I am a gun maker and pistol grip maker and knife "handler". I am certainly not a knife maker as I only install the handles to existing blades. I use the most exotic woods and materials possible. I have been expanding my grip buisiness quickly and have to have a fast learning curve. The grips look best when no finish is used so I have been exploring the treating abilities of different sellers and treaters.
It has been an interesting experience using materials gained from gun and knife shows, e-bay, visiting businesses, etc. One thing I have learned is that the treaters cannot stay put. The polymer and dye manufacturers seek these folks to try out new materials, and the best keep experimenting. Some don't quite cut it. I grind & sand & buff and some treaters still do not have a polish that I want on my product for my customers. WSSI has great dye jobs but they are not adequate polymer treating for my purposes. K&G have a much better process and have been very helpful. However, different materials need different processes as do the same material in different conditions. I have some neat spalted maple but a bit far gone and a bit punky. I have had some of this treated before and the end result was gray & black when I would have preferred a light color. I talked to Larry and he had me send it to him, and voila, it was magnificent. Larry is a guy who keeps experimenting. Being a gunstock seller, I have tons of ultra fancy walnut that never turned out too well in the past. That will be my next load for Larry.
It has been an interesting experience using materials gained from gun and knife shows, e-bay, visiting businesses, etc. One thing I have learned is that the treaters cannot stay put. The polymer and dye manufacturers seek these folks to try out new materials, and the best keep experimenting. Some don't quite cut it. I grind & sand & buff and some treaters still do not have a polish that I want on my product for my customers. WSSI has great dye jobs but they are not adequate polymer treating for my purposes. K&G have a much better process and have been very helpful. However, different materials need different processes as do the same material in different conditions. I have some neat spalted maple but a bit far gone and a bit punky. I have had some of this treated before and the end result was gray & black when I would have preferred a light color. I talked to Larry and he had me send it to him, and voila, it was magnificent. Larry is a guy who keeps experimenting. Being a gunstock seller, I have tons of ultra fancy walnut that never turned out too well in the past. That will be my next load for Larry.