wood stain on handles

[enix]

i bought an opinel to mess with and practice on untill i get to makin my own knife. i have sanded the handle down, made a little dip to make pinching the blade eaiser for opening and engraved my enitials (all w/ a dremel) its not bueatiful but was a learning experience. now i want to darken the handle. i am thinking of useing a furninture stain to achieve the color i want and then give it a good soak in some boiled inseed oil. my question is will the stain work, is there a better way? im going for a dark look but do i need to stop a few shades short of what i want because the linseed will darken it more?

thanks for any help.

p.s. i tried the search but its being finaky right now.

 

[Andrew Taylor]

Wood stain is fine for softer woods that have porosity, and for an Opinel it should be fine. The finished colour will be the same as when you put the stain on and it is wet. It will only lighten a little when you add the linseed oil. Tung oil is better BTW. The procedure is to rub or brush the oil on, let it dry for 15 minutes and wipe the excess off. Repeat and on the next coat, after it has dried overnight, rub down with very fine wire wool. Then add one last coat.

When you are making your own knives, buy stabilised wood scales as these are impregnated with resin, are colour fixed and just need sanding and buffing.

(no idea why you didn't get a reply)

 

[enix]

thanks so much, i really do apreciate(sp) your help. i thought that linseed would darken it. i will have to go get some stain and tung oil soon. i will post pics of my first mod to any knife i have ever owned when i am done.
thanks again.

 

[DeadeyeLefty]

Nothing new, just a little to add to Andrew's post:

I've seen the carpenters in the boat shop (where I work) oiling teak by sanding the oil in with wet/dry paper. I assume this is to give it a smoother finish ? (never thought to ask, duh)

Also, there is a tutorial online somewhere (it might be here, actually), where a maker describes how he stabilizes local (Brazil, IIRC) hardwoods for handle scales using a homebuilt vacuum rig. It looked pretty straightforward once you figure out what's supposed to happen.