Natural handle material finish options (oil, varnish, dye) - where to start?

-noseoil - thanks for the detailed technique description, I will give it a try.
 
To be honest I prefer hard woods that don't require an oil finish but just hand sand to 2500
 
Have tried all the above from tru oil to butcher block finish. The best finish I've seen for non stabilized wood scales is super glue! Be careful though the fumes when applying can be overwhelming
 
Hengelo_77 said:
To be honest I prefer hard woods that don't require an oil finish but just hand sand to 2500
Click to expand...

I agree - well finished hardwood like e.g. Ironwood does not need any oling or such. But many (in particular cheaper) woods need some sort of treatment to resist the elements better and sometimes to get a little more contrast or tone change.
 
cocobolo, bog oak, bocote, black wood, zebra wood, olive wood and many more are not expensive and don't need an oil finish. (5euro's per handle)
It's a lot of domestics that require an extra oil finish. (birch!)
A good piece of walnut can be 10 more expensive than a piece of say blackwood or bocote.
 
That is a great information, thanks. I indeed have some bocote, black wood (which I plan to use for bolsters or spacers) and I think also some zebra wood. This leads me to a question - how to find out which woods should or need to be treated with some sort of oil and which do not?
 
Any wood, no matter how hard or oily can still crack and warp when the moisture level changes.
So.....any barrier (finish) that helps to seal out the moisture or dry air will help to prevent or limit the moisture level changes.

Also bear in mind, different brands of different products will have different results.
I would suggest experimenting and see what you like best.
 
There are people with a lot more knolledge than me on this subject (Mark above me and more)
But me, if a wood is heavy and hard I just hand sand.
I've only used oil on birch, walnut, oak and maple. I liked filling pores with oil/dust slurry.

BTW bocote and blackwood look realy good together imho.
This is one of my shop knives. The blade isn't good but I like the handle. Blackwood and bocote:
P1011903_zpsm4k7uitm.jpg
 
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Mark, thanks for the advice.

Hengelo - that knife looks very nice. What it is that you do not like about the blade?
 
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