cocobola finish

J

joshlm

Joined
Dec 13, 2003
Messages
7
well the project is going pretty well with the help of this forum. It is time to start on the handles and I wanted to get your advice on finishing them. I seems that with cocobola I can sand with fine paper and buff but I was a little worried about the wood staining if it comes into contact with blood. Will the wood not absorb it or do I need to seal it. thanks for the help
 
On all the oily wood handles I have, I give them a little dab of Vaseline from time to time. It isn't really necessary but it does keep them sealed somewhat!
 
It seems with the naturally stabilized woods, after a while the oil will work out to the surface after buffing, dulling the finish. I like to buff on a couple coats of carnuda wax. Seals and holds a nice finish much longer.


Ken Beatty
 
Josh,,, I dont know if you know but cocobola dust is pretty bad to breath so always use a respirator. Someone correct me if I am mistaken, yeah it does happen, kinda like the sun rising in the east.

jm
 
It won't take more than a coat or two, but I like to put watco's danish oil on cocobola handles. It seals them up nicely. The first coat goes on good, the second doesn't really dry to well and anything after that doesn't take at all. But you can rub some in, let it sit awhile and then rub it out really good with a rag to get a nice finish.
 
Always thought blood was a good natural sealer. I wouldn't worry about it, it should wash right off with just water...
 
Cocobolo will darken over time. I used a UV resistant polyurethane on a cocobolo project about five years ago and it has not changed color.
 
Cocobolo dust is very dangerous. you should use a sealed resperator, not the "painter" type, but one for hazardous materials.
 
thanks for all the replies guys, I read up on cocobola a little before I bought it and wore a respirator, goggles, and covered all my bare skin. I have not had any reaction as of yet, so I guess I could use it again in the future if I feel the need. I have enough left over to do probably two more knives in the future. I did find it interesting that when I went into my local woodcraft store and bought it they never said anything about the allergies some people have to this wood.
 
Originally posted by joshlm
... I did find it interesting that when I went into my local woodcraft store and bought it they never said anything about the allergies some people have to this wood.
Click to expand...

No, most places won't. Here's some info on wood toxicidy.
http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/arthazards/wood2.html

http://www.mendelu.cz/~horacek/toxic.htm

http://www.awwg.org/awg_woodtoxicity.htm

http://www.mimf.com/archives/toxic.htm

http://www.riparia.org/toxic_woods.htm

No doubt there is some duplication of info here, but better safe than...., well, you know.:eek: ;) :D
 
On some of the nice dense, oily woods, I've not used any real "finish". Just taken it to a high grit (at least 1500), then buff with a clean buff. If you're worried about it you can seal any pores to prevent a dirty surface, with Carnauba wax and then buff. The heat will drive the wax deep and make it go a beautiful lustre.

I do this for the rosewood family which includes Cocobolo, Rosewood, African Blackwood, ?? Kingwood (smells the same when ground). The acacia species woods - Gidgee, Mulga, Koa, also seem to respond very well to this treatment. In effect - very easy woods to finish, although not easy to work... Jason.
 
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