Best finish for Wood Scales??

timcsaw

timcsaw

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Sep 25, 2007
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Hey... I'm working up a new set of scales with some inlay, and I'm hoping you all can help me out with some suggestion on final finish. In the past, I've use teak or tongue oil with a wax overcoat, but I'm not impressed by it's durability.

I'm looking for a final finish that is clear, provides a gloss look, is durable, and is easy for the user to maintain. I build these scales and install them on pre-manufactured blanks... I don't sell them, I give them to friends and family members. Since I am giving these to folks who are not knife/wood workers I want a finish that they can "refresh" as needed. I'd like a finish (as described above), that they can touch up, or re-apply themselves.

Most of my wood finishing experience is on larger pieces (furniture), which does NOT get the exposure to the elements, or hard use that these knife scales will see.

I have many such scales in the works, and I'm not sure of the best finish. I'm smart enough to know that I'm not smart enough to know what's best... so I'm coming to the experts (you all) for recommendations.

I have some work left to do on these... These are of Amboyna Burl with turquoise/Green Malachite stripes and mother of pearl inlays (the mother of pearl by the way, came from a collection of OLD BUTTONS I snagged at a yard sale... tons of raw material!! If you do inlay... hunt the yard sales!!:thumbup:)

What's the best way to finish???

Input greatly appreciated!:thumbup:

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I tried many and best is silicon-carnauba pipe polis from tobacco shop:

knife77-12.jpg


But first you need to polish it up to 2000 sandpaper.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Afraid I can't help you with the glossy, my favorite finish is Watco Natural Danish Oil for me. However it seems like it would be easy to refresh or reapply when needed.
 
My vote is Tung oil , sounds a little 'off the farm' for such fine slabs, but it sure dose hold up, and easy to redo.
 
I found that any treatment that penetrates wood will damage color - like any oil will turn Zircote into solid black and so beautiful patter will be lost. If you like oil better use boiled linen seed, but again it is more for shovel handle then for fine exotic wood.

I tried many woods and many treatment:

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/wood.html

Best I suggest - cocobolo. Beautiful wood and do not need any treatment because it is oily by nature.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
nozh2002 said:
I found that any treatment that penetrates wood will damage color - like any oil will turn Zircote into solid black and so beautiful patter will be lost. If you like oil better use boiled linen seed, but again it is more for shovel handle then for fine exotic wood.

I tried many woods and many treatment:

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/wood.html

Best I suggest - cocobolo. Beautiful wood and do not need any treatment because it is oily by nature.

Thanks, Vassili.
Click to expand...

Nice woodwork Vassili!
 
I have been using ARM-R-SEAL, its pretty good stuff. I use it mostly for furniture applications but it seems to hold up pretty well on knife handles.
 
This is pipe polish. Only label -
"Pipe polish. Carnauba wax with silicon. To polish and keep briar pipes bright. Apply Pipe polish with cotton wool, let dry and wipe with soft close. cc20. Made in Italy"

pipepolish.jpg


Knife was made by myself while ago A2 and Madagascar Rosewood. Here all steps of forming handle:

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/KnifemakingBeauty.html

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Both linseed oil and beeswax rubs are easy to refresh. I think the main hate linseed oil gets is that no one lets it dry. Which takes a while.

And then takes a while more.

And then some more.
 
I tried finest linenseed oil for artists on one of my handle - it NEVER dry! Never in more then a year it did not dry! I did try it thinking it will not affect wood color - it does affect any way but also not dry. As I understand any penetration change optical properties of the wood and make transparent those parts which were light and this does change look dramatically - darkening wood so pattern are not visible.

But boiled linen seed oil from HD or OSH or Lowes etc... dries in 3-4 days. I usually let it soak for 3 days and then let it dry for 3 days.

But pipe polish - coat it with cotton stick, wait for 5 minutes, rub with dry close - done! And for coating it is harder to survive on pipe then on knife IMHO, so it stays on knife just fine.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
I haven't tried pipe oil. The boiled linseed oil does dry in a few days, which is nice. the artists pure stuff takes 3 years to properly dry!
 
koyote said:
I haven't tried pipe oil. The boiled linseed oil does dry in a few days, which is nice. the artists pure stuff takes 3 years to properly dry!
Click to expand...

3 years! Well, I am not a Rubens or Botichelly - not even Picasso...

Pipe polish is polish not an oil it does not penetrates - carnauba (hardest natural wax to my knowledge used mostly in top natural shoe polishes) with some silicon.

This is how Zyrcote (most sensitive to oil) looks with Pipe polihs:

knife48S2.jpg

knife48BS1.jpg

knife48BS2.jpg

knife48TS1.jpg

knife48TS2.jpg


Thanks, Vassili.
 
Hwere's a shot of 3 done with Watko's Danish oil, applied in a stockmakers finish. It takes a little time and patience but very nice when completed.
 

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I had some boiled linseed oil in a cup, maybe 1/4", it never completely dried in a year and half. It skinned over and eventually wrinkled up but never completely cured. I'm not sure letting it dry in a cup is a fair test though. I like Deft Danish Oil, Natural finish. It's mostly tung oil with solvents to help it dry. If I didn't have any Deft on hand, I guess I'd use plain old tung oil.
 
Brownells offers a very fine African stock finish that should work good. I bought some and sent to a fella in Alabama, the same fella that's building a custom gunstock for me. He sent a picture of a walnut stock that had received the 1st of ten coats of the finish. It really looks great.
Or, have the wood stabilized by WSSI.
I put a boiled linseed oil on an Osage orange handle that worked pretty good.
 
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