Final handle polish after using Watco natural oil?

G

Guy Thomas

Joined
Feb 1, 2000
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Last night I shaped and sanded to 400 grit the handle of the first knife I'm making (a small kitchen knife for my wife with cherry handles). After applying Watco the natural beauty of the the cherry grain really shone through but this morning, as I knew it would after drying, the finish was a little dull and had lost it's depth.
Should I go to a fine furniture paste wax, maybe something with carnauba in it to get the shine and depth back? I don't have a buffer set up yet but that would be a minor matter if I need to do that also. As usual thanks in advance for your suggestions and tips! (I'm going to read some of my books now and check the archives to refresh my handle finishing knowledge, I've never gottten this far before!) -Guy Thomas
 
Don't know how it would work on top of the Watco product, but I've had good results with Carver Tripp Danish Finish which contains wax.
 
Silent,

I use the same stuff. Heres what I do for a great finish.
1. I apply Apply Watco natural 4-8 coats over several hours, or untill the wood will not absorb any more oil, then lightly wipe off the excess.
2. let dry approx 3 days
3. lightly steel wool and apply the final coat. Let this coat stay on for about 3-4 hrs or untill gummy, then wipe off only the excess oil, don't wipe hard just even out.
4. Let it sit another day or two.
5. it should be dry in no more than 3 days depending on the moisture in your air. I lightly steel wool and dry buff (no compound).
I have also used WHITE scotch brite pads by hand for the final buff instead of a buffer with the same results.

This process takes a while but it is well worth it.

John

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http://www.toptexknives.com/yeackley.htm My contribution to the world of knife fanatics.

http://www.sixgunner.com/blumagnum/default.htm
 
i was introduced to watco by some of my fine woodworking buddies...these guys are VERY good....they put on about 5 or 6 coats and let each coat dry for a day between coats, sand, or rather polish, with fine steel wool between coats, and final finish with wood floor wax....

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Thanks everyone! I'm definitely on the right track, I'm om my fourth coat with at least 8 hours drying time between coats and a steel wool buffing also between coats. The shine is finally coming back (this was kiln dried cherry and it really soaks up the oil).
I figure four or so more coats then an application of pure carnauba wax (I found the carnauba wax at an Ace hardware in a small town near where I live up on a high shelf, They didn't even know they stocked the stuff!) I'll keep everyone posted!-Guy Thomas

[This message has been edited by Silent (edited 06-03-2000).]
 
I have "dabbled" in woodworking and extensively used Watco. I liked to use the natural (or plain) tint, no stain. I was one of those purest types and I still have problems using a stain with the one exception being curly maple.

You are going down the right track with the number of "coats" or applications. I would use a finish of sorts, a furniture wax, or on a knife, a gun stock wax may be preferred. Renaissance wax my work pretty good as well.

C Wilkins
 
I follow a similar pattern to John Yeackley, only I'm lazier so don't go through as many coats or wait as long before the final polish.

I use Rustin's Danish Oil. It gives a low lustre finish and finishes very nicely with 000 steel wool. I think tung oil is the main ingredient for anyone who doesn't see Rustin's on the shelf. All it does is darken and protect the wood, makes the grain pattern stand out a little more but doesn't add any colour.

Roger
 
Well, after five coatings of Watco with light steel wool rubbing after each coat was dry and a final hand buffing with a cloth the oil finish came out great! A final coat of carnauba wax made it just right with just a cloth buffing!
Seeing as this is the first knife I've made from scratch I'll get my wife to help me get a picture posted tomorrow! So keep an eye out for "Juliane's Carrot Killer".-Guy Thomas
 
I use the Wacto Danish finish and then the Wacto Satin Wax. I let it dry then buff by hand with a lamb skin. You can run water arcoss the handle and the water will bead up.
 
A number of years ago Rifle magazine had a nice article on what was called a 'sanded-in finish' for gunstocks. The idea was to try to replicate ye olde hand rubbed oil finish without having to rub so many coats. An oil goes on very thin and doesn't build up very fast while the alternative of applying a varnish and sanding it down also doesn't work well as a good varnish is designed to resist such a thing, making for lots of sanding. The author suggested cutting a varnish to about 25% solids, an external varnish makes sense, and to soak the stock, sand it while wet, let it get tacky but not dry, and then to carefully wipe the tacky varnish and sawdust into the pores leaving the barest amount of finish on top of the wood. I found that not too absorbant paper and nylon hose worked well for that, and put on a few coats to fill the grain of a walnut stock. I wanted a classic 'in the wood' finish and it turned out nice, very nice, as from a distance it looked like a military oil finish but up close the grain glowed in the sun.

 
That's very interesting! I've been searching the web and turned up an article by a woodworker who wanted to use danish type oil finishes on walnut but didn't want to use a sealer or filler before appling the finish.
He applied a liberal amount of the oil finish on the walnut then wet-sanded with 320 grit wet/dry SC paper until he got a slurry going which he worked into the grain and pores of the wood. He let this slurry set up for 10 or 15 minutes then wiped off the excess, wiping across the grain not with it. The idea being to cut the slurry off right at the surface of the wood and not pull it out of the pores by wiping along the grain.
After a normal drying period I believe he then lightly sanded the surface or worked it down with steel wool and then did the usual 5 or 6 coats with drying periods and steel wool
between coats. This resulted in a smoother finish on walnut according to him but resulted in little difference to the normal finishing process on close grained woods like cherry. -Guy Thomas
 
I've used the wet sanding method with Tung Oil on many a custom humidor taking it all the way up to 2000 grit,then 2 grades of pumice,then rottenstone followed by a couple coats of paste wax,lots of work but what a finish,smooth as a babys butt.You should see what this does to Koa.

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Failures are only Failures if we Fail to learn from them.
 
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