want to be less aggressive there.

I'm going back tomorrow and hoping the blade is still there. I didn't want to pick it up and have no options other than cutting it down. I'm in the middle of both moving and preparing for a new baby (#3) so it may be a few mire weeks till I get a chance to work on it. My MIL is in town for two weeks come May, so I will find a way to work on it then.