Finishing Wood handles?

i have many different techniques of finishing wood. first tung oil will work pretty good, for a light/med. duty, or showy knife. liquid glass (epoxy resin) works like 50 coats or urethane, so it's deifinetly for working knives, home depot sells a similar finish called build 50. i also have a finish specially forulated for exotic hardwoods, it can be used in marine environments, where wood needs to be sealed from dampness it's called teak oil. super glue is an excellent finsh. linseed oil is to light a finish for knives. spray polyurethane is not a sutible finsh for knife handles becuase it's not for small wood peices, would you want to finish your knife handle in the same thing as you finsh your floor.
 
Roy,
I use tung oil on wood handles. It soaks into the wood and dries, giving a water resistant finish.
Soak the handle liberally and let it sit overnight. Use 0000 steel wool to remove any excess gunk off the handle once it is dry. I buff it lightly afterwards.

You can try stabilized wood to prevent having to do anything to it except buffing.

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If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.

William Least Heat Moon
 
Thanks guys, I can use all the help I can get! I appreciate your methods. thanks again
Rene
www.geocities.com/roy_knives/blades.html

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Like my grandfather use to say, don't pee down my leg and tell me it's raining.




[This message has been edited by roy.knives (edited 24 November 1999).]
 
I don't have alot of experience but the best thing I've used so far is called salad bowl finish.You can get it at woodworking stores. Try www.woodcraft.com . I put it on a paring knife I rehandled for my mom and its held up to everything including the dishwaher.Its FDA approved too so its good for knives that will be used around food. I also used it on a trapper pattern knife and its held up well to being carried in a pocket every day for a couple months now.
 
Sorry, forgot to mention that even though the instructoins say to apply salad bowl finish with a brush, you can wipe it on with a rag really easily. Then after a few coats all you need to do it buff it a little with a rag.
 
that's how i apply all my oil finishes, i heard salad bowl finish would hold up pretty well. i'm glad you like it.
 
I must be the odd duck in the crowd. The only thing that I ever put on wood handles is a heavy coat of carnuba wax, and then buff, allowing the heat from the wheel to melt the wax into the handle. A lot of the exotics (such as cocobolo) will not take any type of finish/sealer due to all the natural oils in the wood.
http://www.mtn-webtech.com/~caffrey

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Ed Caffrey
"The Montana Bladesmith"


 
i gotta agree with ed...after many years, i mostly only use woods that need no finish.. they are the best for knife handles...cause the ones that do need a finish look like crap in short time..or you have to keep putting something on forever....the best ones are the ones that sink to the bottom of your quench bucket.

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
penetrating oils won't look like crap after a while. i use 2-3 coats of tung oil, teak oil, or any other oil finish and it stays good looking as long as the wood would it's self, the best thing about it is that you can put, and i usually do, paste wax over it. i use self sealing woods too (cocobolo, ebony, desert ironwood, ect.), and they still work, just need more time to sink into the wood. i find the woods last longer, and are more water proof is you use one of the oils, except linseed oil, doesn't do much to the handles, plus they darken faster, so sta away from it, unless you want your cocobolo handles to look like gabon ebony in 6 monthes.
 
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