finish for a kitchen knife handle

[724wd]

well, i am assembling my Jantz santoku knife with a horn bolster, copper and black spacers and the balance of the handle is fiddleback maple. what kind of finish do you guys recommend for a finish on the maple? i was thinking mineral oil, like a cutting board, but that gets pretty dark. what do you use?

heath

 

[mete]

Stabilized Maple. Stabizing really is the most practical, no finish needed, no worry about getting it wet. On that don't buff a 400 or 600 grit finish is good so as not to be slippery.

 

[724wd]

a bit late, mete... it's all glued up. now what? =)

 

[724wd]

mineral oil, it is! looks great, too.

 

[AcridSaint]

If you put danish oil on it, you'll have a more durable coating for a kitchen knife. It will probably need to be touched up about once a year if it sees regular use.

 

[82Stang]

Let's see some pics!!!

 

[724wd]

i think it came out really nice!

 

[Luke Sheridan]

I'd use whatever you use on your chopping block, keep it simple for a user.

looks great!

 

[raythebigfoot]

Try boiled linseed oil or a tung oil blend...they both will hold up a lot better than the mineral oil!

 

[koyote]

I often use linseed oil, but there's an old navy trick called "123" which I'm trying to remember since I want to play with it- I *think* it's 1 part linseed, 1 part tung, and 1 part marine polyurethane. It's the last one I'm not sure about.