Grip removal

[Lyle]

I want to change the grip on my bow. Unfortunately I glued it on after it fell of using araldite - 5 minute stuff. I now know I shouldn't have but hindsight is too late. :oops:

Any suggestions. Or is the grip going to be destroyed in the removal process? I'd rather damage the grip than the riser.
Dremel tool and gently cut it off? Some sort of thin flat blade to prise it off, will that damage riser?

Any help appreciated.

[Progen]

Try heating the riser with a torch but keep moving it around so that you don't burn or blacken anything. Heat hardens and cracks up the epoxy and when it's hard, it's brittle and loses quite a bit of its adhesive qualities. Then get a flat blade screwdriver which you might want to wrap some insulation tape over to prevent marring the riser or grip. Pry GENTLY AND SLOWLY wherever you can get it under the grip. Pry all over the grip rather than concentrate at a certain point. Weaken the bond throughout before trying to get the whole grip out.

[Eberbachl]

You could try heating it significantly.

I think at about 60 deg Araldite starts to lose some bond strength.

Chances are you'll break the grip, but you may be able to get it off the riser without damage.

Is it an anodised finish or a film finish on the riser?

[Progen]

You could try heating it significantly.

I think at about 60 deg Araldite starts to lose some bond strength.

Chances are you'll break the grip, but you may be able to get it off the riser without damage.

Is it an anodised finish or a film finish on the riser?

Oops, forgot to ask that part but if you have one of those flameless torches, you can still warm up the grip a bit BUT you have to remember to move it around and not stay on one spot.

[Eberbachl]

Try heating the riser with a torch but keep moving it around so that you don't burn or blacken anything.

I would NOT use a torch to heat the riser.

Under any circumstances.

A hair drier on the grip is fine, or if you're very careful, a heat gun on the grip may be OK - but be very careful not to point it at your strings and if you've got a camo or film dipped target finish on your riser be careful as you may melt it.

Again, don't use a blowtorch.

[James Park]

I very definitely would not use a torch on the riser (fast way to have a sore head and two half risers).
I would try prising it off and accept that you will probably destroy it.

(Of course if you do use a torch, I have a friend who collects scrap metal - she turns it into money to support needy children in India).

[Progen]

I didn't mean a blowtorch when I said torch, Luke. I meant something like this. It said Flameless Torch on the box if I remembered correctly.

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/8742/img000115hl.jpg

I use this to get rid of air bubbles in the epoxy when I'm building fishing rods. Runs on lighter fuel. No flame but lots of heat.

[Eberbachl]

I didn't mean a blowtorch when I said torch, Luke. I meant something like this. It said Flameless Torch on the box if I remembered correctly.

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/8742/img000115hl.jpg

I use this to get rid of air bubbles in the epoxy when I'm building fishing rods. Runs on lighter fuel. No flame but lots of heat.

Generally a torch means blowtorch.

Having said that, I have one of those too - slightly different, mine is made by Weller, but the same principal nonetheless.

IMHO they get far too hot for this sort of application (they do have ignition and flame - just not exposed), and I wouldn't be putting it on the riser.

Try a hair drier, some care and patience.

It'll come off, you will most likely break the grip, but should be able to do it without damaging the riser.

[Progen]

Trick is to keep moving it around and experiment with the distance to the riser. If it won't blacken uncured epoxy finish, it shouldn't harm metal too much as long as you keep moving it around. Distribute the heat all over to weaken the epoxy bond as much as possible. If you're lucky and didn't apply too much in the first place, you might even save the grip. :lol:

Actually, right now, what you can hope for is that you mixed the Araldite in the wrong proportions which would then give you a much less stronger bond. :P

[reversehaven]

lol. if you ask me, a riser is too expensive to risk a blowtorch. I'd settle for staying away from the blowtorch as much as possible (until i'm desperate.) I think hairdryer would be pretty much good enough. Concentrated heat from the hairdryer ain't gonna be enough to damage the riser (excluding the grip) so pretty much if i were you i'd go with the hairdryer. Unless of course, it fails to work, then i'll go on to plan B (er.. i gues that means torch?)

