Handle

[Natlek]

There are several things in your situation that apply:
1) Linseed oil (its actually flax oil) needs oxygen to cure by polymerization. If stabilized by soaking or under pressure it may take a VERY long time (weeks to months) to cure.
Using boiled linseed oil will make drying faster, but it still would take a long time. using linseed oil with a dryer added will only speed it up a little. It won't work on bog oak well at all ... read on.

If finish cure on surface why should I worry when it will cure inside in wood ?

 

[3fifty7]

it sounds like Most people are doing it wrong....?

Hell I may be one of the ones doing it wrong but I’m certainly pleased with the results.
I’ll generally sand up to 400 then lightly dampen the wood then sand again at 400 an hour later then 600 & 800. When applying the TruOil I’ll do 2-3 extremely light coats(just one drop on my fingertip at a time) back to back as it’s soaking in with no excess. Then I’ll do a light coat a day for however many coats I want making sure there is never any excess that would run or drip. When I feel like I’m done I’ll wait 2 days then buff with 0000 steel wool, wipe clean then a final light coat and if I’m happy with it I’ll let it sit for about a week.

I know it’s too time consuming but as a hobby it’s my favorite part of making a knife or refinishing a gun stock.

 

[FredyCro]

If finish cure on surface why should I worry when it will cure inside in wood ?

Because it will find it's way to the the surface and cause blotches.

Thats why I stopped soaking in linseed oil at least.

My theory is it needs o2 to polymerize and it doesn't get enough of it withing the wood and with time the capillary forces (sorry if my terms are wrong here) brings the uncured oil to the surface of your handle and ruins your finish.

That said, I saw a good Russian maker on YT that uses vacuum on finished handles to soak them in oil but I don't know what kind of oil he uses or how he cures it.

 

[Lorien]

Why ?
I used that in layers way ......Did you ever needed to re-grind already finished handle ? Just light pass on soft disk and fine sandpaper and layer with oil is gone .It is not even half milimeter deep in wood .What half ? It is almost on surface ?

why what? I don't understand your question

 

[Natlek]

Because it will find it's way to the the surface and cause blotches.

Thats why I stopped soaking in linseed oil at least.

My theory is it needs o2 to polymerize and it doesn't get enough of it withing the wood and with time the capillary forces (sorry if my terms are wrong here) brings the uncured oil to the surface of your handle and ruins your finish.

That said, I saw a good Russian maker on YT that uses vacuum on finished handles to soak them in oil but I don't know what kind of oil he uses or how he cures it.

As you say , it not need to be linseed oil ? I don t know , I am just loud thinking ...If *oil* cure and seal close to surface how would oil from inside get to surface ?

 

[Natlek]

why what? I don't understand your question

Why you think that soaking will not provide the best result ?

 

[Natlek]

Since we are already talking about oils , what do you think of Camelia oil ? I buy it last year but never try it on wood .
From Böker

• Manufactured according to a traditional Chinese recipe
• The camellia oil is food-safe and convinces with its special purity
• It is purely vegetable and is ideal for preserving knife blades because - in contrast to other care oils - it does not form an emulsion with water
• It is quickly absorbed into the wood and thus also protects the knife handle from moisture, dirt and UV radiation
• High quality camellia oil in a glass bottle

The thin oil is obtained from the seeds of the camellia tree, is tasteless, acid-free, non-gummy, non-volatile, odorless and does not dry.

 

[Lorien]

Why you think that soaking will not provide the best result ?

because the wood won't absorb more oil that way. It's also messy and wasteful.
but don't take my word for it- read the instructions!
if there is concern about there being stuff 'inside' the wood, the only answer I know is stabilization- in which case it's still a good idea to seal the surface, which is the point of applying a finish, afaik

 

[Britt_Askew]

If you do use linseed oil dispose of your rags properly so you don't burn your shop down.

 

[FredyCro]

Since we are already talking about oils , what do you think of Camelia oil ? I buy it last year but never try it on wood .
From Böker

I don't like non drying oils, not even for my cutting boards.

