Finishing Cocobolo

S

skillgannon

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Apr 27, 2009
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I have been doing some cocobolo handles that are coming out pretty nice but I get a cloudy haze on the service that looks like bad finish. I'm taking it up to 600-800 grit and buffing. I'm not sure that I can get a picture that shows it well.
 
I scrub it lightly with 0000 steel wool before buffing.
I use wax as a final finish.
 
Try a clean buff and very little ... or no .... polish. You are likely smearing polish on the wood. Also, avoid any heavy buffing pressure, as it can "burn" the wood. Overbuffed wood sometimes looks gray or hazy.
 
Since I didn't like the filmy look I rubbed it down with fine steel wool (I cant remember how many 0000..... but very fine.) And then wet sanded with 1000 grit with teak oil. I haven't given up on it. It still looks filmy
 
Cocobolo is never going to finish shiny unless you try to put a finish on it which I would never recommend. It will have a nice glow like a semi gloss finish if buffed lightly as mentioned by the other posters. It will look good for a long while just sanded and buffed lightly. Use desert ironwood next time if you want to buff it with a little more luster. Most guys love the glow of cocobolo because it looks so natural and rich. Just my opinion. Larry
 
Another thing you could try is getting some 3M polishing papers in blue (2000 grit) and pink (4000 grit) and use those instead of buffing. I find they can provide a buffed look but are less aggressive than buffing. You might also need to sand to 1200 or so before either buffing or using the polishing papers.
 
you might still have some 400 scratches under the 600/800 ? sometimes i sand wood 90 degrees to the previous grit to be sure all the scratches are gone, just like i do on a blade. i also found that going up to 1000 on wood gives a nicer shine because you don't need to buff as much.
 
This was my first shot at cocobolo. Hand sanded to 800 grit, then a coat of Watco Danish oil (Natural). I tried applying a satin poly a couple days after the oil, but it didn't take that well. I assume because the wood is somewhat naturally oily? I went with a wax instead, and that worked.

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This handle is sanded to 800 grit with a high speed buff (Just a bare muslin wheel) after applying Blue label paste wax. After a bunch of handling, it gets a bit dull, but a quick muslin wheel buff will make it glossy again.

These pictures show a bit of white spots (wax) at the end of a grain, but running it along the buffer longways cleaned that up.
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Sorry, these are very large images.
 
After doing a couple gizzilion cocobolo handles I've recently changed my procedure. I've gone to hand sanding to 600 grit and then wet sanding with Danish oil at 320 grit. Not so much as a finish but to fill the pores and grain. I've had excellent results with this. After about 15-20 minutes of the wet slurry on the handle I'll wipe er off with a paper towel. I'll do this maybe a couple times then leave overnight. Then buff with pink scratchless. I have to disagree with my friend Larry, I get cocobolo very glossy. It certainly doesn't have the chaytonace of ironwood or say bubinga but gloss, heck yeah. I'll finish with a couple of coats of carnuba car wax and pow! One from the last batch I did.

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And another:

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Cocobolo is notoriously difficult to get an oil finish to work. I always sand it to the level I want, then apply a waxless shellac. It takes a couple coats to fully seal it. You have to use waxless or it won't dry on coco.

The idea is to seal in the natural oils. You can first use a lacquer thinner to wash the surface, but eventually those oils will come to the surface, especially with heat. Shellac seals it. Then a light 0000 steel wool buff and you can apply some oil, like Tru Oil. ("Shellac sticks to everything, everything sticks to shellac.")

Best bet is to work on a finishing method on some scraps. Try to limit the experiments on the knife, and get to a good result you like before implementing on the knife handle.

A set of scales with shellac, buff, Tru Oil, and finally another buff and wax.

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My 93 Cocobolo Ram had developed an ugly haze that was bothering me a lot. I knew cocobolo darkens with age but this haze was really ugly.
I did subject the knife to some abuse, mainly plenty of acidic food juices of every kind. Then, in my efforts to protect the wood I would periodically slap whatever wax, furniture polish, oils to try to remove the haze ( I even accidentally used a mineral oil that now I think I had mix with a bit of turpentine 10 years ago and forgot to label the bottle :( )

Anyways, today i could not take it anymore and this thread was PERFECT TY :thumbsup:

Here is what I did:

Cleaned the grime on the wood with alcohol

Sanded the wood starting at 180 all the way to 2000 (cleaned and removed all sanding residue with alcohol between grit 180 and 600 )

At 600 grit at started wet sanding the wood using a special oil/wax mix that I use for my bowl turning ( walnut oil,bees and emulsified carnauba wax).

Rubbed the wood with 0000 steel wool and the oil/wax.

Buffed the wood with soft buffing wheels designed for wood turning making sure not to touch the metal as it would discolor my wheels. ( tripoli compound, then white diamond then finally carnauba wax)

I am beyond excited !!! The pores seem much smaller too now.
Here are some before and after pics:

Before:
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AFTER :)

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Cocobolo is a beautiful wood, but when it oxidizes and gets dirty from use, it turns dark and dull and generally loses the original look my customers pay for. I make chef knives, and as such, my knives are often in a wet environment and being held with hands that may have oils and other grime on them. I have made dozens of cocobolo handles over the years and was always bothered by the fact that with a couple of months of kitchen use (mainly restaurant kitchen), the handles looked like crap. I use TruOil on all my other handles and they hold up in professional kitchens and still look vibrant with years of use.

About two years ago, I found a method that works to seal cocobolo and the results have been outstanding. I sand up to 800 grit and buff, then wipe the handle with mineral spirits to remove any buffing compound. I then use Watco Danish Oil, natural, and follow the directions on the can for 3-4 coating sessions (2 coats per session) over a couple of days. I let it continue to dry for several days and then start applying TruOil in thin coats. After a few coats, it will start to dry normally and build up a finish. I do allow more cure time for the TruOil than normal...the whole process takes about a week. Also helps to set it out in the sun while curing, weather permitting. Previously, I was not able to get anything to fully cure on cocobolo, shellac, polys, marine varnish, TruOil, etc.

Here are some examples:

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Ty for sharing your insights Carterwhopkins Carterwhopkins :thumbsup: about your experiences with cocobolo.
I was not sure what the issue was that had caused the wood to look like that. I was blaming this furniture polish, or that oil or whatever.
This confirms it for me that this knife will not be returning to food prep duties.
I expect it will darken again will regular pocket use but hopefully that hazy look will not return.
 
CelloDan said:
Ty for sharing your insights Carterwhopkins Carterwhopkins :thumbsup: about your experiences with cocobolo.
I was not sure what the issue was that had caused the wood to look like that. I was blaming this furniture polish, or that oil or whatever.
This confirms it for me that this knife will not be returning to food prep duties.
I expect it will darken again will regular pocket use but hopefully that hazy look will not return.
Click to expand...
It looks good post refinishing....try what I recommended and it can go back to food duty.
 
I read above and may have a better treatment. The handles above look glossy but still allot of flaws. This worked amazing for me.... seal and pore fill with super glue. You can do 2 thin coats in like 15m. Let cure 24h. Sand smooth so there are no shiny spots yet the surface looks greyish. If you sand all the way into the wood while there are still shiny spots, apply 2 more coats and wait. Otherwise the 'grey' will come out once you apply finishing wax. Apply and buff 3 coats.
 
Welcome to Shop Talk, dggz.
As a new member, always look at the posting dates of threads you pull up. This is a four-and-a-half-year-old thread that was already resurrected once three years ago.

Your suggestion works very well on many woods, but not as well on oily woods like cocobolo.
 
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