What can mineral oil do for you? (beware, lots of pics)

mikeymoto

mikeymoto

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Besides providing the relief of a much-needed bowel movement (or so I hear!), mineral oil will bring your micarta handle slabs to life! I made that wonderful discovery last night after having read about it here on these forums. I happened to have a bottle of plain old mineral oil so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm impressed! Now I'm never going back.

Here's the oil I used, and an example of a Fire Warden with oil and one without. The Fire Warden doesn't come to life as much as other colors because the handle material is G10.

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Next up was a black DC Warden with micarta scales (as with the rest in this post). BIG difference as far as my eyes can tell. WOW!

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And last but most certainly not least, my newest beloved, the tiger black crinkle warden:

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And one last artsy Ortonized glimpse of the oiled up tiger Warden to give you something more to drool over:

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Looks good. So how long does the mineral seem to last on the micarta handles? Does it dry out pretty quickly, or does it seem to last a bit?

The Tiger Warden looks great BTW.:thumbup:
 
What does that do for grip? Is it a dry feel, or is this mod really for show?
 
I don't know the answers since I just did this for the first time, but it seems to me that the micarta absorbed some of the oil. After applying the oil and wiping the handles down, they do not feel slippery to me.

I can tell the finish won't last long in its high-sheen state because the Fire Warden I've been EDCing lately already shows some dulling from being in and rubbing against the leather Company Store sheath.

I suspect the oil will still offer some protection nevertheless. Or maybe it's just for looks. I dunno.
 
Hmm, I'm holding it now and it is decidedly not slippery. To be honest I did rub down the red warden from the top photo after taking pictures. It doesn't still look that shiny, but it has retained the darker color.
 
I didn't think that micarta was supposed to absorb oils or chemicals. Seems to me the mineral oil just shines up the exterior. I too would be concerned with slipping. They look cool, but I want to keep the blade in hand, not through hand.:rolleyes:
 
Maybe the linen that's the top layer of the micarta absorbs some oil?
 
So will the oil damage the micarta handles at all? (Or G-10 for the matter)
 
Micarta will absorb oil in small amounts. Using mineral oil is one way of speeding up the process compared to what happens with oils in skin through normal use.

I've used mineral oil on a snakeskin Satin Jack, and it deepened the colors very well. After oiling the handle I wiped it very well with a clean cloth, and any trace amount of oil remaining quickly dissipated. It wasn't like holding a greased pig or like using 30-weight; and after a few hours it was back-to-normal as far as holding in hand.

AFAIK mineral oil won't have any effect on G-10 other than to give it a little luster.
 
Deadhead Archer said:
Micarta will absorb oil in small amounts. Using mineral oil is one way of speeding up the process compared to what happens with oils in skin through normal use.

I've used mineral oil on a snakeskin Satin Jack, and it deepened the colors very well. After oiling the handle I wiped it very well with a clean cloth, and any trace amount of oil remaining quickly dissipated. It wasn't like holding a greased pig or like using 30-weight; and after a few hours it was back-to-normal as far as holding in hand.

AFAIK mineral oil won't have any effect on G-10 other than to give it a little luster.
Click to expand...

Cool. Thanks for the heads up. So oil will pretty up handles for a little bit, but it won't last. Could be useful for making handles nice and pretty for pictures.
 
Mineral oil is excellent for wood, bone, antler handles as well. It helps prevent drying out and cracking or warping.
 
Very nice ... I like to oil mine up every couple of weeks ... makes em look real nice. Works well on the G10 too! The trick is to really wipe it down once it's applied.
 
I got a lot of dirt and crud (from manufacturing through delivery) out of the areas between the scales and the rivets. Also the oil should protect the non-coated parts of the blade while in storage.
 
When brave, you then move to Skunk's trick of using stock refinishing oil (Tru-Oil, IIRC). 4 coats makes it shine and still gives good grippyness.

I can't wait to try it on my BATACLE. I keep thinking of selling a kidney and getting a FBMLE just because I think it would look great that way.
 
Very nice pics. I slightly oil the scales as well and wipe the handles very well to get most of the oil off again. The scales fade out a little again but they still look much better and are not slippery at all.
 
Micarta does absorb some liquid. Just get your handle wet and then towel dry it, and watch as the water evaporates out of the micarta. As said, if you wipe it down good after applying the oil it doesn't really affect gripiness. If you decide you don't like it just wash it with hot soapy water and it will come right out.
 
Deadhead Archer said:
Micarta will absorb oil in small amounts. Using mineral oil is one way of speeding up the process compared to what happens with oils in skin through normal use.

AFAIK mineral oil won't have any effect on G-10 other than to give it a little luster.
Click to expand...

Nice Pics, Mikeymoto!!
This is correct.
The red warden is G10, so it didn't change much with the oil, it only got a bit shinier.
The Canvas micarta has canvas that is exposed on the outside. That canvas is what absorbes the oil. And over time, with use, it will darken completely and remain dark.
This is my EDC Game Warden with Black Canvas Micarta. Even if I scrub it with soap and water it will still remain this dark. (Sorry about the crappy pic. I'll take some better ones soon. :o )
GW.jpg
 
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