Wax left in grain

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Wowndeye

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Apr 15, 2014
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Just finished my 5th knife which I have put unstabilized Macassar Ebony scales on. Sanded the scales down and applied a few coats of Carnabura Wax on it and had buffed out by hand and it looks good overall but there are small amounts of wax left in the grain that stand out. I've tried buffing a little harder and faster but can't seem to get it to blend in. I don't have any sort of electrical buffing equipment so it will have to be done by hand.

Any tips? ;)
 
I watched Ken Onion finish a buffed carnauba wax polish on some koa, by playing a lighter flame lightly over the waxed wood surface, then hand cloth buffing again. Looked really nice.
 
Use a heat gun or soft flame to melt the wax, as has been mentioned. A soft wire brush will help get it out of the pores. On darker woods like beautiful Macassar ebony, add some dark pigment to the wax, so that when it dries, it will stay dark. Also, you didn't ask and you probably know this, but in general wax isn't much of a finish. Some will argue with that, but wax is a surface treatment not a good finish. That is why furniture and other pieces of wood that get a lot of handling aren't usually finished with wax.
 
Gotta agree with Sam Wilson on that, wax is a pretty top coat at best IMO. I like a finish that's well IN the wood.
 
Thanks guys, used the lighter and it worked perfect. I had thought about the lighter/heat gun but wasn't sure if the heat would ruin the wax that was already on there.

Regarding the wax/finish. I had done some searching and seemed like the consensus seemed that Macassar Ebony had plenty of oil and just needed to be sanded to a high grit and then waxed. Wish I had asked prior to finishing now.

What would you guys recommend for a protective finish on scales like these then? I would like the knife to actually be used outdoors so I'll redo it if I have to. If there is a better finish to put on it, is there a way to remove the wax?

Thanks again everyone! :)
 
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Hmm. Actually, the rosewood family, ironwood, and blackwood should be ok to just sand fine and wax finish... they are pretty dense, oily, and stable. Don't know about Macassar, but the Gaboon ebony I've worked with was squirrely enough that I'd be nervous about just wax for a finish. I'd probably go with teak oil or tru-oil there.

Something to consider, is how dry the wood was when the knife was made, the local climate, and whether the knife will end up or be used somewhere considerably more or less humid than where it was made. Those kinds of things tend to matter a lot for non-stabilized woods, IME.
 
Awesome... Maybe I'll use some mineral spirits to clean the wax off and do the Tru-Oil (looked up how to remove the wax). I like the idea of it being more protected. I'm still learning about working with all these different woods so it'll be worth the experiment.

I don't know much about moisture content in woods either.
 
Wowndeye said:
Awesome... Maybe I'll use some mineral spirits to clean the wax off and do the Tru-Oil (looked up how to remove the wax). I like the idea of it being more protected. I'm still learning about working with all these different woods so it'll be worth the experiment.

I don't know much about moisture content in woods either.
Click to expand...

On oily woods I wipe with acetone and apply teak or Danish oil. Let it dry and then buff it. I usually use 2-3 coats.
 
The hard oily woods don't take stabilizing well. They don't absorb finishes well either. That's why many just buff and wax them.Those types don't glue well either so often they are wiped with acetone to remove some of their natural oils before gluing .
 
I didn't have acetone for when I glued them up but did have mineral spirits so did wipe them down with that and before gluing up. I'm going to try the Tru-Oil and see how it goes. Is there a big difference between acetone and mineral spirits in regards to prepping the surface?

Here's the finished product as of now!

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa45/wowndeye/P9133320.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa45/wowndeye/P9133324.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa45/wowndeye/P9133327.jpg
 
First, nice looking knife. Second, Macassar ebony is one of my favorite woods for knife and gun handles. Just beautiful, and you smoothed those scales nicely, from what I can see.

There have been several good suggestions from Salem Straub, S. Alexander, mete, and Matt R. The only other suggestions I can offer is first, I would not recommend using mineral spirits to get rid of the oil, or for pre-glue up. It is an oily solvent itself, and could leave behind a residue that could cause adhesion problems. I recommend acetone, lacquer thinner, or denatured alcohol. I use denatured, as it is very handy for other things as well, and doesn't defat the skin as much/isn't quite as nasty for you.

The Tru-oil is very popular for good reason. It dries very tough, is fool proof easy to work with, and only takes 2-3 light coats to seal up the wood nicely. After wiping down with a solvent to de-oil the wood, just rub in a coat of Tru-Oil with your finger or a rag/paper towel, let it sit till it sets up, then wipe most of it back off. Let the first coat especially dry overnight. It takes longer to dry as some of it is below the surface of the wood, in the pores. The next day, take a piece of 400 or 600 grit, rub on some more Tru-Oil, and very lightly sand it in. Just a couple of seconds is all it takes, to knock off the raised grain. You don't want to break through the first coat, or the grain may raise again.

