De-Stinking Stabilized Wood MAC Handle

[Eager]

All my kitchen knives were soft steel junk. So after studying things for a while I got a MAC 6" Chef/Utility knife from Knife Merchant http://www.knifemerchant.com/products.asp?manufacturerID=10#40 Mostly based on the stories about these knives from Jeff Clark, who sounds like he has some excellent practicle experience. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=180779&highlight=Jeff+Clark. Also, based on the excellent price. The MAC is a good knife and Knife Merchant was great and seems like a good source of kitchen knives. The handle is made of stabilized wood and had a leveling chemical smell. In order to abate this offensive and likely carcinogenic vapor, I decided to take my own advice (which I suggested to someone on these forums) and treat the handle to a prolonged flow of air, and some ultraviolet light (in the form of sunlight). I rigged the handle to be expose to air flow (in the back of my truck). Conditions were not optimal with temperatures in the sixties, but sunny. I left in the truck bed for about 4 days, and it was exposed to mild sunlight for the day periods (mid-October, Washington State). I drove for around an hour each day at highway speeds so it got some good air. Before the treatment the knife was used and washed frequently, but stored in the box and the odor did not significantly diminish for a period of about 2 weeks. After the "air-out" treatment the odor significantly diminshed but did not completely dissapear. The knife has now been hung up using the convenient hole in the blade. Now the oder is discerable when the nose is placed against it but otherwise not. This MAC knife is great, particularly for the price. It's made of AUS8 or something like it at 56 to 59 hardness (says right on the box. It was my sharpest knife out of the box until I got my new handmade Santoku by Sinichi Watanebe. My wife describes the MAC has being "muy rico", which means it's good. It's a good design with the round tip and hole in the blade. Te only slight drawbacks (besides the now abated stink) is that the scales at the top pin are not tight and there is a slight gap where you can sight light between the scales and the full tang. I made have to send it back for that. And, the blade is thin, which makes it cut real good, and the width gives it strength, but a stiffer knife is would be better some uses such cutting watermelon. This MAC will excell at most kitchen uses however, such as cutting onions, lettuce, broccolli and fruit, which it has been ding for me. I also got an 8" Messermeister Asian Precision Gyuto and it's companion 4" Petty knife, which are real similar to the MAC and also in AUS8, both at a great half-off price from the local Mall Spartan Cutlery shop. The MAC was sharper out of the box and has required no tuning up so far after a few weeks of light use. I'm going to get another MAC Original series knife. This time the 4" parer.

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

The length of time until the stabilant smell goes away depends on the type of wood.

Buckeye burl and loses the smell within a couple weeks. Thuya burl takes several months.

What type of wood is the handle made from? Where do you live in eastern Washington? I was in Ephrarta for a hammer-in last weekend.

 

[Eager]

Chuck,

I don't know what the wood is. There's no indication. Here's a close-up of the handle in it's de-stinking rig. I'd be interested to know what the stabilant is. Could you describe it. I live here in Kennewick.

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

Most of the stabilants are a type of acrylic.

The wood looks like ebony or blackwood. My guess is blackwood because ebony cracks so easily.

The stabilant smell from blackwood will last a long time. Blackwood has lots of natural oil. Some of which is forced out when stabilized. The oil STINKS!

Call me tomorrow and I'll tell you more boring information.

 

[Eager]

Hmmm... Very interesting! I never would have attributed the stink to the natural wood oil and I never would have believed you alone Chuck (thanks for the info. by the way, and I looked at your website, nice) if I had not seen the following info. on stabilized wood. http://www.bladegallery.com/information/info_stabilization.asp
I like stabilized wood, from what I've seen so far (I have three knives handled with it) and finally I'm learning more about it here.

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

Eager,

Send me an e-mail.