If you are not in a rush, consider soaking under vaccum in BLO and then giving it plenty of time to cure (like a month or two exposed to sun light and draft or a ventilated UV cabinet) and then build up your final finish. I think this could work but it is not worth the hassle. I wouldnt try it with raw Lo.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Natlek - Camelia oil (also called tea seed/tea nut oil) is a surface preservative for culinary knife blades and as a cutting block oil. It is not a curing finish for handles. It is often used after cleaning Japanese blades and sometimes referred to generically as choji oil (which is mineral oil and clove oil). Like choji oil, camelia oil is often at least half mineral oil. Camelia oil is food safe and used in many Japanese kitchens and restaurants. (Note: Camelia oil/tea seed oil is not the same as tea-tree oil, which is toxic)

Others - The OP was talking about bog oak. This is not the same as regular wood handles that are fine with finishes like an oil finish. Bog oak (can be many tree species, not necessarily oak) has sat in the silt at the bottom of a bog or lake for thousands of years where the wood undergoes carbonization due to the lack of oxygen and siliconization due to the presence of high silica in the water/soil. It is basically the start of petrification. The wood is often splintery and hard due to the high silica content. I have a good bit of bog oak dated at 5,000-7,000 years, and some dated 12,000 years that is lovely black with silver streaks in it (the silica). The only good way to use it on a handle seems to be full stabilization. A superglue finish would work but shaping of the handle will still be somewhat difficult due to the fibrous nature of the wood.

Not all things called bog oak are really bog oak. Sinker logs that have been underwater for 100-200 years are often sold as bog oak. They are not the same. A saying about bog oak is - "Good bog oak is not cheap and cheap bog oak is not good."

 

[FredyCro]

Natlek - Camelia oil (also called tea seed/tea nut oil) is a surface preservative for culinary knife blades and as a cutting block oil. It is not a curing finish for handles. It is often used after cleaning Japanese blades and sometimes referred to generically as choji oil (which is mineral oil and clove oil). Like choji oil, camelia oil is often at least half mineral oil. Camelia oil is food safe and used in many Japanese kitchens and restaurants. (Note: Camelia oil/tea seed oil is not the same as tea-tree oil, which is toxic)

Others - The OP was talking about bog oak. This is not the same as regular wood handles that are fine with finishes like an oil finish. Bog oak (can be many tree species, not necessarily oak) has sat in the silt at the bottom of a bog or lake for thousands of years where the wood undergoes carbonization due to the lack of oxygen and siliconization due to the presence of high silica in the water/soil. It is basically the start of petrification. The wood is often splintery and hard due to the high silica content. I have a good bit of bog oak dated at 5,000-7,000 years, and some dated 12,000 years that is lovely black with silver streaks in it (the silica). The only good way to use it on a handle seems to be full stabilization. A superglue finish would work but shaping of the handle will still be somewhat difficult due to the fibrous nature of the wood.

Not all things called bog oak are really bog oak. Sinker logs that have been underwater for 100-200 years are often sold as bog oak. They are not the same. A saying about bog oak is - "Good bog oak is not cheap and cheap bog oak is not good."

Great info as always.
While I can not confirm the saying, as I got my bog oak for cheap (as cut off from a furniture maker) and due to the fact that Croatia is rich source of big oak, it is really splinter as hell. Rough grit and going against the grain raises big chunks out.

 

[Dave31]

All, thank you. It's really pleasing to see a newbie to a community made to feel welcome. Thank you for sharing the wealth of information and experience you all clearly have.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Hell I may be one of the ones doing it wrong but I’m certainly pleased with the results.
I’ll generally sand up to 400 then lightly dampen the wood then sand again at 400 an hour later then 600 & 800. When applying the TruOil I’ll do 2-3 extremely light coats(just one drop on my fingertip at a time) back to back as it’s soaking in with no excess. Then I’ll do a light coat a day for however many coats I want making sure there is never any excess that would run or drip. When I feel like I’m done I’ll wait 2 days then buff with 0000 steel wool, wipe clean then a final light coat and if I’m happy with it I’ll let it sit for about a week.

