Learning By Mistake

[William Schrade]

I made half a dozen knives with some woods I found on the internet. Bloodwood, Winewood, cocobolo, Purpleheart and Bubinga. I was pleased with the results. However, after 8 months the wood has shrunk and left the tangs a little proud. I thought I was getting a good deal, but the wood wasn't stabilized. It is worth the extra $ to buy stabilized woods. I continue to invest in my education at the school of hard knocks. Hope I graduate soon.

 

[Gody]

Theese days I prefer stabilized wood for full tang knives with the exeption of desert ironwood. For narrow tang knives with one-piece handles, I can go with non-stabilized. Just my 2c.

Brian

 

[james terrio]

Letting the wood acclimate and dry is important, too. Back in WI my shop might go from the low 50% to the high 90% in relative humidity over the course of a couple months. One of the reasons (professionally) stabilized wood works is that they check for proper moisture content before treating it.

If long-term stability is really a big issue, G10 is hard to beat. But of course it's never going to be as pretty as figured wood.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Besides acclimating the wood, the biggest problem is that wood moves a lot with heat. When you grind, sand and polish the handle it gets larger. All looks good until it slowly returns to normal. The trick is keeping the wood cool, and going back and touching up the tang after a week to a month in some cases.

 

[Mudbug007]

About the only woods I do not stabilize is Desert Ironwood, Bocote and Mesquite. I keep all the wood in my Garage where my shop is. It also sits out there generally 6 to 12 months before I send it off to be stabilized or, in the case of the above mentioned woods, put on a knife.

Knocking on stabilized wood here and hoping I never get any back for that reason!

Oh, and after seeing your work William, you can go ahead and send me those knives you're talking about and any more with that problem, I'll keep 'em out of the public eye for you

 

[tryppyr]

Stabilized woods are great. Another wood I don't bother getting stabilized is Lignum Vitae.

Besides wood, you should note that other materials can be stabilized as well. I once sent an antler crown in for stabilization. I've heard others say they have had musk ox horn stanilized (and as much as it moves, I can see why).

 

[AVigil]

It is important to remember that wood will always react to the environment... unless it is stabilized. No matter how much oil, stain, sealer, varnish, polyurethane etc. you put on the wood still breaths. You can slow down it expanding and contracting but you can not stop it unless it is stabilized.

 

[james terrio]

You can't even guarantee that will stop if it is professionally stabilized. When we shape/grind/sand anything porous or fibrous, we expose stuff that can and will absorb/lose moisture to some extent. That definitely includes micarta.

 

[William Schrade]

About the only woods I do not stabilize is Desert Ironwood, Bocote and Mesquite. I keep all the wood in my Garage where my shop is. It also sits out there generally 6 to 12 months before I send it off to be stabilized or, in the case of the above mentioned woods, put on a knife.

Knocking on stabilized wood here and hoping I never get any back for that reason!

Oh, and after seeing your work William, you can go ahead and send me those knives you're talking about and any more with that problem, I'll keep 'em out of the public eye for you

Thanks for the compliment Mudbug. Your offer is tempting but I think I can resist.