stabilized wood care?.....

[doggyknife]

I've always thought that stabilized wood handles needed very little, if any, care. Maybe some Renaissance Wax 1-2 times a year, but that's about it.

I thought only NON-stabilized wood (aka regular wood) handles needed regular oiling to replentish the oils regularly lost and prevent cracking.

However, I was reading the care instructions for a set of Japanese chef knives with stabilized wood handles, and it stated that they needed to be oiled regularly with "food grade mineral oil". At first I thought I might had read the instructions (in Japanese) wrong, or the handles were made of regular wood, but wood seems almost certainly stabilized and I'm pretty sure I translated the instructions correctly.

Do stabilized wood handles need to be oiled regularly or at all?

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I really see no need to oil stabilized wood. The wood fibers have been impregnated with monomers and acrylics and about the only place the oil would be taken in would be the pores.

 

[knifenerd]

I agree with KWM. Most of what was once natural moisture in the wood has been replaced with synthetic resins. Just wipe it down after use the same way you would treat any other handle material.

 

[DBH]

Kith and Dick are right. The only wood that I own on knives anymore is ironwood, which just needs a good wipe down after use.

 

[doggyknife]

Thanks guys for confirming what I thought. Strange that the instructions say the stabilized wood needed oiling. Hmmmm....now that I that I think about it, the oiling could be referring to the blade instead (my Japanese is pretty rusty - no pun intended). I might still be translating it wrong in reference to oiling the handles. Oh well, thanks again everybody.

 

[Phil Tham]

Wouldn't think it needed much care if it's stabilized. They are probably anticipating people putting them into the dishwasher. Might need something to bring back the shine in that case.