Stabilizing Question For Stacy

[drysideshooter]

I have a question I know Stacy can answer and I thought others might be interested as well. I have learned quite a bit if information from Stacy's posts and know he has a background in chemicals and has done his own stabilizing in the past.

I have a background with messing about with wooden boats, from small drift boats to yachts. Most more modern woden boats have the hulls wet out with epoxy such as West System. There are quite a few various construction techniques but the protective barrier is provided by the epoxy. I have owned wooden boats that were moored in fresh and salt water. Some insurance companies consider an epoxy saturated wood hull to be a synthetic boat in the same realm as fiberglass. That is opposed to other wood hulled boats like older Grand Banks that rely on a marine protective layer but not epoxy.

If someone took the time, even without vacuum, to coat all surfaces of knife scales, including inside fastener holes, with epoxy, shouldn't it be a viable long term solution that will last? I know companies like K&G do a great job of stabilizing, but I also know there are almost countless wooden boats, moored in salt water and experiencing different temperatures and temp variables such as above and below the water line, abrasion while traveling through the water, etc. It seems like a more harsh environment than most knives are subjected too, but maybe I am missing something?

The main reason I ask is that as a builder I have access to a large quantity of various scrap wood and though turning some if it into scales would be rather green. I have built drift boats with the stitch and glue method with West System products and they have endured a lot of abuse.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

A completely encapsulated block of wood done with west system epoxy would indeed be waterproof.

However, you have to make a knife handle from it. That would require cutting, sanding, and shaping, which would remove the resin in the shaped areas. Additionally, holes will be drilled and fasteners attached. While someone could re-coat the entire assembly with resin again to seal it, I doubt that anyone would want a knife with a epoxy resin coated handle ... which would also eventually wear and dull.

 

[drysideshooter]

Thanks Stacy. I know the West System treated wood doesn't finish up as shiny or aesthetically pleasing as stabilized wood for sure. I was thinking of applying the epoxy after the scales were shaped, and getting inside the fastener holes as well. With some wood the West System penetrates a fair amount. It would probably just not look that great, even after some buffing?

Curiosity has me a bit and I will probably have to try it on a simple utility knife or something.

In custom home finishes, as well as some commercial installations, we are seeing more and more being done with end grain. I wonder, especially with good stabilization such as by K&G how some nicely figures end grain would look and work for knife scales?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

"......I wonder, especially with good stabilization such as by K&G how some nicely figures end grain would look and work for knife scales? "

It works well, but you have to make sure it is strong enough. A backing liner is needed on most end grain woods. Some just don't hold up well to any bend or stress, others are fine.