Opinel Summer Carry

[pogo]

I carry the Opinel with the Pearwood handle. Recently the blade locked up due to the wood swelling. Two days in air cond. cured that. I have noticed they offer Oak, Walnut & Olivewood handles. Do any of these swell due to humid conditions like the Pearwood? Thanks.

 

[Bobwhite]

Any wood will swell and shrink with humidity. Some more than others. Unfortunately, I don't know the expansion properties of those woods, but you might be able to find it in a wood comparison chart.

 

[SilverFoxKnows]

horn handled Opinels somewhere. I don't know the cost but they were nice looking. That might take care of the swelling. Have you tried treating the wood with linseed oil?

Frank

 

[puukkoman]

Horn's pretty soft... as a structural component (like the one-piece Opinel handle), it won't hold up for long.

Mine's the regular, standard, cheap-o handle and I've never had a problem.

Linseed oil is a good idea. Helps make the wood impermeable to moisture.

Peace.

 

[matthew rapaport]

TUNG oil is a penetrating oil made to fill wood and stabilize it without turning it into plastic... When I get a new knife with a real-wood handle I tung oil it every day for a few days, then every week for a couple of months. You rub the oil in with finger or clean rag and then work it for a while to push it into the wood. Works great and after a few months of such work, the handle is beautiful and impervious to water for years (from what I can tell).

You can get Tung oil at most hardware stores... Main problem I've had with it is that a 1 pint bottle (smallest I've seen) is enough for hundreds of applications, and if you fail to really seal the bottle it will eventually turn hard like paint left in a can that isn't properly sealed...

Good stuff though...

 

[pogo]

Thanks guys.! I will give the Tung oil a shot. I have only 8 bucks to loose.