sealing handles

I enjoy working with cocobolo simply because it really needs no applied finish. I usualy just hand sand the handle up to around 800 grit and then buff with ultra fine steel wool and then "shoe shine" buff by hand. I have had good luck with a tip I got from Jerry Hossom and that's using a coat of Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil over cocobolo. Mike, if the sanding sealer fills those larger grain voids I'd be a happy camper, I hate the waits while oil finishes cure. I have to say if I'm patient enough I really like the look of a fine oil finish like Watco on woods like cherry and walnut. I don't particularly like high gloss finishes on handles in any case.

Here's a trick I learned on the khukri forum for re-finishing khukri handles, I haven't tried it yet but it sounds interesting. After sanding the existing finish they apply many extremely thin coats of the Tru-oil that has been thinned with Armorall. They end up with a final finish that has lots of depth and beauty. Unfortunately I've forgotten the details on this finish but I'm sure the search feature would turn up lots on the Himalayan Imports forum.
 
Guy, here's another sealer,4-5 parts of denatured alcohol to 1 part orange Shellac. It penetrates real good, and dries quick. After a couple of coats of that, you can top coat with whatever.
BTW, Tru-Oil is linseed oil, with driers added.:D
Next time you do a cherrywood handle, let me know, I have a recipe that will make that stuff turn the cherry red color, that usually takes 50 years. It's an old antique fakers formula.;)
 
Mike,

I'd like to have that cherry wood secret too. My dad is a wood worker and I can get all the cherry scaps I need for scales.

Roger
 
gearGOON,

From experience, sun can (and probably will) cause freshly filled grain to open. This is real nasty when you have already put about ten coats on the stock (whatever) and the grain is nicly filling and think well, I'll just hurry it up some and leave in the sun for a couple hours. Boom! - you just got set back a week.

Roger
 
Roger, here it is. A warning though, if anyone uses this, take precautions to shield your skin and EYES, if this stuff gets on you, it WILL burn you, if it gets in your eyes, it could blind you, so be warned.
3-4 ounces of Lye, the white kind, to 1 quart of water. Mix it well, and apply to wood with a clean WHITE cotton cloth. You will see the wood begin to change color rapidly. When it's like you want it, neutraluze it with some white vinegar, followed by a wipe down with water. Once it dries, de whisker it and start finishing.
The lye reacts with the tannin in the wood, causing a chemical reaction that mimics about 50-75 years of natural aging.
I mentioned applying with a white cotton cloth because, if you use colored cloths, it can impart that color to the wood.
Goodluck, and be careful.:eek:
 
Hey that's an interesting trick with the cherry! I'll have to try it the next time I use some scrap cherry I pick up at a cabinet shop. Now where in the world do you get lye from???

(Tru-oil is linseed? Now that's interesting, I'll definitely try and track down just what it does over time to wood. In any case it doesn't seem to penetrat the cocobolo and you end up wiping most of it off, but that does seem to leave a nice luster to the final finish.)
 
Guy, the stuff I got is called "Red Devil Lye Drain Opener", my wife got it at Wal Mart, or the local supermarket, in that section where they sell septic tank helper and such. Hardware stores carry it also. Just make sure it is white, not the blue stuff.
Incidently, it works on other types of wood too, test first.;)
 
Allright! Another knifemaking aid I can purchase from Walmart! (incidently if anyone hasn't noticed yet, Walmart also carries an off-brand non-sticky residue blue masking tape)

So the lye reacts with the tannins. It should work well on oak then. I accidentally spilled a pvc pipe full of venegar I had been soaking a damascus billet in to remove the scale all over my workbench one day. It turned any oak it came into contact a lovely black! I latter discovered that this nitrate of iron I had made from vinegar and steel is an old time recipe for dying vegetable tanned leather black. Works top notch too.
 
Guy, you can also put a bowl with Ammonia in it, next to Oak, cover the whole thing with a tent. In the morning, it will be very dark, and you don't have to wait for it to dry. I think it was called fuming, a long time ago, in the furniture trade. :confused:
 
Mike, watched the sites, but the first doesn't work (give sout a CGI error) and the other two just have recipes for wood or lists of wood on sale but I couldn't find any warning about lineseed oil.
Lineseed oil is what gun stocks are finished with... And they last decades without problems... I'm curious...
 
Alarion, the first site is undergoing maintenance, they were put up so you could get the phone numbers and call them, talk to the refinishing specialist and they will tell you.
If you like Linseed oil, use it, I have used it for years on gunstocks myself. I'm just passing along info I was given by a couple of companys.:)
 
Thanks for the great info. I'm partial to Tung Oil myself and have used it for a myriad of wood projects. I don't mind the wait either.
 
Linseed oil, thought it oxidized and darkens, itself or the wood, don't recall. Is that whats bad about it or the slow drying cycle? Know it can ignite itself while drying on rags!

I've seen fences and decks in the Rocky Mountain region still looking good with no rot, after 30+ years treated with Linseed Oil only once when built. Thats daily sun, heat, wet, snow, freezing, outside exposure, abit they are somewhat bleached by the sun now.

The long drying cycle is my complaint with the stuff but not an expert here.
 
Here is what I think I know about linseed oil as it pertains to our purposes:

Linseed in its natural form does not cure. There are components within the oil, called 'foots', that prevent that. Linseed that has been processed to remove the foots will cure. The label 'Linspeed' is such a product. Individuals sometimes boil or double or triple boil linseed in an attempt to remove the foots. Linseed, both boiled and natural, has been used for many decades on gun and rifle stocks.

While it is true the product Tru-oil claims to contain as its main oil linseed, Tru-oil - I believe - also contains other not disclosed oils.

RL
 
Anybody use Danish Oil? Worth the extra cost?
 
Yes, I like Watco myself. I even use it on woods that don't need it, like ironwood etc. I find it adds a little extra depth and heightens the color.
 
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