Does African Blackwood Heat Up When Left In Sun

ncrockclimb

ncrockclimb

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I live in the desert and have found that black handled knives can get really hot if left in the sun. Just last week I was using my black GFN handle Kershaw to open some boxes on the loading dock of my warehouse. I left the knife laying in the sun for about 5 minutes, and when I went to pick it up the handle was almost too hot to touch.

So... I really like some of the African Blackwood knives that Fiddleback makes, but am a little concerned that they might get really hot here in the desert. Does anyone have any experience with this? How do you like your Blackwood Fiddlebacks?
 
I suppose the epoxy could soften when heated up hot enough but I'm not sure what the temp threshold is for it. I think more than the heat the lack of humidity would be the most detrimental to wood handled knives. Blackwood is tough but could shrink or crack if maintenance wasn't kept up on an accelerated schedule compared to say... SF Bay Area climate.
 
I haven't tested it with my blackwood (might have to do an experiment). But I'll second necrolicious. Dry climate like I have here in CO, which I can only assume is worse in AZ, is an enemy of wood handles. Blackwood is one of the toughest (which is why I have a few) but it like any wood is going to need more maintenance in the dryness. I had a knife by a different maker in mirindiba handles and it shrunk horribly even with good maintenance. I've learned to be pretty selective with what woods I pick up for using here.

Other parts of the country that get some humidity it wouldn't be an issue at all.
 
All matter will heat up when left in the sun.

Personally, I wouldn't buy and expect any wood to do well in desert environments. When I did the show in Vegas, every wood handle shrunk during the trip.
 
David, our guru for things scientific around here, says epoxy is a thermoset, cross linked polymer and is generally harder than the material surrounding it. We've found this to be true on every occasion we've tried to remove handle scales.

From West System themselves - "Experience has also shown that while heat tends to soften epoxy while it remains warm, if WEST SYSTEM epoxy is not exposed to damaging heat (exceeding 230°F for extended periods), it will return to full strength when cooled to room temperature."

Article here.
 
I think if you just something over it even a peace of paper or peace of cloth it should help

what about ironwood? it supposedly leave in Desert
 
thurin said:
I haven't tested it with my blackwood (might have to do an experiment). But I'll second necrolicious. Dry climate like I have here in CO, which I can only assume is worse in AZ, is an enemy of wood handles. Blackwood is one of the toughest (which is why I have a few) but it like any wood is going to need more maintenance in the dryness. I had a knife by a different maker in mirindiba handles and it shrunk horribly even with good maintenance. I've learned to be pretty selective with what woods I pick up for using here.

Other parts of the country that get some humidity it wouldn't be an issue at all.
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Living in south Alberta I find it pretty dry here as well. What is the best way you have found to maintain wood handled knives in a dry environment? Also what woods have you found are best?
 
Tekton said:
Living in south Alberta I find it pretty dry here as well. What is the best way you have found to maintain wood handled knives in a dry environment? Also what woods have you found are best?
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Many of the woods you see on knife handles are stabilized. Basically put into a solution like Cactus Juice or other polymer stabilizing agent and then put under vacuum. After the air filled voids have been filled by the stabilizing agent the wood is then, essentially, cooked. Hardening the agent. This gives softer, less dense woods a chance to be used on what is really a hard use tool without easily chipping, cracking, or gouging the wood under use. There are some woods that are naturally hard and dense that don't need this process or don't actually accept it. Some of these are African Blackwood, Desert Ironwood, Cocobolo, Ziricote, Kauri, Bubinga, Bocote, PurpleHeart, Cherry, Walnut, etc. I don't think that list is complete.

Mineral oil wipe downs or short soaks help maintain the wood and it's moisture/oil content. Some folks prefer other types of oil like Boiled Linseed oil. Mineral oil is cheap and widely available but it's a food safe petroleum product that is also used as a laxative. So some don't like to use it on knives that are in contact with food.
 
Bamboo said:
David, our guru for things scientific around here, says epoxy is a thermoset, cross linked polymer and is generally harder than the material surrounding it. We've found this to be true on every occasion we've tried to remove handle scales.

From West System themselves - "Experience has also shown that while heat tends to soften epoxy while it remains warm, if WEST SYSTEM epoxy is not exposed to damaging heat (exceeding 230°F for extended periods), it will return to full strength when cooled to room temperature."

