Need some help, please.

[WaltE99]

I am just finishing up a Bushcraft knife and need some help. This is a full tang O1 which I have satin finished to 1000 grit. The handle is stabilized "burlish" or "curlish" maple with an ebony bolster over white liner and brass pins.

What is the best way to finish this handle? I'm thinking either boiled linseed oil or buff with white compound.

Will the stabilized maple take up the oil?

If I buff, it will be impossible (I would think) to keep off of the pins so that they would wind up polished and I'm not sure how that would look with the satin blade. I do feel like I could keep away from the tang thereby keeping it satin like the rest of the blade.

All suggestions welcome! Thanks!

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[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Sand to 1000 grit and buff with white or pink polish. If you want the pins more satin, just give a quick touch up on them with the 1000 grit paper.

Most stabilized wood will not absorb oil or other finishes well or at all. It does not need any finish normally, anyway.

 

[AVigil]

I would sand to 400 grit then take 0000 steel wool to it. You will have a nice satin finish and not a shiny one

 

[WaltE99]

Thanks to both of you. The maple I used I think needs a bit of a shine to bring out the figuring so I think I will go with buffing which is the direction I was leaning to begin with. I was just curious how polished pins would look with a satin blade. Good thing about being at this stage, I can always sand it back if it has too much shine and start over. Of use the steel wo to bring the shine back down a little.

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[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

As Adam was pointing out, satin is sometimes nicer than high polish. What I find simplest is to go through the 1000 grit and buff method, and then walk back down the grits or use 0000 steel wool to get a more satin look. This has the advantage of removing all coarser grit marks first.

 

[A C Richards]

I don't like to buff any of my handles now. I take my wood handles to 800-1000 grit like posted. Then I use a hot wax buff. I take god old Johnson's paste wax and a heat gun. Warm up the handle and wax and apply to the wood. Warm up the waxed handle until it flows but not too hot. Then shoe shine buff with a rag. Brings out the figure really well, fills any minor surface imperfections like large grain pores, and leaves a slightly tacky feel to the handle rather than the very slick feeling of machine buffing.