Balistol and glue between handle scales

N

Nicolai

Joined
Dec 7, 2018
Messages
15
Hi guys, first post on this forum :) English is not my main langue since i live in Denmark, so please bear with me ;) Well, i have a question, so here goes:

I use Balistol for all my wooden knife handles. However, the last day i was wondering, could the Balistol penetrate between knife scales on full tang knifes ( the ones where the tang is exposed between the knife scales like a sandwich ), and dissolve any glue/epoxy used to attach the knife scales to the tang? I could not get rid of the thought, so i decided to ask you guys for some peace of mind. I hope i explained my question so it makes sense, as said, english is not my main langue ;) Best regards, all the way from Denmark :) Nicolai
 
Several famous german gunsmiths told me that Ballistol is known for slowly dissolving the glue of scope mounts. So yes, your concern is well-founded.
 
Nicolai said:
Hi guys,
Click to expand...
Hi
I doubt there is much to worry about,
you can always ask ballistol directly
Read all about it
http://www.ballistol.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MSDS_TECH_BIO.pdf

Ballistol contains the following ingredients:
Mineral Oil
Potassium Oleate
Ammonium Oleate
Oleic Acid
Benzyl Alcohol
Amyl Alcohol
Isobutyl Alcohol
Benzyl Acetate
Anethole
Isohexane (aerosol only)


Ballistol is fully compatible with all metals including aluminum. However, Ballistol dissolves traces of copper, zinc, lead
and tombac and can, therefore, be used to clean brass, bronze and silver.
BallistoL is compatible with all types of unfinished woods. Ballistol is compatible with paints and varnishes which are
chemically resistant to petroleum. Caution is recommended when using Ballistol on antique furniture or antique musical
instruments. Paints and varnishes from past centuries may not be resistant to Ballistol.


Ballistol and Ugly, Dirty, Glue!!!! | BladeForums.com
 
I just contacted Balistol, just to be sure :) Btw, if i need a oil that can be used to preserve any type of wood, is non toxic, is totally safe on glue, what do you guys recommend in the case that i quit using Balistol? And is it okey to change the oil used to preserve a piece of wood, when i already have started with using Ballistol?

Best regards, Nicolai
 
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Nicolai said:
I just contacted Balistol, just to be sure :) Btw, if i need a oil that can be used to preserve any type of wood, is non toxic, is totally safe on glue, what do you guys recommend in the case that i quit using Balistol? And is it okey to change the oil used to preserve a piece of wood, when i already have started with using Ballistol?

Best regards, Nicolai
Click to expand...
Hi,
As a substitute for ballistol mineral oil,
you can use mineral oil from the pharamacy (cheapest unscented)
or baby oil (cheapest scented)
or butcher block oil (expensive) ...

But,
I'm not sure why you're adding it to wooden handle
what kind of wood is it? is it stabilized wood (finished knife)?
@Bill DeShivs says
buff on some paste wax aka Kiwi nutral shoe polish
because
There is no reason to oil stabilized wood.
Olive wood , iron wood... does not need stabilizing.
The only oils that should be used on wood are drying oils like boiled linseed, tung, etc.
If anything is absorbed into wood, it will swell the wood-water included.
Unless whatever is absorbed hardens, it softens the wood.
...
 
Thx for the reply. Im not really sure if the wood is stabilized, i have never had a knife that i knew 100% had stabilized wood handle. I dont think so thou, all my knifes with wood handles looks to me like its not stabilized. Its all kind of woods, olive wood, pakkawood and a lot i dont know what wood is used. I was told to oil the wood handles, so they did not dry out. was that wrong? Should i not use any oil on woodenhandles? Since i already have used ballistol, is okey to switch to another oil now?
 
Nicolai said:
Thx for the reply. Im not really sure if the wood is stabilized, i have never had a knife that i knew 100% had stabilized wood handle. I dont think so thou, all my knifes with wood handles looks to me like its not stabilized. Its all kind of woods, olive wood, pakkawood and a lot i dont know what wood is used. I was told to oil the wood handles, so they did not dry out. was that wrong? Should i not use any oil on woodenhandles? Since i already have used ballistol, is okey to switch to another oil now?
Click to expand...
Hi
Did person who mentioned oiling the wood (knifemaker?)
say what oil exactly and how to apply and how often?


I wouldn't say its wrong if you oil lightly, just maybe not right :)
pakkawood is stabilized soaked in plastic resin
but any wood in a finished knife ought to be treated already,
and only need maintenance waxing
shoe polish paste wax is more durable than oil
or more expensive museum wax

for a bit of perspective see what the mineral oilers says see
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/caring-for-wood-scales-im-confused.927651/
@Bill DeShivs has been restoring cutlery for ~5 decades (~50 years )
 
bucketstove said:
Hi
Did person who mentioned oiling the wood (knifemaker?)
say what oil exactly and how to apply and how often?