Article here.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that bit of knowledge Ken. Nice to know the heat tolerance of the epoxy and that it hardens again. Neat product.
 
necrolicious said:
Many of the woods you see on knife handles are stabilized. Basically put into a solution like Cactus Juice or other polymer stabilizing agent and then put under vacuum. After the air filled voids have been filled by the stabilizing agent the wood is then, essentially, cooked. Hardening the agent. This gives softer, less dense woods a chance to be used on what is really a hard use tool without easily chipping, cracking, or gouging the wood under use. There are some woods that are naturally hard and dense that don't need this process or don't actually accept it. Some of these are African Blackwood, Desert Ironwood, Cocobolo, Ziricote, Kauri, Bubinga, Bocote, PurpleHeart, Cherry, Walnut, etc. I don't think that list is complete.

Mineral oil wipe downs or short soaks help maintain the wood and it's moisture/oil content. Some folks prefer other types of oil like Boiled Linseed oil. Mineral oil is cheap and widely available but it's a food safe petroleum product that is also used as a laxative. So some don't like to use it on knives that are in contact with food.
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Thanks, I normally use mineral oil on both the blade and the scales, just wondering if there was something better or if that should work just fine.
 
Tekton said:
Thanks, I normally use mineral oil on both the blade and the scales, just wondering if there was something better or if that should work just fine.
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There are other oils hat people say they use just fine. A big caveat to some you see used is that they can degrade or spoil according to what I've read. Just do your research before jumping in on one. I think the majority here use mineral oil.
 
Tekton said:
Living in south Alberta I find it pretty dry here as well. What is the best way you have found to maintain wood handled knives in a dry environment? Also what woods have you found are best?
Click to expand...

Mineral oil is my go to. I use it on the handle to keep em hydrated and on the steel to keep it from rusting, although that's not a big issue here because of how dry it is. It's cheap, it's food safe, it won't spoil.

African Blackwood, Desert Ironwood, Bocote are the ones that I have that have held up well. I really want one in Cocobolo.
 
I'm glad I read this thread, I was about to ask about knife care in a dry climate. I live in southern NJ where the summertime air is pretty much split pea soup, but my wife and I are planning to move to Colorado or Utah within the year. I don't want my new bloodwood cracking and shrinking on me!
 
I live inland in southern California, technically in a desert, and after years of brutal drought people are finally starting to quit watering lawns....Anyhow, what I have seen is that finished wooden gear needs to acclimate a bit, and a nice rubdown with mineral oil eases the processes quite a bit. I have a Condor Nessmuk that needed oil literally every day for about a week before it looked finished getting used to the climate. As for woods that hold up well, I have had a lot of luck with seasoning pieces of purpleheart and lignum vitae before turning them into tools, handles, weapons, and so on. A nice pale handle is great for the desert though, unless you have palms made of leather, and desert-grown ash is not that hard to find. It has good hardness and color, wears nicely, and won't get as hot as a darker wood or composite. If you want to go the man-made route, I like to use a Becker 9 in the desert tan micarta that they offered a while ago. The handle would get warm in the sun, but it doesn't have me screaming for mommy like the time I picked up a black-handled pull-saw after coming back from lunch one summer.
 
"What about ironwood? it supposedly leave in Desert"

:thumbup:That's what I was thinking Taja, desert Ironwood!:confused:
 
gusbuster said:
"What about ironwood? it supposedly leave in Desert"

:thumbup:That's what I was thinking Taja, desert Ironwood!:confused:
Click to expand...

I would imagine that any wood, even those that spend their entire lives in the desert, experience a change in brittleness when their xylem and phloem are cut and are no longer transferring water. With that said, I'm sure some are more suited to be able withstand and take the beating of such environments. (Mesquite down here in Texas)
 
As Andy said, EVERYTHING gets hot in the desert, no matter it's color, black, white, or inbetween. I would stick with synthetics in a hot dry climate, like Micarta and G10.

I'm curious what those living in super hot dry climates, e.g. Phoenix, think of stabilized woods. I'd be skeptical how they'd hold up also, until you got feedback from someone who has lived in such climes for a good while (I just mean err on said of caution until confirmed by someone with desert experience).

I agree with regard to Mineral Oil. It's a petroleum derivative, is odorless, colorless, and stable (won't age/oxidize/rot like vegetable oils). Since it is food safe, works for knives used in food prep where many other oils are not good, to outright harmful. It is sold as a laxative in drug stores, and that alone tells you it is safe for human consumption (you couldn't get enough off a blade used for food prep to have laxative effects).

Wiki has a good entry, no surprise. See section on "Food Preparation":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_oil
 
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