First Stabilized Handle, need help finishing

U

unky_gumbi

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Aug 28, 2009
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SO a while back I has started a couple of Bowie like knives, well I am finally finishing one of them up and using stabilized wood for the first time. I like the way the shape is and it fits my hand beautifully so that isn't a concern, but how do you get that overall finish on it? Right now I have it sanded out to 320 by hand and plan on going higher, but when I got the block they said that it was rough sanded to 320 and it had a much nicer finish as it deep true colors and some gloss to it,where my 320 finish is dull and almost cloudy looking. Will taking it to the higher grits get rid of the cloudiness or is there more to do to it to get that deep color back

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It is only temp pinned together there is still some minor shaping to do to both the handle and the guard. This is my largest piece so far with a over all length of 11 7/8"
 
Use an oil finish and the colors will become much more vibrant and the figure will stand out as well.
 
Looks like all you need is a good buffing. I use Tripoli compound on sewn cotton wheel.

Some processes are better than others, but I'm presuming this was infused by one of the experienced people with good track history. Poor infusing protocols and chemicals cannot achieve a good hard surface capable of high luster and gloss from sanding and buffing. For those you might as well use a regular wet finish system to build the surface. then you could have saved your money and used regular wood from the start.
 
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Burl Source said:
Use an oil finish and the colors will become much more vibrant and the figure will stand out as well.
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Yep. I thought the same thing when I rehandled a kitchen knife. It looks dull now but if you just apply some Tung oil you'll see a drastic difference.
 
OK I gave it a light tung oil coat and yup the color and depth came right back, and as an added bonus it shows where I need to do a bit more sanding now. I couldn't see the little scratches when it was cloudy.

Thanks for the help:thumbup:
 
Burnishing is the secret to getting all there is out of any piece of stabilized wood. Use the edge of a piece of ten oz leather. Rub with a lot of pressure. Switch to the flat part of the leather as the wood starts to take on more character. Finish with Levi material. You only need a wax coating if you use this technique. Oil finishes get blotchy after a short time if the knife is handled a lot and they attract and hold dirt.

Fred
 
Larry D. Davis said:
Looks like all you need is a good buffing. I use Tripoli compound on sewn cotton wheel.

Some processes are better than others, but I'm presuming this was infused by one of the experienced people with good track history. Poor infusing protocols and chemicals cannot achieve a good hard surface capable of high luster and gloss from sanding and buffing. For those you might as well use a regular wet finish system to build the surface. then you could have saved your money and used regular wood from the start.
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Well said........If its been stabilized properly then 'buff n' shine'

-Larry
 
The wood came from wood stabilizer so I trust that it is good the color is coming up more the the grit gets. I don,t have a buffer so its all hand work for me
 
Unky,
Before I bought my buffer, I used my drill press, and the cotton wheels from Home Depot. Think it was like $10 or so for the wheel. Its not the greatest, but it does work.

-Larry
 
Shaughnessy said:
Unky,
Before I bought my buffer, I used my drill press, and the cotton wheels from Home Depot. Think it was like $10 or so for the wheel. Its not the greatest, but it does work.

-Larry
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Have you seen my drill press? Its older then most of the members here:eek: and I am not kidding:D

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I am still trying to source some belts for it locally to get it running, may just end up making some out of leather though
 
unky_gumbi said:
Have you seen my drill press? Its older then most of the members here:eek: and I am not kidding:D

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I am still trying to source some belts for it locally to get it running, may just end up making some out of leather though
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That's actually a pretty cool lookin drill press. You know they make belts that have links in them so you can adjust the length, but I dunno if thats the issue. Anyways, if you get it "spinnin" you can mount the wheel in the chuck and you will be a buffin before you know it.

I don't know where you buy your tools, but craigslist usually has a pretty healthy selection of bench top presses, etc for cheap.
 
That one was free so I can't complain about it, you know the saying there is good stuff, bad stuff and free stuff:D The motor works so that is a plus, just had to put a plug on the cord. I have seen the link belts and thought about it, its just that the belt between the drive/speed pulleys need to twist 90* so I don't know if they will work for that
 
Major disappointment, I was burnishing the handle like Fred suggested and it was looking great, even had a bit of a reflection going, so I decides to call it a night and slide everything back together and take an other picture and this happened.

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No pressure applied when it happened and it is a smooth break. The pin hole was drilled while it was still a complete block other then the tang hole and the backside was fully supported when it was being drilled with the tang inserted. I figure it was just a fault line in the block and I just happened to drill at just the wrong place. the two pieces fit back together with barely a visible seam, and there is enough material that I could drill a couple of 2mm holes and set some pins in and possibly epoxy it back together, but I don't think I could get things lined up from one piece to the other well enough for the invisible seam. Would just gluing it back together with out the pins be strong enough or am I scrapping this one. If scrapping it is the only option this knife is on hold for 4 months , because by the time I can afford another block I will have had my elbow surgery and be laid up for a few months after that.

Guess its better that it broke now then when I had everything glued up and in use


I have been looking at this and looking at it and I realize that it doesn't matter how much time and money I had into it, trying to glue it back together and salvage it is a bad idea. I sent Woodstabilizer a message explaining what happened, maybe I will get lucky and they will send me a new piece. I bothers me that it would snap like that without some sort of heavy use. I hadn't even glued it up, used it or dropped it. Is all stabilized wood this delicate before it is pinned up and glued?
 
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Aw man, I'm sorry about your handle block there. Just when you were getting it looking nice, too. Stabilized (or any) wood should not be that delicate; it sounds like there was hardly any side pressure on it when it broke. A head-scratcher for sure. I warn you, you will experience many major setbacks like this on knives if you continue to make them. Don't ask me how I know.
 
That is to bad. Tight burl can do some strange things. I have had tight figured stabilized redwood burl, literally "explode" after the knife was completely finished, epoxied and the whole nine yards. I was standing there watching the knife when the last inch and a half of the handle snapped with an audible "crack" There is a lot of stress in fancy woods, thats why cabinet makers go for the straight grained stuff.
I figure Mark at Burlsource can tell us some horror stories.

The handle was starting to look good by the way.:thumbup:

Fred
 
Well I am trying to salvage the handle with some advice from some other makers. I have crazy glued it back together and am starting the search for a non expanding high strength epoxy. The wood was just too nice to toss, and its not like I was going to sell the knife, it was going to be a usable personal show piece to sit along side my first knife. Sort of like a makers time line.

The really good news is that Wood Stabilizer is sending me another piece so if I can't salvage the current handle I have a new block to start with. and I will just use the broken one as spacers and possible inlay pieces in other projects. It will be about a week before I am ready to put it all together now so I will have the new piece of wood by then
 
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