Woodchuck Question

etp777

etp777

Joined
Aug 12, 2002
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OK, I have one khuk in process of a 20 coat or so tru oil finish(not sure how many it will be as I've already lost count of where I am so far, somewhere between three and ten). ANyways, after the tru oil, all the threads in here say to finish it with wax. Problem is, I didn't find any threads that said what kind of wax. So if I could get some help on this, would greatly appreciate it. Will post pictures when I finish of course, but probably be a month or so at this rate. :)
 
Originally posted by etp777
Problem is, I didn't find any threads that said what kind of wax.
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I've been using ear wax. ;) :rolleyes: :D Anyone wanna trade for one of my wood handled ones? :confused: :)

Pen uses a product called Briwax If I remember correctly. I generally don't add anything on top of the oil.
 
Of the natural waxes, I think everyone agrees that carnuba is the best. It comes from some kind of palm tree in South America, and is the hardest and highest melting. The pure stuff is applied by dressing a wheel with a chunk of it, and then buffing it onto the handle. It's too hard to do it any way besides heating with friction. With no power tools of any consequence, I've not tried that.

I happen to use something called Howard Citrus Seal. As far as I can tell, it's simply flakes of carnuba wax moistened and partially dissolved with orange oil. For the deluxe wax finsh, put some into a glass jar and carefully nuke in the microwave until it melts, brush it on the handle, let it set up, and vigorously buff. On occasion, I've added a bit of pure bee's wax to it. Somebody on shop-talk forum said that the clear, colorless wax on some Gouda cheeeses (specifically, Laughing Cow brand) is carnuba. I've got a bit I saved from a cheese somebody brought back from Holland, but I've not used it yet. I'll probably just add it to the jar I use in the microwave.

Wax intended for wooden floors, like the original Johnson's paste wax or something called butcher's wax are also recommended. If you bowl, find out what they use on the lanes. That has to be about as tough as you can get. Be careful of stuff intended for car finishes, or linoleum, they can have lots of other ingredients that may or may not be so great for a natural material like wood. I've seen some cautions that people with sailplanes found that such products caused fiberglass to age more rapidly than usual. Simple and old fashioned is the way to go, like the khuks themselves.

I've also treated a couple of leather knive sheaths with a mixture of the Howard product and bee's wax by brushing the melted wax onto the sheath that was prewarmed in and oven at about 150-175 deg F and returning to the warm oven. Hardened up the leather and really buffed up nice.

Renaissance wax is also highly thought of, but I've not tried it. It is a synthetic wax designed for preserving museum artifacts.

Yeah, that tung/linseed oil takes a while to set up after each coat, but the final result is worth it.:) All the more reason to wax the final result.
 
No need to go overboard on waxes. Johnson's Paste Wax is one of the best there is, period!!!
Delta and other hobby tool manufacturers recommend using it on their cast iron machine tables to keep them from rusting. I've only reapplied the Johnson's on my scroll table twice in 3 years and it ain't rusted yet!!!!
And cast iron is notorious for rusting!!!!
Don't think, "Yea it's good on iron, but how about wood?" Johnson's is as fine on wood as it is on steel. I've used it on plain raw wood before for a waxed finish.
The problem most people have with any wax failing is because they don't replace it when it wears off. If there's any doubt wax it again!:D
 
Johnson's it will be for now then, I think. Jsut have to track some down. :) Probalby ehead by home depot tomorrow.

I have heard people on shop talk forum though talk about carnuba wax, I need new buffing wheels before I can try that though. And since part of reason I'm trying to fix these knvies up is tosell them as it seems job isn't paying as much as I thought(we'll see on this next pay check), don't really need to spend any more money right now. :)

Tip on sheathes is appreciated, but for now I still plan on just sending my knives out for ssheathes. Lots easier. ;)

Thanks for tips y'all. Even you Bruise, least now i know what NOT to use. ;)
 
Johnson's got Carnuba and plenty of it.:rolleyes: ;) :D You can also often buy it at your local supermarket.:D
 
I agree with Yvsa...especially since he knows a ton more about knives than I do. But, I went with the old standard in finishing up my AK and WWII. The results are beautiful.
 
