RE: Potential bump for my karma? (Tru-Oil giveaway)

D

Davino

Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Messages
24
Hello everybody,
Here's the result of Killa_concept's act of kindness!
Original thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=752393&highlight=giveaway

Killa_concept has been VERY helpful for every step, with opinions and tips on this stuff and even offered to send me some other materials I may need. Since I've been pretty busy with classes, its taken some time for me to sit down and play with my handle, though I must say it's very relaxing to work on something delicate that you care about :). Here are some pictures of my 15" CAK, first one is of when it first arrived, and others are after I applied the finish.

Before:
oldh.jpg


After:
102_0127.jpg

102_0129.jpg

102_0130.jpg

102_0132.jpg

102_0134.jpg


:D
 
oooohhhh, shiny!

Is this before sanding with 0000 steel wool or after, please?
 
I probably did 5(+/-) coats, but the 0000 steel wool can take almost all of it off, just leaving a thin layer over or within the wood(depending on how long/hard you sand with it). Towards the end, I'd apply the oil, then LIGHTLY brush the bumpy areas with the 0000 to try to level it for the next coat(after it is dry). Sanding the finish with the steel wool will remove the gloss effect, so the pictures show the last coat after it has dried.

Edit: And yes, it will definitely be slippery when wet =x
spine pics:
102_0137.jpg

102_0136.jpg
 
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Thanks, good to know.
I am guessing that, as nice as the gloss effect is, it wouldn't last after heavy use anyway, and in fact might lead to slippage when wet or sweaty as noted already. Do you think this is indeed the case or does the smooth surface actually help grip through some sort of cohesion or adhesion? (I can only speculate until I try it in the near future)
 
A separate question for everybody: do you do anything to your horn handles, whether for maintenance or just beauty? I am guessing Hooflex as usual, but anything other than that?
 
Wow - that turned out beautiful dude! Really brought out the grain and highlighted the bright red hues... Mine are taking awhile to get there, but it's coming out nicely - I live in oregon and although the temperature has been nice, the humidity is relatively high, so it's taking about 2 days or so to fully dry between coats.
alexs said:
Thanks, good to know.
I am guessing that, as nice as the gloss effect is, it wouldn't last after heavy use anyway, and in fact might lead to slippage when wet or sweaty as noted already. Do you think this is indeed the case or does the smooth surface actually help grip through some sort of cohesion or adhesion? (I can only speculate until I try it in the near future)
Click to expand...

I actually find that it helps with the grip for me. Then again, I'm not very prone to sweaty hands so I might be completely off base...

alexs said:
A separate question for everybody: do you do anything to your horn handles, whether for maintenance or just beauty? I am guessing Hooflex as usual, but anything other than that?
Click to expand...

Well, I only really pick up horn handled khukris when they're rather discounted blems so I'm not the best at answering this question. Most people say hooflex is the way to go, but I can't seem to find any locally so I just give them a slight coating of mineral oil here and there to keep them hydrated... it actually reduced the visibility of a crack in one of my handles - probably caused it to hydrate and expand to fill in the gap.
 
I use olive oil works great on old horn handel kukri and new ones. I use a old tall quart container. drop the handle in and let it soak for 24 hrs take it out and dry the handle.
Keep the olive oil and use it over and over. Olive oil is cheap.
Jim
 
ajim1942 said:
I use olive oil works great on old horn handel kukri and new ones. I use a old tall quart container. drop the handle in and let it soak for 24 hrs take it out and dry the handle.
Keep the olive oil and use it over and over. Olive oil is cheap.
Jim
Click to expand...

Wow, that's news for me. What is the visual effect of this and are there any other benefits? How often would you do it, once a year, once a month? Thanks!
 
I prefer a more matte, less glossy finish. The shiny finish looks too much like plastic for my tastes. I apply 4-5 coats of Tru-Oil and after each application I use 0000 steel wool to take it down to the bare wood. After the last coat the finish should be much improved. It'll be smoother to the touch than when you started, and while it may look like there is nothing there, rest assured that your wood handle is now pretty water resistant.
 
How shall I go about caring for my wood handles if I don't want a smooth or shiny finish? Really, I like them how they are and don't want to get them too smooth, lest i want a slippery, heavy khukuri in my hand. What should I do to add moisture to the wood so it won't crack or shrink, but won't get too glossy either?
 
moogoogaidan said:
How shall I go about caring for my wood handles if I don't want a smooth or shiny finish? Really, I like them how they are and don't want to get them too smooth, lest i want a slippery, heavy khukuri in my hand. What should I do to add moisture to the wood so it won't crack or shrink, but won't get too glossy either?
Click to expand...

You could just finish it with linseed, tung, tru-oil etc. as we're discussing here. The level of sheen or gloss is completely dependent on how you decide to burnish the handle after finishing. The above pictures are only of it after a final coat with no burnish. If you wanted it less glossy and not so smooth, then you can simply rub it down with 0000 steel wool (or 000 if you want coarser) after letting the final coat dry. If you want a less permanent solution and just want to keep the wood hydrated, you could just rub it down with some mineral oil and then wipe off the excess... however, tung and linseed have the benefits of bringing out the natural colors and grain of the wood, hydrating it and also sealing it against rot and moisture
 
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It puts moisture back in the horn. it works like hoof flex. It shine the horn but not a glossy shine. I do mine about once or twice a year depending on the age of the handle.
on the older handles which are dried out I will leave socking for a week. wipe it down
and let it dry. if it still looks dry I soak it again. then let it dry and wait about a month and do it all over. The horn handles you get from HI dont need much socking 24 hrs at the most and mabey a couple hrs after that when you feel that when you feel its needed. A lot depends on where you live and how you takecare of your kukri.
Jim
 
Last question for you guys: does of any of these treatments present any problem (visual or otherwise) for the steel if left longer in contact with it, say on a chiruwa tang? I am guessing not, but then again I wouldn't like to "etch" the blade in some way other than by design.
 
alexs said:
Last question for you guys: does of any of these treatments present any problem (visual or otherwise) for the steel if left longer in contact with it, say on a chiruwa tang? I am guessing not, but then again I wouldn't like to "etch" the blade in some way other than by design.
Click to expand...

It won't damage the steel as it's just oil and not particularly acidic at that... in fact, it would probably be best to leave it on there as it would help seal the exposed tang and rivets from the acidic/salty sweat of your hands. I would however, recommend taping up the bolster to A) avoid scratching it up when sanding down the handles B) to avoid having to remove sticky residue that you could potentially get onto it. Oh - and tape the blade edge as well, though that's just common sense...
 
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I always tape mine for the sanding/scratching reasons and the leaving of residues that are near impossible to clean off.
It just makes the finished product look a lot more professional.

I have a couple of really nice looking pieces of Neem, at least the looked like they will be, on a Seax and a YCS Karda coming to me this coming week. I am really looking forward to seeing how they turn out. I will post my WIP pix and procedures for you all just in case they turn out really nice. :D
 
Ok, i'll just stick with tung oil or boiled linseed oil, then maybe a rubdown with 000 steel wool. Last question: what shall i use to fill in any gaps between the handle and tang? At the bottom of one of my ASTKs, the handle has maybe a 1 mm gap between the wood and the tang. And should i fill it with whatever before or after i treat my handle with tung or boiled linseed oil? cheers!
 
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