How are you guys finishing your stabilized wood handles?

F

Fochops

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May 23, 2016
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I have been shaping on my 2x72 as far as I can then switching to hand sanding. I work the grits up to about 1000 grit then hit the buffing wheel with white compound. My handles are buttery smooth but I'm looking for a higher luster.
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Thanks your your input as always fellas!
 
I think they will all work about the same. I use minwax brand. Just make sure it's clear and not walnut colored or anything like that.


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JeffreyFogleboch said:
I think they will all work about the same. I use minwax brand. Just make sure it's clear and not walnut colored or anything like that.


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Cool man! I'll look into it. Would you just rub it on liberally then buff it?
 
I rub on a good amount (enough to thoroughly cover it), let it sit for 10 minutes, buff out with a soft cloth (I use napkins) it will give you a nice polished and natural look. I'm sure you could very quickly use an electric buffer but it only takes a minute to buff it out by hand.


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My process is about the same as yours, only I buff with pink scratchless, very light and at high speed with a loose buff, and I rub the handle with a light oil first. That helps the compound not to stick into the pores.
 
Yeah I thought of applying oil before buffing as well to help treat the wood a touch as well as try to reduce build up. I sometimes get a black remnants that can be a little tough to get off.
 
Johnson's paste wax works well, plus you can use it for a mold release when bedding your rifles!! [emoji16]


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I'm not as experienced as most of the guys but I've been playing around with this lately. I've settled on going to a high grit and then pink scratchless on a loose buff. I usually go to 1500 grit. If I want to go further than that the 3m polishing cloths are awesome. I think they start at 40 micron and go down to 1 micron. Hit it light with pink scratchless and then renaissance wax. Seems to work for me anyway.

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Here's some maple burl finished with the sequence from my last post for reference.
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It will only be as shiny as you prep it (buffing helps.) I go to 2500 or 3000 grit before a couple coats of Tru Oil. Then paste wax. I don't use a buffer.
 
josh81 said:
Here's some maple burl finished with the sequence from my last post for reference.
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a472e3d2c829d669f0e8537d022ef782.jpg


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That's a great looking handle Josh! I might have to give your process a go.
Willie I thought about going up in gritty as well to 2k+. Thanks for the great info guys!
 
If there are any pores visible it helps to flood with CA, then sand back to wood. This leaves the pores filled with CA making the pores disappear nicely. CA is great stuff.

Ken H>
 
Fochops said:
That's a great looking handle Josh! I might have to give your process a go.
Willie I thought about going up in gritty as well to 2k+. Thanks for the great info guys!
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2000 is a semi gloss. 2500 to 3000 starts getting glossy.
 
Maybe I should keep going on the sanding up to 2500-3000 then do the no scratch pink compound on a loose buffing wheel? That's starting to sound like the ticket. As Ken said, I'll be sure to fill every void with CA glue as well.
 
I see a point of diminishing returns, when sanding above 1000, if subsequently buffing. Even a quick light buff will erase all 1000 grit scratches.
If you really want glossy, and none of the above gets you what you are envisioning, or you find sanding up to 2500 to be too time consuming, you could try super-glue finishing the entire handle. That'll get you a high gloss "clear-coat" or gunstock look. There's a good thread about it that Bruce Bump did years ago, if you search. I don't often use it because I frankly don't like the plastic feel of a stabilized handle with that type of surface. If you look at some of Michael Rader's mind-bendingly pristine handle finishes, superglue is what he uses, too.
 
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