Restoring Olive Wood Handles

[AlphaRomero]

I was given a custom made skinner knife at the age of 15 by a custom knife maker in my church. It had a dark wood with green swirls marbling in it. I of course used it as my primary skinning knife and when it needed cleaning i threw it in the dishwasher over the years. I've decided to try and restore it. I began soaking in in a cloth wrapped in olive oil to bring the wood back to life. (hope that wasnt a mistake). I have since been sanding down the handle and am beginning to see the light tiger-stripping accents it use to have. I dont see any green wood. Was this just a paint job to begin with? Will I ever have a brown and green knife again?

Mark in Houston Pic of what it's supposed to look like darker main wood olive swirls.


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:72&biw=1003&bih=385

 

[Mahoney]

The first question some folks are likely to ask "Is this a historically significant knife by a famous maker and should you be messing with it?..." is a little moot now. The sanding and oiling has already begun. It's your knife, fix it up so it pleases you, IMO anyway.

It is likely that over the years, the surface of the wood, or whatever finish was on there, has oxidized. Sanding will remove that, at the cost of a thin layer of wood, and may reveal the original colors in the wood. Or the staining from years of water, etc may go so deep into the wood that they can't be removed. No way to find out without some sanding. Even if you do reveal the green swirls, they may fade or change color again from exposure to oxygen and/or UV light.

The olive oil was not a great choice, it can go rancid, and it won't harden like a tung or linseed oil will. If you decide to put a protective finish on the handle after you are done sanding, I would suggest a couple wipes with acetone of lacquer thinner to remove any remaining olive oil that could prevent the new finish hardening. If you want to stick with a non-curing oil, mineral oil won't go rancid, but it does not protect the wood very much either

 

[Hengelo_77]

Sand it as fine as you like and use an oxidising oil like linseed oil and you'll have a beautifull handle

 

[chippedblade]

Tung oil lasts a long time and wont darken the wood also water proofs real good .

 

[AlphaRomero]

k will try that; i did sand it down first to try and get o the original surface; not a famous designer; was a deacon in my church and just starting out going to gun and knife shows; i was one of his first customers.... will try again with your suggestions; thanks for your advice.

Mark