Stabilized Wood - newbie question :-)

[malada]

School me on stabilized wood.

I've done a search and some Fiddlebacks are listed as stabilized and some are not.

Are all Fiddleback woods stabilized or just certain species?

 

[schmittie]

Only certain woods would need to be stabilized. Many hardwoods, like oak or walnut, are stable on their own. In order to use a softer wood, like some maples, they need some 'help' to be a reliable knife handle. Hence the stabilizing process of pulling resin into the wood my means of a vacuum.

 

[Tim the Wizard]

It is a process that to some extent plasticizes the wood, resulting in a product with the characteristics of brass and the beauty of wood. Often, resin and phenolics used to impregnate the wood are dyed to change the color and patterning within the product. The process is used to make woods more durable. When woods are naturally saturated with oils and very hard, stabilization is not used. Example: Ironwood. Without stabilization, one may expect some wood species used in knives to crack, dry, warp, or simply crumble over time.

As a result of the process, when sanded, the wood releases chemical compounds distinct to the type of resin used. Therefore, these products should be approached as synthetic and appropriate care taken to avoid inhalation of resin-impregnated wood dust.

 

[malada]

Thanks for the responses guys!

 

[Cimarron56]

It is a process that to some extent plasticizes the wood, resulting in a product with the characteristics of brass and the beauty of wood. Often, resin and phenolics used to impregnate the wood are dyed to change the color and patterning within the product. The process is used to make woods more durable. When woods are naturally saturated with oils and very hard, stabilization is not used. Example: Ironwood. Without stabilization, one may expect some wood species used in knives to crack, dry, warp, or simply crumble over time.

As a result of the process, when sanded, the wood releases chemical compounds distinct to the type of resin used. Therefore, these products should be approached as synthetic and appropriate care taken to avoid inhalation of resin-impregnated wood dust.

A great example of this is Box Elder burl. Box Elder is a ridiculously soft wood. It often has growth ring that are a half inch wide. It is full of pulp fiber, and it's considered to be the least stable of the maple family. The burl is obviously more dense, but it is still very fibrous. The injection of a phenolic (i.e. epoxy) helps to bond the weak fibers together using the burl as a matrix the same way canvas is used to make micarta.

 

[Fiddleback]

Burls (all burls get stabilized), lightweight woods (Maple, Redwood), and woods that we want dyed get stabilized. Some of the dense oily woods won't take stabilizing. Examples are Cocobolo and Ironwood. Stabilizing wood isn't a magic cure for the material being wood. It will still move, just less so. But it does a good job of coloring, hardening soft woods, and keeping the burls from chipping.

 

[Bamboo]

Keep in mind that we don't always list a handle as being stabilized or not, so please ask if you're uncertain. As Andy said above, all the burls and most domestic woods, and anything that has been dyed, have been stabilized.

 

[malada]

Thanks guys!

I just bought an African Blackwood.

I knew it was good to go, but I see more wood in my future and thought I'd better do my homework

 

[willic]

African Blackwood is amazingly beautiful stuff. Like Andy has said more than one time, Blackwood looks good on a Fiddleback! What model did you get?

-Will

 

[thurin]

Thanks guys!

I just bought an African Blackwood.

I knew it was good to go, but I see more wood in my future and thought I'd better do my homework

Good choice! I love African Blackwood.

 

[malada]

Hiking Buddy. It's my new favorite

 

[Joe Duder]

Hiking Buddy. It's my new favorite

Very nice choice! That black wood is nice and very smooth in hand. Not too slippery when wet either. I've done a lot of food prep with mine. It's been soaking wet and never felt like it was going to slip out of my hands.

Great score!

 

[malada]

Very nice choice! That black wood is nice and very smooth in hand. Not too slippery when wet either. I've done a lot of food prep with mine. It's been soaking wet and never felt like it was going to slip out of my hands.

Great score!

Thanks Joe!

 

[write2dgray]

Would you stabilize arizona desert ironwood burl ?

 

[willic]

NICE Hiking Buddy! That profile is amazing! Small, yet is great at so many tasks! A Hiking Buddy could almost be the "all purpose knife"!

For the past 2 1/2 years, I have not hiked a mile without a Fiddleback and the vast majority of the time, I've carried a Hiking Buddy!

-Will