I know it’s too time consuming but as a hobby it’s my favorite part of making a knife or refinishing a gun stock.

Not saying You are wrong....

Was just reading about the Looooooong cure time between coats. (Weeks) some people are doing

 

[Natlek]

because the wood won't absorb more oil that way. It's also messy and wasteful.
but don't take my word for it- read the instructions!
if there is concern about there being stuff 'inside' the wood, the only answer I know is stabilization- in which case it's still a good idea to seal the surface, which is the point of applying a finish, afaik

From Danish oil site

Danish Oil application method one – the ‘wet on wet’, single day application method.

This method allows Danish Oil to be completely applied during the course of a single day, and the wood to be ready to use after 48 hours.

The idea of this method is to keep the wood surface’wet’ with Danish Oil for at least an hour until it has fully absorbed enough oil to provide a natural protective coating from deep within the wood.Above are two oak chopping blocks for illustration, prepared for oiling by sanding with 80 grit sandpaper. We took one block and first of all applied three liberal lots of Danish Oil immediately one after another using a lint-free cloth until the block stopped absorbing and remained looking ‘wet’:
After 20 minutes we returned to the block and repeated the application above:
After another 20 minutes we returned and applied more Danish Oil. By this stage the oil was not soaking in very much and the block was looking really wet, with an obvious coating of oil on the surface: After another 20 minutes we returned and removed all the remaining Danish Oil from the surface with a clean rag:
The board was left for one hour and then wiped over again to remove any oil that might have exuded back out of the pores of the wood. If there were any obvious dry areas we would have used more oil on just those areas at this stage.

After another hour we wiped the board again, although there were no obvious signs of surface oil at this stage and the board was dry to the touch, with a pleasant low sheen finish.
The board was left at room temperature for 48 hours before it was used to allow the Danish oil to cure.

Any ‘nibs’ or dust on the surface of the wood during oiling cannot be removed with this method of application until the wood has been left to dry for at least 24 hours. The particles should then be removed with a very fine grade wire wool (oooo grade).The performance of Danish Oil will continue to improve naturally for a week or two after application. We recommend that wood should not be subject to heavy use, and any water or other spills should be wiped off immediately during this tim

Note: This method allows Danish Oil to penetrate deep into the timber, naturally waterproofing and nourishing when using our Tung Oil based product. Care should be taken with some other Danish Oils before doing this, because they often contain synthetic varnish and resins which will block the pores of the wood and plasticise it, removing its natural ability to ‘breathe’ with its surroundings.

 

[Natlek]

Natlek - Camelia oil (also called tea seed/tea nut oil) is a surface preservative for culinary knife blades and as a cutting block oil. It is not a curing finish for handles. It is often used after cleaning Japanese blades and sometimes referred to generically as choji oil (which is mineral oil and clove oil). Like choji oil, camelia oil is often at least half mineral oil. Camelia oil is food safe and used in many Japanese kitchens and restaurants. (Note: Camelia oil/tea seed oil is not the same as tea-tree oil, which is toxic)

Before I order that oil I read all I need to know about that oil , but thanks anyway ..
I used just two drop oil on this handle .It is not glued yet , I will shape it little more after gluing so I did not want to waste oil .................
Handle and that other piece are * heat treated * walnut

Wood soak oil inside in about two three minute

now test .............

after five minutes ........

wiped

so , is this good protection or not ?

I will repeat test / just on knife/ after several days to see what will happen .

• It is quickly absorbed into the wood and thus also protects the knife handle from moisture, dirt and UV radiation

 

[Dave31]

Hello all,

I meant to update this. I finished the handle with a superglue finish. It's hard to see in the photos but the grain has a greenish tint to it. Overall I'm happy with my first attempt and will be taking a lot of lessons on to my next project.

Thanks to all who helped.

https://imgur.com/a/XHr9mvc