Handle finishing grits

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Jun 1, 2019
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What’s y’all process for finishing your handles? I use some nice burls and really want them to pop but would like to avoid having to hand sanding them a bunch.

what’s your process for handles. I currently take them up to 220 on belts then hand sand up to 1000, then lightly oil and wax.

what’s y’all process and could I avoid going up to 1000 with better oil or a better buff?
 
We just recently talked about this in another thread. I mentioned that I go to 1000, but several others quite strongly said that going to 2000 made a huge difference in that “pop”. I have not tried it yet ... but I have a handle in the shop that just got glued up ... and I plan on the 2000 treatment for that one...

fwiw, I have found (not sure why) that the grinder belt works well up to 400 ... but somehow just does not work really well at higher grits. So ... grinder to 400, then hand sand at 600, 800, 1000, etc. however, as others have noted, hand sanding at the higher grits goes REALLY fast, so it really is not painful at all...
 
"I want the best but I don't want to put in the effort"
With all respect, but that is how I read your question.
Give hand sanding a try. 1000 or 2000 grit go about 10 times faster then 180 grit.
 
"I want the best but I don't want to put in the effort"
With all respect, but that is how I read your question.
Give hand sanding a try. 1000 or 2000 grit go about 10 times faster then 180 grit.
Yeah for sure..and I see how you could have read my question that way. I don’t mind the effort but am always looking r ways to speed up or stream line the process.
 
I use a 5 inch disc sander with a 3/4 inch thick foam pad for grits above 800. I ordered bulk sanding discs off of amazon so it wound up costing 28 cents a piece for 800-1500-2000-2500 grit kits. I find the 2500 grit disc leaves a similar finish to 2000 grit paper. I’ll hand sand to 2000 on inside corners when needed.
 
i always go up to at least 1000 grit on the handle material. try the oil slurry method if you really want it to pop and possibly look 3d and shiny. you sand with oil or tru oil, and the sawdust/oil mixture fills the pores and hardens. makes a nice shine too. i do not know any secrets to avoid hand sanding. also you need a hard backer to avoid your pins being taller than the handle material.
 
Micarta and plain woods are taken to 400 on the belt grinder and hand done to 800 (if I don't quit at 400). Highly figured woods and special handle materials get hand sanded to 100 or higher. Some go to 8000 with the 3-M papers.
 
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As mentioned on another thread I take the spine and adjacent handle material to 600 on the grinder. The sides of the handle are taken to 320 on the grinder and then hand sanded starting at 400. I'll stay away from the top and the bottom spine and handle areas at this time. As John mentioned always use a backer for your sanding. Ironwood I will take up very high, 4000 grit, (3M polishing papers past 600) every thing else I stop at 600. I too wet sand all woods (I use Danish oil), except ironwood but including stabilized woods and then will lightly buff (after the oil is cured), with pink scratchless on a loose buff. Clean up the buffing with Mother's carnuba car wax and buff with a clean buff. Usually 3 to 4 coats of wax on wood handles. One on everything else. Very light woods like olive, I won't power buff and they don't see the pink scratchless either. Your just gonna grunge em. I use to go too much higher grits on everything, don't now.

Ironwood with a dyed and stabilized turquoise box elder spacer:

q3rsfc3.jpg


Buckeye burl and ironwood spacer:

9lZnHUB.jpg


Camel bone I will wet sand with a water based sanding sealer before buffing:

Q0zrkEs.jpg


Elk, sheephorn other bones hand sand to 400 (sides of the handle the spine is done to 600 on the grinder) and hit the buffer:

Gq2VDBR.jpg


63eOhQa.jpg
 
To answer your question use Tru-Oil according to directions.

I think it will not set on woods like Ironwood but is great on most others.
 
1" scalloped belts from 80 grit to 400 grit.
You will be amazed how much easier your handle work will be
 
As mentioned on another thread I take the spine and adjacent handle material to 600 on the grinder. The sides of the handle are taken to 320 on the grinder and then hand sanded starting at 400. I'll stay away from the top and the bottom spine and handle areas at this time. As John mentioned always use a backer for your sanding. Ironwood I will take up very high, 4000 grit, (3M polishing papers past 600) every thing else I stop at 600. I too wet sand all woods (I use Danish oil), except ironwood but including stabilized woods and then will lightly buff (after the oil is cured), with pink scratchless on a loose buff. Clean up the buffing with Mother's carnuba car wax and buff with a clean buff. Usually 3 to 4 coats of wax on wood handles. One on everything else. Very light woods like olive, I won't power buff and they don't see the pink scratchless either. Your just gonna grunge em. I use to go too much higher grits on everything, don't now.

Ironwood with a dyed and stabilized turquoise box elder spacer:

q3rsfc3.jpg


Buckeye burl and ironwood spacer:

9lZnHUB.jpg


Camel bone I will wet sand with a water based sanding sealer before buffing:

Q0zrkEs.jpg


Elk, sheephorn other bones hand sand to 400 (sides of the handle the spine is done to 600 on the grinder) and hit the buffer:

Gq2VDBR.jpg


63eOhQa.jpg

Dave, these are beautiful. I gotta set you up with some amboyna and satinwood burl.
 
As ive said other places, im a big fan of buffing. Granted, what I do is slightly different, but I find a good buff with a soft wheel and brown tripoli compound really brings out the glow of finish sanded woods.
 
Think of figured woods like a photograph behind glass. If that glass has a frosted finish you will get a poor idea what is behind it. The higher the grit you use to polish the glass the more details, color and contrast you will see in the photo.
 
That's another reason I like properly stabilized wood. The polymerized acrylics in the wood will polish like glass with a soft buff, slower speed, and a good polish. I like matchless white or pink. Sand them smoth to 800 grit and give a few seconds buff and every curl and burl will show. I find things that show up I didn't see at all before buffing. Old growth redwood burl can be amazing when buffed. I take it to 1000 or higher first.
 
1" scalloped belts from 80 grit to 400 grit.
You will be amazed how much easier your handle work will be

+1 here. I finish at 400 scallop belts too. I could actually take it straight to the buff from here, brown tripoli as a first step.
 
BB7B40FA-2A84-4C44-9A75-A1666397DEAC.jpeg Here’s an example of the benefit of going to higher grits. At 600, this knife “looked” finished. 800 grit shows the flaws I could not see prior. Now I note all imperfections and start back at 320 and go up to 2000.
 
For the style of knives I make I rarely go past 400 grit, then I hit them with grey and white scotch bright pads. After scotch bright they either get a few coats of tung oil finish or go straight to the buffer with pink compound (just a couple light passes) or sometimes a combination of both.

BhZjOFX.jpg

Just oil on this one

HmLG2gi.jpg

Combination of both on this one
 
Here is block of natural Cocobolo going through three finishing steps, good enough.

1. Sanded to P 500-600

yOEsthp.jpg


2. Menzerna 113GZ (Brown Tripoli)

JcedFl1.jpg


3. Menzerna GW16. You can see the reflection of my palm in it.

QXzm4Zx.jpg
 
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