wooden scales soon finished, how should I treat them?

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Aug 28, 2011
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I'm making wooden scales for a knife, and they are soon done.

I don't know much about wood, so I'm asking you.

how should I treat them for the best durability? is it possible to make them harder?
 
Can you give us some information about your knife and they type of wood you are using? Depending on the species, wood has a very wide variety of physical properties which help determine the best way to treat it.

We just want to give you the best guidance/advice we can.

Ric
 
I'm not entirely sure.

I think I was told it was scots pine by the person who gave it to me. I was told I could use it to make knife handles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_Pine

I don't know if it's suitable for knife handles.

the knife is a benchmade 580 barrage, it's an assisted knife so it opens hard. I don't know if it could make the scales crack.
 
Post pictures when you get a chance so we can all admire your work.

The Barrage is a linerlock so the stress from opening goes to the liner and not the scales.
It should not make your scales crack unless there is already something wrong with the wood.

I can't speak to the suitability of that wood for a knife handle or scale but I would like to hear it
from the experts also.
 
it doesn't have a linerlock but an axis lock. maybe you're thinking about one of the other assisted benchmade knives, I think some of those have linerlocks.

I'll take some pictures.
 
I may have gotten the terminology wrong but I was trying to say that the frame of the knife should
absorb the shock from opening instead of the scale.
 
Pine is soft, porous and prone to weeping.
If you are going to use this for scales I would suggest a CA glue finish.
I have never tried this on pine. I am just basing my suggestion on the characteristics of the wood.
Use thin CA glue and soak the surfaces of the wood and let dry.
Then sand until you go through the glue and start to get to the wood.
Then apply another coat, let dry and sand again.
It will take several coats.

For better step by step instructions you should search the knife makers shop talk sub forums.
Stacy (bladsmth) did a step by step a while back.
 
"Pine is soft, porous and prone to weeping." exactly what I didn't want to hear.

what is CA glue? a quick look at wikipedia told me it was super glue. should I just look for superglue containing cyanoacrylate?
 
"Pine is soft, porous and prone to weeping." exactly what I didn't want to hear.

what is CA glue? a quick look at wikipedia told me it was super glue. should I just look for superglue containing cyanoacrylate?

That's right. It will help you seal the pores. If you don't have any pitch pockets you should be OK as far as weeping goes. If the wood smells a lot like turpentine you might get some sap weeping out when it warms up. Pine sap is pretty sticky. But, the pine should work easily and it should take stain easily befor sealing. You can put a wax finish on it after you seal it.
 
wax finish?

I don't know anything about that. what kind of was should I use? I might not find what ever brand name you mention, so what other uses does this wax have? it'd be nice to know so I can look for wax with those properties. it'll be easier than just looking for wax meant for knives, I don't think it sells very well here.

can someone please explain the use of oil for color? this is all new to me.
 
here are some pictures. I haven't done anything to them yet, and they are still a bit rough.

SAM_0045.jpg


SAM_0044.jpg


SAM_0042.jpg


SAM_0040.jpg


some might say they are to thick, but I made them for myself, and I like them. it feels good in my hand.

I used a video camera to take the pictures, so they aren't crystal clear.
 
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You could get some combination stain/polyurethane at the hardware store. There are a lot of choices and most of them will work. The pine will probably stain darker than the color on the can. Just follow the directions. I think you did a good job for your scales. If you know someone who does a little woodworking they might have some stain and coating you can use. And they might have some advice that would be helpful (ie interior vs exterior coatings). Good luck and let us see your final work.
 
You did a good job on those scales!

If you have problems with the pine getting dents, you might want to upgrade to a hardwood. Check with some local cabinet shops or flooring installers, sometimes you can get some scraps from them which are big enough for scales. I've had success at some of the places that sell recycled building materials, they usually have some hardwood flooring scraps. I found some ipe (Brazilian walnut), oak, bamboo, birdseye maple, and black walnut flooring scraps.

Ric
 
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