Loctite 380 Black Max

[ChuckS1]

I need an adhesive for the grip medallions in my Browning .380 BDA that won’t stay put. There’s no shank on these, just a flat surface. I’ve tried JB Weld and it didn’t hold. Was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Loctite 380 Black Max adhesive. Or, better yet, if anyone’s had a Browning BDA with this problem and has managed to fix it. Thanks in advance.

 

[chief38]

I have not heard of the Black Max, but I am a huge fan of the JB Weld. Honestly.... in all the decades I've been using the JB Weld I have not seen it fail yet. You can try the Black Max but if that fails as well, I'd say try the JB Weld again but rough up the surfaces with sandpaper to give the adhesive something to grab onto and the clean with alcohol prior to applying the glue. I Can't imagine that would not work. Just like for most jobs, performance is all in the prep!

 

[VaTom]

I have used this Gorilla Clear Grip Adhesive on all sorts of things for years. Great bond for all materials. Just recently bonded the soles back on my wading boots where they were coming loose. Walmart has it.

 

[Liftrat]

I've used the Loctite 380 on an ignition timing disc on one of my motorcycles, as recommended by the manufacturer. That's been over 10 years and 50K miles ago, with no problems. IIRC, it has a bit of flexibility to it.
That said, I don't know if it would be any better for your application than some of the other modern adhesives such as VaTom mentions. And, as chief38 said, it's all in the prep.

 

[ChuckS1]

Yeah, the JB Weld failure is puzzling. I roughed up the wood and cleaned the back of the medallion with acetone, thinking that would do the trick. Even let it cure for a few days. The medallion still came off after about 10 rounds. Guess I’ll try it again.

 

[dfariswheel]

The Black Max should work well.
The rubbery binder prevents vibration from loosening things.
Black Max and similar adhesives are heavily used in auto manufacturing to mount trim.

A key to using epoxies like JB Weld is getting a correct mix of the components and properly mixing them together.
The smaller the amount, the harder it is to get a correct hardener to resin mix. In small amounts it's too easy to get more of one then the other.

One trick for that is to weigh the two components with a powder scale.
Depending on the product, spending more time stirring to insure a good blend pays off in a better bond.
Also as above, degreasing the parts and roughening the surfaces to give the epoxy a "tooth" to bond to increases the bond.

 

[Eddietruett]

I need an adhesive for the grip medallions in my Browning .380 BDA that won’t stay put. There’s no shank on these, just a flat surface. I’ve tried JB Weld and it didn’t hold. Was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Loctite 380 Black Max adhesive. Or, better yet, if anyone’s had a Browning BDA with this problem and has managed to fix it. Thanks in advance.

I got turned on to Black Max by one of the highest regarded gunsmiths in the country. He used it on many things. One big impression it made on me was attaching vent ribs to shotgun barrels. I’ve used it on front sights many times as well as medallions on grips. One thing I did learn from him. Degrease the parts to death and degrease some more. Also on plastics, both pieces need to be roughed up. Also clamp the parts tight. Another valuable tip is once it’s opened, store it in the refrigerator. Keeps it from getting hard in the tube