Joshua, for woods like ironwood and stabilized woods I take them to 1500 to 2000 grit and use a good paste wax. For other woods, like the ones you mentioned I use watco's danish oil. Just follow the directions and put on several coats.

Brion

I had a whole response typed out, then lost it flipping between tabs to add a couple pics.... Here's an abbreviated response:

Here is a pic of a handle I did that I finished off with Tru-oil. I first did a few sessions of wet sanding with Danish oil to help fill the pores and let the wood soak it in. After each wet sanding session, I wiped off the excess and let it dry. After that was all done, I put on a light coat of Tru-oil, then wiped it down and let it dry. Add as many coats as you want and you can knock some shine off with 0000 steel wool.

If I remember right, the above wood is Amboyna burl.

On Blackwood, I've done it a few different ways. First one was: take it to whatever grit, then buff with pink no scratch. It shows the spots that need some more sanding; sand it some more, then back to the buffer. Left a decent finish. The other was: take it to whatever grit, then put several coats of Tru-oil on in the above described manner. It's really important not to rush-if you get some oil that hasn't quite dried and put a new coat over it, you end up having to sand all the way back and start over. Ask me how I know.....

Jeremy

Thanks Jeremy, Just curious what are the phone books holding in the background?

After finally reading the instructions on Tung oil, that's what I now use on most woods.

|quoted:

Thanks Jeremy, Just curious what are the phone books holding in the background?

<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//rolleyes.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':rolleyes:' /> Soooo.....you noticed that, huh..? That little setup right there is my super high tech knife holding system. It's a leftover from my early knife making days. I needed to work on finishing handles with oil and what not, but didn't have anything in the house (where it was warmer) like a vise. You can see I've since gotten a little panavise that works well for me. But, I was working on another knife at the same time (if you look hard, you can see it). I used that big rubber band to hold the two books together, which helps them stand upright by themselves. I slide the paper towel wrapped blade into the larger book to the spine and it holds the handle up so it doesn't touch anything while it dries. There's enough pressure on the books to keep the blade from sliding down and the front of the scales getting goobered up.

I know, pretty sad, but hey-it works. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//wink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

Jeremy

I used to use Tung Oil on my wooden handles and it's an excellent finish. One that I have gone to for the past few years is one that I get from Brownell's. It was designed as a gun stock finish and called "Pro Oil". It's a combination of boiled linseed oil & urethane. It gives a harder finish than most oil finishes, is extremely easy to apply, and has a faster dry time than most oil finishes. I still like Tung Oil, I just prefer the "Pro Oil".

Gary

Josh;

I've went several directions over the years. The ones mentioned seem to work well. The last few years I have been using thinned spar varnish for the seal coat. For some woods I think it is necessary; really hardens it up.

I think the main thing with all of them is very thin and lots of it for your sealer.

Mike

Brion, Karl, Mike, Jeremy and Gary thank you for the info. As always I get great advice from my fellow ABS members. I am going to try the options listed and see how they work our for me. Jared, I had wondered the same thing about the books holding the knife in Jeremy's photos <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> By the way Jeremy, nice handle it looks nice and clean just the way it should.

Joshua - I'm coming late to the party - and am just one goofball out in the Oregon woods so take this with a grain of salt.

All of the above responses sound great.

I've settled on Tru-Oil &/or Permalyn (gunstock treatments) for wood handles on non-kitchen knives. But for kitchen knives - due to the different marketing slant - I'm using coconut oil.

Here's my sum-up of a test I did a few months ago with 20 different treatments - from canola oil to Johnson's floor wax:

http://elementalforge.com/blog/?cat=5

I don't like a "plastic" look/feel - so only one of the treatments had shellack in it - and also I did not test CA glue (superglue).

Here's a photo of a small kitchen utility knife I made recently - coconut oil treatment:

Note that the treatment went in stages (hey - Tru-Oil and Permalyn take multiple stages too): Warm the coconut oil to liquid & soak the handle in it for several hours keeping it liquid - rub clean & let cool - 2 or three repetitions of scrubbing the handle with soapy water/rinse/dry (this raises any loose wood grain) sand at 2000 and repeat.

But seriously - how can you beat gunstock treatments?!?!?

After sleeping on it I owe you two comments on my posting:

(1) My choice of preferred treatment is subjective: if you like a smooth acrylic finish then multiple coats of thin superglue is a great finish. And when I presented the "tortured" test blocks to our local knife-makers' club several folks preferred the "Boiled" Linseed Oil due to it still making the wood blocks look dark and wet (I don't like BLO because it makes the wood look dull to me).

(2) Here's a better description of my coconut oil process:

* Sand the finished (bone dry) wood handle to 1200 or 2000 grit.

* Microwave coconut oil in a glass jar of proper dimensions to suspend the knife handle.

* Suspend the handle in the oil for a few hours, keeping the oil warm & liquid - I set the jar on a block in front of a space heater, but in a warmer climate I expect you could set the jar in direct sunlight.

* Wipe off the excess oil and hand rub the handle shiny (hey - coconut oil is good for the skin so I use bare hands).

* 2 or 3 repetitions of the following:

- scrub handle with hot soapy water, rinse, let dry thoroughly.

- sand off raised grain with 2000 grit.

- hand rub in a dab of coconut oil.

- repeat as needed until no more grain is raised.

That's my 2 cents. Forge On!

Michael

|quoted:

I used to use Tung Oil on my wooden handles and it's an excellent finish. One that I have gone to for the past few years is one that I get from Brownell's. It was designed as a gun stock finish and called "Pro Oil". It's a combination of boiled linseed oil & urethane. It gives a harder finish than most oil finishes, is extremely easy to apply, and has a faster dry time than most oil finishes. I still like Tung Oil, I just prefer the "Pro Oil".

Gary

Is this the stuff, Gary? http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/stock-work-finishing/wood-finishes/pro-custom-oil-gunstock-finish-prod5531.aspx

Mike