Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 54
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    7

    Default Wooden Knife Handles

    I've got a full tang blade without handles and thought you blokes would have a wealth of knowledge on a finish (for the wood I have yet to select and put on the blade) that'll stand up to the elements. I've done some research and I've read that tung oil/danish oil/pure tung oil both penetrate and seal the timber. But withouth experience I don't know what to buy. Any advice would be lovely.

    I've also used alittle wax before and considered it might be a good secondary sealant, even though i reakon it'll probably rub off, it's something that I can re-apply. Maybe?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    South Australia
    Posts
    140

    Default

    It would if we kow what the knife will the be used for

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Otautahi , Te Wa'hi Pounamu ( The Mainland) , NZ
    Age
    69
    Posts
    0

    Default

    And the wood too

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    kansas mostly
    Posts
    0

    Default

    On the knives I've made, I've use either linseed oil (minimum 3 coats, 5 or more is better) or a linseed oil / beeswax mixture. It's not the best if the wood will be sitting in water but does fine for day to day use. Some woods don't need anything. If you go with the straight oil, expect to refresh the finish every few years. The wax mix has held up for 5 years and counting.

    ron

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Otautahi , Te Wa'hi Pounamu ( The Mainland) , NZ
    Age
    69
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Just lately , I have started dunking my foodbowls in hot RAW linseed oil .
    The wood has to be bone dry of course , so that the oil replaces the air in the wood . I leave it in there until the bubbles stop . That way you know that the oil had gone in as deep as it can possibly can.
    Its' the best water proofing for wood that I have come across , and it won't ever wear off

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    7

    Default

    China: It'll be an outdoors knife. So it'll deffinitly have to be as water-proof as I can get it. Blood and fishgut-proof would be nice too, but I think water proof is the main concern. I don't want the wood to swell once it's on the handle.

    Manuka Jock: I'm still unsure if I'm gonna be lazy with the wood and use stuff I can find locally, e.g: My dad has these old leangths of timber that he used to use to isolate power lines with. It seemed to be nice-ish timber. My other option is this "stabilised" wood I can find online. I'm still not sure what "stabilised" is but I'm guessing it's like force seasoned/treated.

    son of bluegrass: Some woods don't need anything? That sounds handy ! What woods are these?

    Linseed oil: I've heard it can rot or go rancid in the timber, is that true? (that's what lead me to tung oil)

    Dunking in oil sounds effective ! I think that I would give that a shot given the info I've got so far. But would swapping the linseed for pure tung oil be a problem?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Port Pirie SA
    Age
    52
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Take a look here for oil finish info
    ....................................................................

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Otautahi , Te Wa'hi Pounamu ( The Mainland) , NZ
    Age
    69
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hop Thief View Post
    Linseed oil: I've heard it can rot or go rancid in the timber, is that true ?
    Linseed oil is said to be the second oldest wood treatment known to man , after animal fat .
    It does not go rancid in wood . It has been , and still is , used on house decorating , furniture finishing , food utensils , diningware , tool handles , weapons , and so on for thousands of years .
    If it did go rancid in wood , the world would stink to high heaven

    I like your idea of using wood that you come across in your daily like . It has a story to tell eh .
    We woodturners do the same thing . A chunk out of somebodies firewood stack , a bit of fruit tree , a few rounds nicked from the council blokes trimming trees around the town , a tree that we felled for someone for free , swapping with other woodies , etc
    Thats how we get such a broad range of wood
    We hardly ever pay for it , 'cos we don't need to

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    7

    Default

    Manuka Jack: Well you've settled my mind on that question then. Daily life timber it is ! I'll start with dads.

    I'm glad to hear that linseed doesn't go rancid in wood. I like products that are simple and natural. by RAW do you mean Pure? As in not a polymer with thinners and stuff in it?
    Last edited by Hop Thief; 14th July 2010 at 06:51 PM. Reason: grammer

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Otautahi , Te Wa'hi Pounamu ( The Mainland) , NZ
    Age
    69
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hop Thief View Post
    Manuka Jack: Well you've settled my mind on that question then. Daily life timber it is ! I'll start with dads.

    I'm glad to hear that linseed doesn't go rancid in wood. I like products that are simple and natural. by RAW do you mean Pure? As in not a polymer with thinners and stuff in it?
    Yep , thats it , Raw . You might be able to get it from the farm and horse racing suppliers too , they call it Flaxseed oil. It might be cheaper.

    That other stuff sold as 'Boiled Linseed Oil' , is not actually boiled. Its the one that has the chemical driers in it , and is Not particularly food safe .


    Linseed oil is good on metalwork too , the old blacksmiths used it as a finish .
    Google it , you might be able to use it on the blades to in some fashion.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    7

    Default

    I've found a few references now that say it'll prevent rust. Makes it perfect for my knife and axe for both finishing and maintainance. Pretty decent stuff by the sounds of it.

    It seems that the only difference I can find in writting about linseed oil and tung oil is the colour and shade of the finish. The darkening with age of linseed oil sounds very desirable. While the matt finish of the tung does also. Have I missed anything as far as differences go? Wiki seems to think that they both have around-about the same proctectivity and durability. I might even end up doing some test coats of both if I can buy small quantities.

    I found this ( Tung & Linseed Oils ) which gets abit technical but seems to compare the two oils.. but to need to go into such detail to tell the difference between the two tells me that for my needs, their both about the same.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Otautahi , Te Wa'hi Pounamu ( The Mainland) , NZ
    Age
    69
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hop Thief View Post

    I found this ( Tung & Linseed Oils ) which gets abit technical but seems to compare the two oils.. but to need to go into such detail to tell the difference between the two tells me that for my needs, their both about the same.
    For me it is a case of cost and availability .
    The mildew , yellowing and UV issues are not issues to Treen (kitchenware).
    I doubt that they will be with your knives either

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    7

    Default

    Yeah I'm pretty sure the whole mildew thing is extremely rare, lots of people, including yourself, seem to use linseed oil without issue. I'd be pretty chuffed to use either at this point after all this reading. Even Ray Mears supports the old linseed oil !

    I reckon I'll dunk the handles like you said. That should scare off any water that wants to get in.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    South Australia
    Posts
    140

    Default

    Linseed oil is a good finish one advantage is that you can just keep on oiling it, without the need to remove or sand another fininish first, plus over the years it will build up a nice patina. I f you were buildiing a "special ops" type of knife I would use either a epoxy finish or use synthetic scales

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    1,174

    Default

    I find straight linseed takes a very long time to dry so I tend to use BLO on my wooden tool handles.

    However, to speed up final coats drying of both straight or boiled linseed you can always add your own drying agent. An example of his is white shellac. The way I was shown how to do it is as follows

    For tool handles I use 2-3 coats of liberally applied linseed oil and leave it for a few days to dry out a bit, then I use a cloth pad liberally wetted with linseed to which I add 2 drops of white shellac direct onto the cloths (out of date stuff is fine and is a good use of this) and wipe then rub on a coat with that. As soon as that is dry I repeat with the linseed oil cloth pad plus 4 drops of shellac. If the handles ever look dry I repeat the final step. The resulting finish has a real nice feel to it.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •