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worried about stain
- Thread starter mattd
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 24, 1999
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- 4,981
Go to any decent sized home improvement store. In or near the paint section they will have Minwax gel stains. The color board will be done in white oak and pine. Pick a color you like, it will be pretty close on your handle since its oak.
They don't penetrate super deep either so you would be able to sand it off without changing the handle shape too much if you change your mind once its on.
They don't penetrate super deep either so you would be able to sand it off without changing the handle shape too much if you change your mind once its on.
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2003
- Messages
- 4,270
Watco oil comes in colors also. You get the darkening along with a danish oil finish. I have found their light walnut color to be great for slightly darkening light colored woods including red oak. I haven't tried it on white oak yet.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2001
- Messages
- 20,978
I have used red oak and red mahogany stains on oak and cherry with good results.
Here are a few tips:
Put a little bit of the stain in a clean baby-food jar. Thin it out (water for a water stain, acetone for an oil stain). One light pass at a time. You'll be surprised at how well you can control the color.
When I use a water stain, I seal the wood afterwords with a polyurethane (wipe-on or spray-on) finish. So far, so good!
Most oil finishes will add color, some add contrast, some darken naturally.
Hopefully, you used a saw to profile (instead of the sander)
if so, you should have a scrap or two to practice on...if not...oh, the shame... 
Here are a few tips:
Put a little bit of the stain in a clean baby-food jar. Thin it out (water for a water stain, acetone for an oil stain). One light pass at a time. You'll be surprised at how well you can control the color.
When I use a water stain, I seal the wood afterwords with a polyurethane (wipe-on or spray-on) finish. So far, so good!
Most oil finishes will add color, some add contrast, some darken naturally.
Hopefully, you used a saw to profile (instead of the sander)
if so, you should have a scrap or two to practice on...if not...oh, the shame... 
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2003
- Messages
- 252
Thanks guys! I had a moment of brilliance when I was siting in my chair looking at the handle last night... I decided to read the directions on the stain. 
I put a thin coat of watered down stain and just kept adding stain until I liked what I had.
I don't think I like using oak much. The edges at the ends of the handle are different colors and the grain seems loose.
I put a thin coat of watered down stain and just kept adding stain until I liked what I had. I don't think I like using oak much. The edges at the ends of the handle are different colors and the grain seems loose.
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2003
- Messages
- 2,767
Matt, I used some oak burl with boiled linseed oil on a machete handle, and it worked out GREAT. The wood darkened a little and has held up really good, for a cheap finish. The machete has had a lot of hard use, too. The wood still looks great,too, even after rolled and kicked around in my old jon boat and in the bed of the pickup.
mattd and all,
Wood will accept stain differently as the grain changes. End grain will almost always absorbe more stain. This can be controled by applying a sanding sealer to the wood first. On a knife that will be expected to be handled a lot I wouldn't like a surface finish like that.
One thing you can try is to soak the handle in boiled linseed oil. I leave it in the oil for as long as I can stand to wait but at least a few days. It won't reach the middle of the wood like vacuum/pressure treatment but holds up well. I have a couple in my kitchen that have been used and abused for several years with no noticeable effect.
After the oil treatment you can still add a stain. You can control the color by where you apply the stain and how long you leave it on before wipeing.
Hope my long winded reply hasn't just added confusion. As always this is just what I do, not a recomendation for others to follow.
Lynn
Wood will accept stain differently as the grain changes. End grain will almost always absorbe more stain. This can be controled by applying a sanding sealer to the wood first. On a knife that will be expected to be handled a lot I wouldn't like a surface finish like that.
One thing you can try is to soak the handle in boiled linseed oil. I leave it in the oil for as long as I can stand to wait but at least a few days. It won't reach the middle of the wood like vacuum/pressure treatment but holds up well. I have a couple in my kitchen that have been used and abused for several years with no noticeable effect.
After the oil treatment you can still add a stain. You can control the color by where you apply the stain and how long you leave it on before wipeing.
Hope my long winded reply hasn't just added confusion. As always this is just what I do, not a recomendation for others to follow.
Lynn
mattd and all,
Good question. Boiled linseed oil is not really 'boiled' at all but has an additive that allows it to harden. Regular linseed oil (haven't even seen it for ages) will not harden. Most of the other oils, like tung oil have polimers that increase the hardening rate. I like 'em.
Learning, Lynn
Good question. Boiled linseed oil is not really 'boiled' at all but has an additive that allows it to harden. Regular linseed oil (haven't even seen it for ages) will not harden. Most of the other oils, like tung oil have polimers that increase the hardening rate. I like 'em.
Learning, Lynn
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- Mar 7, 2003
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The Danish oil and tung oil finishes tend to be thinner and sink into the wood better than linseed oil. I recently tried teak oil, which is thinner still and really like it. It soaks into the wood very well and dries hard. It also doesn't darken the wood as much, making it good for the dark oily woods like Ironwood, Bocote, Ebony and others.