I really like way yours turned out btice, part of what prompted me to try this. Luckily, I don' thave to worry about rogue on it, as the villagter didn't have any, and on the other two I'm putting new handles on, so still won't have that problem.
 
Great, ETP. That's how I got started. I wish I had waited to take the picture after I applied one coat of Johnson's Wax. Boy, did it make a difference. Really brings things together.

I put the wax on some of the blades. I wonder if it will be as good as car wax for the metal.

I tried to blue my first khuk last night. The blueing stuck and it's curing with oil right now. However, it didn't come out as even as I would have liked it to. I will have to check the posts and see if I missed any secrets.
 
Originally posted by btice
The blueing stuck and it's uring with oil right now. However, it didn't come out as even as I would have liked it to. I will have to check the posts and see if I missed any secrets.
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two potential problems are cleanliness of the steel,,
and irregular application.

personal experience, guilty of both.
 
Reasons I use Briwax:

  • Easy to apply - no fancy tricks needed
  • Is a mixture of Beeswax and Carnauba
  • Comes in a "clear color" - no yellowing/oranging
  • I can get it touluene-free
  • Works on wood, horn, brass and steel
  • Does not rub off - like paste waxes

Very good multipurpose wax that Wayne Goddard approved as the most rust resistant (check Blade magazine).
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Dean, how do you apply the blueing? I used q-tips and I think that may be to blame for some of the differences. They don't hold a lot of liquid. I made sure to clean the blade with a degreaser and then washed it with a good soap.

Aardvark, I remembered a post here that recommended heating the blade under hot water, which I did. I wondering if I left it under long enough (thought that I did)? The blade can cool off a bit by the time you dry it off and start applying blueing to the second side. Maybe I should do one side at a time? An error in methodology?

Pen, I've checked for Briwax here in town with no luck. I will have to order it off of the internet, which I've been meaning to do.
 
Think I'm going to go with the Johnson's for now, just because I can get it locally and not pay shipping(though I shoudl check Paxtons, as they may have some other options). Where do you get your Briwax Dan? I went to their site, but their "find sellers' link was only for reseller type places, and on ethey brought up for OK had a minimum order of 12 cans, which I really can't see myself using.
 
Ben, I left mine out in ~85-90 degree sunshine for 1/2 hour. The first application, I did one side, then washed it off and did the other. Didn't care for the way that cooled down the blade, so I heated it up again and did the second side (washed and heated). Then, I did both sides at the same time.

In the end, had 3 applications for each side. Looks pretty good, but not as even as I would like. I started out using QTips, but switched to putting some on paper towels and smearing it around for a while, going over all parts of the blade several times. Let it sit a little longer than the recommended 30-60 seconds.

I like it, but nobody would confuse it with a rifle barrel.
 
Aard, I think I will try one of those foam paint brushes next time. I could load it up and maybe make it a little more even. I think doing one side at a time will be better also.
 
Originally posted by btice
Aard, I think I will try one of those foam paint brushes next time. I could load it up and maybe make it a little more even. I think doing one side at a time will be better also.
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Bri-wax sounds like good stuff. If it don't rub off then it's better.:)

I use cotton balls to apply cold blue, but cotton's are getting hard to find in this part of the country.:p

Think about this..... How hot does a hot water tank heat water? Maybe 180* at the most I would say and probably less than that.
Leave your blade in the running water until you can't stand to touch it.
Then when you apply the blueing it turns dark almost instantly. Be careful to not over blue, I've been doing it like this for years.:D
 
I just tried some Birchwood-Casey gun stock wax and it seems to work pretty good. It is probably on the same shelf the Tru-Oil is on.
 
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