BTW where did you guys get those neat torches? Damn... i want one too!anywhere i can possibly order it online? i can't seem to find a cheap and good one in singapore.

[Eberbachl]

BTW where did you guys get those neat torches? Damn... i want one too!anywhere i can possibly order it online? i can't seem to find a cheap and good one in singapore.

The one I have is this one:

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4456cb76050c1324273fc0a87f9c06bc/Product/View/T1374

It has a hot knife, soldering iron, blowtorch and heat gun attachments.

It's excellent!

;)

[James Park]

From my (limited) reading on the topic, you would be in danger of annealing the Aluminium of the riser. For Aluminium, you heat it to around 300 degrees C and then let it cool. This softens the Aluminium (not what you want for the riser, I think).
My understanding is that some of those torches can easily get that hot.

[Eberbachl]

From my (limited) reading on the topic, you would be in danger of annealing the Aluminium of the riser. For Aluminium, you heat it to around 300 degrees C and then let it cool. This softens the Aluminium (not what you want for the riser, I think).
My understanding is that some of those torches can easily get that hot.

Those torches indeed get that hot Jim, and I wouldn't be using any more than a hair drier.

[Progen]

Reversehaven, I got mine from your island. Look around in the bigger hardware stores. Not an uncommon item.

Actually, on second thought, most, if not all grips, should be made from some thermoset plastic, ie. they're made from liquid poured into a mold and allowed to set, rather than formed from a sheet or something. So saying that, they should be able to take quite some heat without showing any deformation. Some heat as in perhaps 20 to 30 degree Celsius. I tried it on my Samick Agulla's grip. Thing could get hot enough to burn my fingers but it still stayed in shape and being black, it didn't show any damage.

Use the Force to move the flamer (this should get me off the hook :lol: ) around and keep it moving. Distribute the heat and feel the epoxy bond weaken. Of course if you have a hairdryer that you don't mind the noise of, use that.

[Jay.G]

BLOW TORCH!!!!?????? :o :o :o :o :o BLOW TORCH?????!!!!!!! if anyone tried to remove anything on my bow with a blow torch that blow torch would probably end up somewhere else. :-? :-?

[Progen]

Et tu, Jay G? :cry:

[blaze]

If it's just 60

[Lyle]

I think I'll just get a very thin flat knife blade and work it around the grip. Slowly slowly.
Or maybe a long hard think if I really really want to change the grip.
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.
By the way it is a rootbeer Conquest 3.

[Jay.G]

not really directed at you progen its just couldn't belive a blow torch is suggested as a solution. :o

[Progen]

not really directed at you progen its just couldn't belive a blow torch is suggested as a solution. :o

I was referring to a blow torch. Just that the one in the photo was featured as a 'Flameless Torch' on the box it came in.

Good luck, Lyle. I would advise you to use a fairly strong flat blade screwdriver instead of a knife but if you choose to use the knife, don't get your face too close when you're prying. I've had ocassions where a knife tip just broke off on me.

[Jay.G]

does your flameless torch go up to 400 degrees or higher?

[chang]

Progen

blow torch operates at a higher temperature
have a look at this spec.

http://cableorganizer.com/solder-it/http://cableorganizer.com/images/torch-on-card-big.jpg

[Archangel]

I do wonder how anyone manages to go camping - or perform first aid - without a 1300 degree blowtorch :-P

[Brocky]

:rofl:

[mbomike]

Go the hot water trick Lyle, will take a while but it will work :wink:
find a large enough tub (metalic of course) put water in it, and a fire under it......Well you get the gist of it :D

[Progen]

does your flameless torch go up to 400 degrees or higher?

No idea. I didn't stick my finger in front of it and even if I had, I don't have a thermometer built into the tip. I ain't Inspector Gadget. :lol:

I have tried it on paper. Takes a while to char and then burn up. It's not what you'd use to start a fire although it's capable of that.

Ok, from now on, I'll use the term 'miniature heat pistol'. Let me slide on this one. Those dingbat manufacturers called it a torch so I was merely quoting what they put on the box.

[hoyt for life 2]

you could just use the bow torch to burn the grip off.