The first question I have is what is the final grit you are taking it up to?

Also, for me personally.....I've never liked steel wool. It's a bit too coarse for my tastes, even the #0000 stuff.

I take my handles up to 1500 grit and buff by hand with polishing paper. I follow that up with wax. I like the Howard's brand feed 'n wax. It's a mix of orange oil and beeswax. Gives it a real nice sheen with just two or three coats.

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The first question I have is what is the final grit you are taking it up to?

Also, for me personally.....I've never liked steel wool. It's a bit too coarse for my tastes, even the #0000 stuff.

I take my handles up to 1500 grit and buff by hand with polishing paper. I follow that up with wax. I like the Howard's brand feed 'n wax. It's a mix of orange oil and beeswax. Gives it a real nice sheen with just two or three coats.

I start with 220 then 320 to 400 to 600 then final on 800

Usually on wood Matthew, I go to 2000 grit and then use a white scotch brite pad which is around 4000 grit. Then I go to paste wax and a buff with a clean soft buffing wheel.

Brion

Thanks for the replies. Going to give it a try tomorrow and see how it goes

With the steps already suggested, Stabilized Maple burl should "pop"......although I have run across some that didn't, and I have to believe it was due to whomever stabilized it.

All stabilizing is not created equal! I've come across some that seemed to remain somewhat "gummy", no mater what I did....those are the ones that would never "pop"....no matter what I tried. If that's the case here, your only real option is to tear it off and use another piece....from a different source.

Don't get too freaked out by that... you will find that removing/replacing a handle/material isn't at all uncommon when making custom knives.....its just something that happens, and we deal with it. Sometime we get so fixated on trying to "save" something, or make it come out the way we want, that it blinds us to the fact that it's just simpler and easier to tear it off and do it again!

|quoted:

With the steps already suggested, Stabilized Maple burl should "pop"......although I have run across some that didn't, and I have to believe it was due to whomever stabilized it.

All stabilizing is not created equal! I've come across some that seemed to remain somewhat "gummy", no mater what I did....those are the ones that would never "pop"....no matter what I tried. If that's the case here, your only real option is to tear it off and use another piece....from a different source.

Don't get too freaked out by that... you will find that removing/replacing a handle/material isn't at all uncommon when making custom knives.....its just something that happens, and we deal with it. Sometime we get so fixated on trying to "save" something, or make it come out the way we want, that it blinds us to the fact that it's just simpler and easier to tear it off and do it again!

"Don't get too freaked out by that" was getting freaked out by that lol. Thanks for saying it. hrmm, good food for thought. Trying it tonight to see if it will pop, if not....rip and repeat

Ended up being the wood. Didn't matter what I did, could never get that cloudy haze from coming off. lesson learned the hard way, as it is my SOP.

All too often in my shop, the saying goes..... Some days you eat the bear.... and some days the bear eats you. By now "my" bear should be so fat that he can't walk! <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Matthew, As Ed said, not all stabilized wood is created equal. Remember what supplier this came from and try to avoid the same problems in the future. I usually purchase stabilized wood from K&G Supplies here in Arizona. They seem to have a good process and stabilizing medium. I have purchased from other sellers and it was hit and miss. A few things about stabilized wood (hereafter referred to as SW) that I have found and may help others are ways of testing and verifying the stabilization.

SW comes in two basic forms, blocks and scales. SW sinks like a stone when fully stabilized, so dropping it into a bucket of water will tell you how well it is stabilized. In my experience, blocks are rarely stabilized through the entire cross section and the center of the block may have just enough of the stabilizer to resist any new finish, such as Tru-oil, wax, etc. So, if you are purchasing a block and splitting it into scales and flipping them inside out to get book matched sides, you may well run into a foggy finish or scales that don't "pop" the way you would like. I have used automotive clear coat (purchased at most auto parts stores) to some degree of fixing this problem. It is extremely thin and soaks into anything that is porous.

I rarely make a handle out of a solid piece of anything other than antler or a naturally oily wood, so I usually buy matched scales when purchasing SW (nowadays anyway). Even if you purchase a block of SW and use it to make a solid, one piece handle, some stabilizers only get enough penetration to go 1/4 inch or so into the block. Of course, it depends on the relative density of the wood, the vacuum level, and the viscosity of the stabilization medium. I have seen pieces where grinding through the outer surface has left a splotchy finish on the surface. I typically will finish any SW handle material to the point where I know it will polish up well before I do my final assembly. This saves me the heartache of having to tear a handle apart and possibly damage the blade or fittings.