I bought my wife this nice .32 break top, but in a moment of carelessness she broke the grips. It's clean break, and just needs some glue, but I want to do it right.

What's the right adhesive?

Super glue.

Please note that I've never worked with pearl before, so I don't know first hand how easy this will be or if it can be done at all.

Having stated that, whenever repairing an item that has been broken, I drill a couple of matching holes in the broken surface to insert pins (usually steel), similar to the way wood workers use dowels and biscuits when gluing pieces together. Then I glue the pins in place using epoxy glue. My favorite is JB Weld. I normally glue everything together at one time, wiping off the excess glue. However this case is a bit different. Because it is pearl, I'd use clear epoxy to glue in one end of the pins first, making sure they mate up with their corresponding holes. After they set, add glue to them and run a bead of either slow setting super glue on the mating surface of the break or use clear epoxy. Epoxy like JB Weld will leave a dark line along the break line that super glue or clear epoxy won't.

The problem with super glue is it has a lot pull strength but little shear strength, meaning if try to pull two parts glued with it straight apart (like to old commercial), it is very strong, but if you tap one of the parts sideways, it will break back apart quite easy. We used to play practical joke with it at work, super gluing parts someone was working on when they were away from the job. You couldn't pull them apart with a crane, but a gentle tap with hammer always broke them apart.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Tom and Crsides,

Thanks for the responses, but I'm afraid to drill holes for pins into the pearl. It's not a strong material, and at 100 yrs old I'm afraid it might break during the repair.

Despite the problems with superglue, I'm leaning towards that. In the worst case it'll just break at the previous fault, and I'll be back to square one.

Joe

[I] think in your case i would use the gel super glue it gives a little more work time

I might consider putting a paper thin under-layment under the entire panel, in addition to gluing the joint; cut and inletted to size. Something on the order of the thickness of a credit card.
Might have to put a piece under the other side to even the grips up, but no point gluing the unbroken

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wanna do right-- not right now

WHITE Gorilla Glue Pen


I just repaired a small chip on a grip, it worked perfectly. ( Although it was not pearl.. I see no reason it would not work.

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I've repaired a few cracked pearls with superglue with very good results. Since the crack is not a flat, uniform cut, there are multiple angles at play for a good adhesion. It's nothing like the example above of a smooth part glued to a flat table. For small edge chips, I've used tape as a dam and filled with thin superglue. Once it sets up, you can sand and polish to an almost undetectable repair. It matches the 'swirl' of the pearl almost perfectly.

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

Thank you all for the good information. I knew the board would come through.
Joe

A backing of some very thin, strong membrane (perhaps a thin cloth tape backing, on each stock, to keep symmetry) would help the integrity of the two broken pieces. Very thin stuff or your screw may not be long enough. I have a 3rd change model 1905 that came with MOP stocks, and they are not used on the rare occasions when I shoot the revolver.

Rog8732 and Soda can,
Would the broken grip piece then be glued to the underlayment too?
I'm thinking of using an old playing card.

It might not be necessary. The piece chipped off at an angle, so there's actually a lot of surface area between the two grip pieces.
Joe

I would contact a jeweler, that does jewelry repair. There are some specialized glues out there. I repaired a glass stem on a wine glass with a light curing glue that holds up to dishwasher use. Also, dentists have access to specialized glues. The trick is to maintain the clamped pressure on it while the glue cures. Making some kind of jig to hold it might be well worth it.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244