How do you take care of Ebony Wood knife scales (GEC Tidioute)

Macchina

Macchina

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Apr 7, 2006
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I am accumulating a few GEC Tidioute ebony-handled knives and would like to have a treatment for them.
I am pretty happy with Boiled Linseed Oil on my axe handles, but I've been reading a lot about Tung oil and I'm thinking about switching.
Would Tung Oil be the best treatment for the Ebony wood that GEC uses or would I be better going with a wax treatment?

Maybe no treatment at all?
Any suggestions?
 
I use a paste furniture wax (it's actually called bowling alley wax) on my ebony handles.
They have held up very well; both my antique/vintage pieces and the newer ones.
Rich S
 
I prefer neutral paste shoe polish or Johnson's paste wax. Rennaissance wax is ok if you already have it.
 
Bowling alley wax is pretty soft when it dries. It's actually a tiny bit sticky
to increase friction between alley and ball. If you can find a wax which is
mostly carnauba wax, it's pretty hard and will last. I use Bealls polishing compounds
and their buffs and wax. Good 2 stage polish and a final wax with carnauba on a
cloth buff.

Bee's wax is WAY too soft for use on a handle.
 
I have my first Ebony handled knife on the way and I am curious - does the wax somehow "preserve" the ebony? Or is it for looks only. And also - what would happen with tung oil or danish oil? Will it harm the ebony?

Thanks,

Eric
 
snippy said:
I have my first Ebony handled knife on the way and I am curious - does the wax somehow "preserve" the ebony? Or is it for looks only. And also - what would happen with tung oil or danish oil? Will it harm the ebony?

Thanks,

Eric
Click to expand...

Everything I've read about ebony suggests it needs very little to protect it. As suggested, a wax is likely the best for it, mainly for appearance's sake; though it'll help shed moisture if it gets wet. Danish oil is intended to penetrate & seal (I think tung oil is also meant for this), and is good for some woods; I used Watco Danish Oil on a walnut-handled Opinel and I like it. But ebony is so dense it'll likely not penetrate much at all and may leave the surface a bit messy or sticky, which is a common gripe when it doesn't penetrate into the wood.


David
 
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