18" AK by Bura

Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
1,559
Refinished Handle.

Bura_AK-3
 
Thanks guys. I was really happy with how it came out.

Summary of standard HI Woodchuck handle refinishing by Walosi and Yvsa.

Equipment list:
(1) Old newspapers
(2) 3 Clean rags (choose a cloth that does not leave lint)
(3) Blue painters tape
(4) 2 large clamps
(5) 2 small clamps
(6) Murphy's Oil Soap
(7) Old toothbrush
(8) Thin jeweler's file
(9) Toothpicks
(10) Sandpaper (150, 220, 320, 400, 600)
(11) Flitz metal polish
(12) Flitz polishing cloth
(13) Birchwood Casey Wood Sealer and Filler
(14) Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil
(15) Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Finishing Wax
(16) 2 Small Sponge brushes

(1) Wrap and tape up blade, bolster and buttcap with painter's tape and old newspaper. I used clamps stand the khukuri up. I clamped the kharda and Chakma with the smaller clamps.
(2) Clean jeweler's rouge off handle surface with toothbrush and Murphy's Oil Soap.
(3) Sand handle with progressively higher grits (150, 220, 340, 400, 600, 800, etc). File grooves and retention ring with jewlers file.
(4) Apply Birchwood Casey Wood sealer and filler with sponge brush. - wait one hour -
(5) Apply Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil with finger. Let each coat dry for one day. (The package suggests waiting 2 hours. In 2 hours, the surface will dry but the oil loaded in the rings are still wet, so waiting a full day between coats makes sense.)
(6) Buff lightly with "0000" steel wool between coats. (Don't buff too hard, you will remove the oil layer. Just buff enough to get rid of the bumps and dried air bubbles. Use a clean rag to buff off the steel wool hairs that are left behind. Use toothpicks to clear the 3 ring grooves in the handle and behind the finger retention ring between coats. Otherwise the tru-oil will build up and trap debris in these recesses.)
(7) Apply Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Finishing Wax with clean rag. Rub wax in until it is dry. Repeat three or four tims. This coating makes the handle shiny and comfortable (non-sticky). The Tru-Oil finish is a bit sticky.
(8) Clean finishing oils off brass buttcap and bolster with Flitz metal polish. The Flitz polishing cloth grabs and scrubs a bit better than a regular cloth, but a clean cloth should do fine, paper towel works too but not as well.

I applied 5 coats of Tru-Oil. The entire project took 5 days. Some guys online have put 14+ coats of tru-oil on their khukuris.
 
I didn't know perfection can be improved upon. Looks like I am wrong.

Well done, Sundsvall.

Ah shucks, I don't have any of those Bura stuff like the others! :(
 
Sundsvall-- where did you find the Birchwood Casey filler and sealer? I use Tru-oil on my wood handles, but have never seen the filler. Does using the filler allow you to put on fewer coats of Tru Oil and still get a nice level of shine?
--Josh
 
I ordered it directly from www.Birchwoodcasey.com.

The sealer and filler gives the Tru-oil a good even base to start with.

Don't skip the wax finish. It is really makes the difference in feel. Your hand will dull the tru-oil finish without the wax.

Birchwood Casey also has a stock sheen and finishing polish that goes under the final coat of Tru-oil. It is supposed to mitigate the imperfections tru-oil coatings. I am going to try that with my next wood handled khukuri.
 
Cool, I'll have to check out some of their other products. So far I have just used multiple coats of Tru-Oil and then finished off with some Johnson's paste wax. Always looking to try new things though. Thanks for the info.
--Josh
 
The gunstock finishing wax is a blend of beeswax, caranuba wax and silcone. I think it is similar to Mother's Gold Car wax, but I would expect Birchwood's wax to be formulated for greater acid resistance found in constant contact with skin.

I called birchwood to find out more about the stock sheen and conditioner.
 
No problem.

Just remember that the tru-oil coat is really thin. Don't slather it own, it will dry looking really funky. In fact you can blot it out a bit with a paper towel and then smooth it out with your finger. You can always put more coats on to get the the level of shine that you want.

Do not use steel wool on the Tru-oil finish before it is totally dry. The semi-wet areas will load up on steel wool hairs and drive you crazy.
 
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