Let this second coat set up, just like the first, then wipe off the excess. I usually do the second coat first thing in the morning, and occasionally hit it lightly with the heat gun throughout the day. Then I can put the third and final coat on at the end of the day. The next day, I will take a piece of #0000 steel wool, dip it in wax (COLORED this time, lol), and lightly rub down the handle. After a few minutes, when the wax has set up, I rub it off with a cloth, then either buff it by hand, or hit it lightly on the buffer. Feels like silk. Just don't make the mistake of building up the Tru-Oil real thick. The strength and beauty of an oil finish is in it's thinness. You don't want a handle that looks and feels like plastic.

Hope that wasn't too much information, and that it proves useful. Please let us know how it goes.

Sam :thumbup:
 
Salem Straub said:
Hmm. Actually, the rosewood family, ironwood, and blackwood should be ok to just sand fine and wax finish... they are pretty dense, oily, and stable. Don't know about Macassar, but the Gaboon ebony I've worked with was squirrely enough that I'd be nervous about just wax for a finish. I'd probably go with teak oil or tru-oil there.

Something to consider, is how dry the wood was when the knife was made, the local climate, and whether the knife will end up or be used somewhere considerably more or less humid than where it was made. Those kinds of things tend to matter a lot for non-stabilized woods, IME.
Click to expand...

Salem,
Madagascar is an Ebony and really oily and dense as is!

OP,
I always let my woods of all kinds and untreated especially sit in my shop for at least 6 months before I use them. It's been so darn hot and humid here lately I'm going to leave the batch of Ebony I got in about five months ago sit until Nov.
 
First off, thank you for the compliment Sam! I think the scales came out very nice overall. I kind of wish I had left a little more meat near the upper half of the middle third or so which would have made it a little more comfortable in my hands but overall everything came together nicely.

I didn't wipe it down yet so am glad I got your advice on using a different solvent. Like I said before, wish I had dug a little deeper or asked about what to prep the surface with but so far the scales seem to have bonded well to the steel. I guess time will tell. I ran over today and grabbed some DNA so I'll clean it up tonight and give it's first coat of Tru-Oil. And thanks for the walk through of how you apply it. I used it on the first knife I had made and like the way it turned out but I think the wood on knife will stand out and look better than the first for sure.

And I meant to ask this earlier, but how do you color the carnauba wax? What I've got is the Mothers paste wax which in the can is a slight pink color.

@Rhino - The wood I used for the scales was purchased at Woodcrafters in town here about a year or so ago. We had an incredibly warm Summer here so I hope the additional heat dried it out sufficiently. Is a moisture meter a must and how do you know when the wood is dry enough to use to avoid future issues?
 
Maybe a side note, but for whatever reason, I ended up waxing a natural ebony handle myself. Here is what it looked like:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Lots-of-Belly-(Re-Post-With-Nicer-Sheath-Now)

My wax mixture was: five parts beeswax, one part paraffin wax, and one part 3-IN-1 Oil, by volume. I don't remember if I got that formula from somebody else, or came up with it on my own. I heated it just enough to melt, then dripped it on there, wiped off the excess, then burnished it by hand, probably with denim [Corretion: probably old tee shirt]. I seem to remember using a heat gun, but just remember, if the heat is too much for your fingers, it is probably too much for the wood. You have to be very careful with a heat gun.

I haven't gotten any complaints from the buyer, but would be interested to know how the handle has held up. I wish my buyers would give me some feedback.

Nice work on the handle shaping. I know how tough it is to shape ebony.
 
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As far as worrying about the bond, just use Corby or Loveless bolts, and it ceases to become an issue. I had one set of scales separate on me, using good surface prep and premium epoxy, and I said "Never again." With Corby's or Loveless bolts, it's a done deal. The epoxy just seals the joint to prevent water from getting in.

As far as coloring the wax, you can use pigment or dye. Pigments tend to be a little more colorfast than dyestuff. Dye can be had at places like Hobby Lobby, in the candle making section. Just melt the blocks down and mix into your wax. You can get liquid or powder pigments, and also use universal colorants. They all work similarly. Also, you can check your hardware store for colored paste wax in a tin can. It works good as well.

Look forward to the finished piece.

Sam :thumbup:
 
Those look really nice, wowndeye. Love the Macassar. I'm glad the finishing steps worked for you, and you won't be sorry with the Corby bolts. Once they're on, it ain't going nowhere. Nice work!
 
Colored paste wax is available in cans. It's called shoe polish.
 
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