I wouldn't say its wrong if you oil lightly, just maybe not right :)
pakkawood is stabilized soaked in plastic resin
but any wood in a finished knife ought to be treated already,
and only need maintenance waxing
shoe polish paste wax is more durable than oil
or more expensive museum wax
Click to expand...

No, there is no info on how to oil the wood. Since i gave the wood Ballistol now, what should i do? i would really like to keep giving a little oil from time to time, since it is what i have always been taught, both with wood handled knifes, wood gunstocks etc, and i am not really relaxed about not oiling the wood when it is knifes exposed to rain, dressing deer, and generel outdoor stuff. Maybe its just me, but its hard to lay down a taught habbit about oiling the wood on guns and knifes. Im not totally confident with shoe polish paste since i never tryed it. Now that i already gave the wood handle knifes Ballistol, can i switch to another oil product? Thanks alot for the link, i will read it right away :)
 
I just read the link :) So if want to try the Neutral shoe polish, is that okey to do when i have already given the wood Ballistol? Is it in generel okey to switch from Ballistol to another oil product, like tung oil of i would like to try that? I found this "neutral shoe polish" on a danish website, does it looks like the stuff Bill DeShivs mention in the link? https://billig-billy.dk/kiwi-skosva...Pjgf9DatZe0SXcNfyLClw0niriZP3FShoC7MsQAvD_BwE Sry for all the questions, i have just resently started to pay more attention to the care of my knifes.
 
Hi,

Yes,
generally, whatever oil treatment you use on wood,
the surface will need refreshing/maintenance

if you were treating dry wood and bought some Tung oil,
you'd just keep using that since you already paid for it

for finished knives/handles, neutral shoe polish paste wax seems a lot simpler and cheaper


but then again, if ballistol seems to be working ;) I know, real helpful :)


yes, this kiwi stuff is the stuff @Bill DeShivs talks about
Product Name: Kiwi Shoe Polish, Neutral-04/14/2015
Health Rating: 1
Flammability Rating: 3
HMIS Rating Scale: 0 = Minimal; 1 = Slight; 2 = Moderate; 3 = Serious; 4 = Severe;
N = No information provided by manufacturer; * = Chronic Health Hazard

Chemical CAS No / Unique ID Percent
4-Chlorobenzotrifluoride 000098-56-6 5.0-10.0
Nonane 000111-84-2 1.0-5.0
Oleic acid 000112-80-1 1.0-5.0
Paraffin 008002-74-2 10.0-30.0
Distillates, petroleum, hydrotreated light 064742-47-8 30.0-60.0

Compare to another version of paste wax from same manufacturer

Health Rating: 1
Flammability Rating: 3
Chemical CAS No / Unique ID Percent
Naphthalene 000091-20-3 0.1-1.0
Cumene 000098-82-8 0.1-1.0
Ethylbenzene 000100-41-4 0.1-1.0
Paraffin 008002-74-2 10.0-30.0
Carnauba wax 008015-86-9
Stoddard solvent 008052-41-3 60.0-100.0
Sodium polynaphthalenesulfonate 009084-06-4
Microcrystalline wax 063231-60-7



As for applying other finishes after ballistol mineral oil, usually the box or manufacturer has some tips, for example
Application over previously finished surfaces.

We recommend stripping the wax from the surface by using water and ammonia, following the directions on the manufacturer’s label for “stripping wax”

Other oil coatings (e.g.: raw non film-forming linseed oil, soya oil, Tung oil, mineral oil, etc.).
To prepare the surface, we recommend cleaning the surface with mineral spirits (paint thinner) and allowing it to dry. After ....



update: never mind this line checking something B bucketstove
 
kvaughn said:
I've never heard of glued on scope mounts??
Click to expand...
Well, that’s german engineering for you. The bases for german pivot mounts etc. (from Recknagel, EAW and several others) are both screwed and glued on, the former for positioning and the latter for perfect “Kraftschluss”.
 
Thanks for the reply all :) Btw, i can say that here in Denmark, and to my knowledge Europe in generel, using glue/loctite inside scope rings is quite common. I do it myself ;)
 
What I have found with things like Ballistol is it isn't so much that the solvent dissolves the adhesive, whether is does or not, as much as the solvent penetrates and softens the wood itself thus possibly loosening the bond. Most cases Ballistol is harmless to the bond in the cases Ive found and I use it extensively on all sorts of knives and firearms.
 
I use tung oil on wooden handles -- knives, axes, shovels, canoe paddles, etc. Seems to withstand moisture better than linseed oil.
 
You can apply tung over ballistol but if you want to try to prep the wood to remove the ballistol that is already on the surface of the wood before applying tung you should check with ballistol how to do so, see post 12
 
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