My first knives are finished! -- Should I coat the blade in oil?

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Dutchmichael

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Apr 12, 2015
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Just want to say thank you for all the help on the forum I wouldn't have been able to make these knives without it! I started out to make some knives for my groomsmen 5 months ago and I think I succeeded fairly well. I still have one question though would it be a good idea to coat the blades with some gun oil to prevent rusting ( the steel is A2 )? How will it effect the wood if I get it on it, the exotics are just hand sanded and have no coating. I have attached some pictures of them, the apricot handle knife ( far right ) has some marks on the blade from some tape, but I decided to leave it as is. Thanks again!





 
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Oil is a good idea. If you're concerned about it leaking into the wood, you might consider a THIN layer of microcrystalline wax (such as Renaissance Wax) applied to the blade & buffed once it's dry.
 
Thanks Cruffler, I appreciate the information I didn't know that people wax the actual blade I will have to do some research on it.

Thanks Omega for pointing that out to me it was working fine for me but I was using dropbox and it appears on other computers it wont let you access the files, I put them into photobucket I hope it works now.
 
First knives?!? Holy crap, good for you! It's obvious you researched lots before doing anything. Very very nice!
 
First off those are great looking knives. Such a good job. I think you should treat the handles with a penetrating oil to prevent them from staining or getting dirty. I use truoil on all of my handles. Once the handles are treated you won't need to worry about the oil on the knife blade staining them.
 
I second the suggestion of using Tru-Oil. I would totally put 4-6 thin coats of Tru-Oil on the handles and then depending on what part of the country you're in (humid or not), you can use either the Renaissance or oil to slow the development of patina on the A2. Personally I like the patina, but that depends on you.
 
Thanks guys for the feedback! I did do quite a bit of research, being so close to done I don't want to make a big mistake now. I put tung oil on the maples and apricot but was told not to do that on the Amboyna burl, Thuya burl, Bocote or Gaboon Ebony. Tru-oil however is ok to put on these kinds of wood? I would really like to put oil on the handles as I would think it would bring the color out more. Also I have those ones sanded to 2000 grit, can I still just add the oil or do i need rough it up a little bit? I do like the Patina as well, its hard to see in the photos but three of the blades have a patina I put on with Apple Vinegar, two come straight off the sander and the other has a satin finish. I kinda want to keep the "shiny" ones shiny to set them a bit apart. Thanks again for all the information!
 
Wow! What a great gift for your groomsmen. Those are very nice knives! Well done.
 
These are very well made knives. Congratulations on doing so well on your first knives. Your groomsmen will be very happy. You do not need to rough up the handles to apply Tru-Oil or similar penetrating oils. The smoother the better. Tru-Oil will protect the wood and soak into the fibers, enhancing and giving depth to the grain. As for the steel, a coat of gun oil is fine and a good idea. If the knives will be used around food I would opt for food grade mineral oil used for conditioning butcher blocks.
 
Those are fantastic! If you are looking for anymore groomsmen, I will gladly volunteer. I love weddings!
 
Thanks greenjebadiah and mec003, I'm glad you guys like them!

i4Marc, thanks for answering my question about the tru-oil. I think I'll grab some tomorrow and try it on the unfinished handles, I'm very interested to see how it effects the wood.
 
Hey, if any of your groomsmen can't make it count me in! How many extras did you make to sell us? Those are outstanding...no way they are your first knives???
 
Haha, thanks wtlj for the complement! They are indeed my first knives, though I made a couple mild steel blanks to check my milling programs and had a few laser cut mild steel blanks made to double check that my grinding jig was set to the right angle. All in all I have well over 200 hours into the knives ( including making the jigs, and grinder ) so I have been doing everything double as not to make a mistake ( which there has definitely been ). I do in fact have another 4 blades that are heat treated, I wanted 2 for my self and the other 2 were just in case I made a mistake along the way. I'm running out of time so those ones had to go onto the back burner. I think however they are spoken for however :). Thanks again!
 
Congratulations!! Those are exquisite knives.

Learning how to finish the wood with siccative oil should make a great add-on in your toolbox :thumbup:
After the finish, the reinassance wax will work either on the blades and the handles.
 
Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments! Last night I tried putting on Tru-Oil onto 3 of the handles, I followed this guide

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=246076

I put on about 10 coats but I think I should have made sure each coat was completely dry before putting on the following coat and as such I think I screwed it up a little as the knife handles are slightly tacky this morning still ( not really bad but definitely noticeable ). I am hoping that tonight they will have dried up but from what I have read on the stuff it sounds like I might be out of luck. Here's hoping!
 
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