Bare wood handle treatment

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beanbag
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Bare wood handle treatment

Post by beanbag »

Hello folks,
I have a new Konosuke GS+ with the Kili wood handle. It seems to be bare and untreated wood. While I like that when it gets wet the grip increases, I don't like how food stains can soak into the porous structure. (I haven't used it yet, but that's what I assume) What can I do to semi-protect this handle from staining and getting too soaked without turning it glossy or slippery? Just for reference, I am really happy with the pakka wood handle on my Masutani, since when it gets wet, the grip increases, yet it doesn't swell up or raise the grain of the wood. I have some cutting board beeswax and mineral oil mix coming in the mail soon, but I definitely don't want the handle to feel oily or waxy. I also have a bottle of Formby's tung oil Finish, low gloss, which is actually a combination of tung oil, varnish (or lacquer, forgot which) and a bit of surface roughener for that matte look. Ideally I'd like to darken the wood too while bringing out the grain pattern if possible.

Thanks
taz575
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by taz575 »

I would use Pure Tung Oil, not the Formby's stuff and do several layers. It darkens the wood, brings out the grain, and hardens in the wood, so it semi seals the handle. I have handles with Tung Oil on them from several years before needing a re coat.
d_rap
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by d_rap »

I do use the CKTG wax/mineral oil combination on all my handles. Occasionally I just use mineral oil. I rub it in by hand, leave some excess and let the wood absorb what it will overnight. Then I wipe off the excess and really work it in and polish with one of those soft shoe cloths or cotton. In my experience that treatment doesn't change the feel of the wood at all. And if it did, a gentle swipe with some warm water, mild soap and a rinse would take care of it.
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by FisherMAn1298 »

Try cutting the pure tung oil with cold press orange oil. The pure tung oil doesn't penetrate as well alone. Google it, lots of info on it.Start 50/50 or 75/25 orange oil and reduce it after each coat. Let it sink into the wood so as to maximize your protection. Good luck!
In the immortal words of Ken Schwartz-"Master The 1K."
beanbag
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by beanbag »

IF I go with the tung oil and don't apply too many coats, can I still have a handle that feels like wood and doesn't get slippery when wet?
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by taz575 »

Yes. The Tung Oil soaks in and you wipe off the excess. I usually let it sit on the handle for around 30 minutes and then rub vigorously with a paper towel. Repeat a few times and then let fully dry after the last buffing. Works great on stabilized and non stabilized woods.
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by beanbag »

https://generalfinishes.com/wood-finish ... ure-polish

Is this the right orange oil? It sounds like it is supposed to be a cleaner / polish...
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by beanbag »

Hello folks,
I need some help on the treatment of a knife handle.
I got the Masakage Yuki knife which has some kind of red wood (Cherry?) for the ferrule which is very glossy so maybe it is already varnished / stabilized? And the rest of the handle is some kind of light wood, maybe ho wood.
First I did the treatment with half/half mix of orange solvent and tung oil. A lot absorbed in and especially the end grain at the end of the handle. It wouldn't dry for a long time until I left it in the sun for a while and the heat caused all the excess solvent and oil to ooze out. I wiped that off and then put it in a box with a UV light to try and speed curing. That seemed to work.
Next I sanded with the finest aluminum oxide sandpaper I could find, 400. That worked ok to get the ho wood part smooth, but it also left obvious scratches on the glossy ferrule part.
One question is if there is a sandpaper for wood / varnish that is finer than 400? Yes, I have much finer sandpaper in silicon carbide, but that leaves grey reside from the little grit pieces falling off.
When I applied the next layer of solvent / tung and cure, it caused the grain to raise again and the wood to become rough and hard=feeling.
The next question is should I keep sanding between coats? Or just let the oil pile up smooth out the surface?
Anyway, I next moved on to applying pure tung oil. When it goes on everything looks nice and glossy, but it's not really soaking in any more, and so when I wipe it off half an hour later, most of it comes off and the ho wood is back to being rough and the scratches in the ferrule show up again.

I sort of do like the wet glossy look, but in the end I am going for a texture sort of like pakka wood where it still vaguely feels like wood, doesn't soak in water, not slippery and plastic-y. What should be the final finishing steps?
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by silylanjie »

After Tung Oil you could apply wax or Tru Oil to protect it.
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silylanjie
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by silylanjie »

IMG_20210920_165552.jpg
Here are some handles I did. The the handle in the front I applied Tung Oil and then with Tru Oil (50/50 Blend) which gives it a nice gloss to it. The one in the back is Tung Oil buff it with wax and it has a nice sheen.
Wilson - Just an retired sushi chef
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by FisherMAn1298 »

beanbag wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:13 pm Hello folks,
I need some help on the treatment of a knife handle.
I got the Masakage Yuki knife which has some kind of red wood (Cherry?) for the ferrule which is very glossy so maybe it is already varnished / stabilized? And the rest of the handle is some kind of light wood, maybe ho wood.
First I did the treatment with half/half mix of orange solvent and tung oil. A lot absorbed in and especially the end grain at the end of the handle. It wouldn't dry for a long time until I left it in the sun for a while and the heat caused all the excess solvent and oil to ooze out. I wiped that off and then put it in a box with a UV light to try and speed curing. That seemed to work.
Next I sanded with the finest aluminum oxide sandpaper I could find, 400. That worked ok to get the ho wood part smooth, but it also left obvious scratches on the glossy ferrule part.
One question is if there is a sandpaper for wood / varnish that is finer than 400? Yes, I have much finer sandpaper in silicon carbide, but that leaves grey reside from the little grit pieces falling off.
When I applied the next layer of solvent / tung and cure, it caused the grain to raise again and the wood to become rough and hard=feeling.
The next question is should I keep sanding between coats? Or just let the oil pile up smooth out the surface?
Anyway, I next moved on to applying pure tung oil. When it goes on everything looks nice and glossy, but it's not really soaking in any more, and so when I wipe it off half an hour later, most of it comes off and the ho wood is back to being rough and the scratches in the ferrule show up again.

I sort of do like the wet glossy look, but in the end I am going for a texture sort of like pakka wood where it still vaguely feels like wood, doesn't soak in water, not slippery and plastic-y. What should be the final finishing steps?
I used regular sandpaper up to 3000 grit and it was like glass. I have a wheel soaked in Carnuba wax coming for my 1hp electric polisher. It'll apply the wax at a high speed and it gets a little warm, when I get done buffing like that there won't be any wetness or stickiness left. You can buy one of those small buffing pads that go in a hand drill, the high speed gives you a dry finish. as long as that orange oil is all natural it's the right stuff. As soon as i get the wax wheel beanbag I'll let you know how it works. A small buffing pad with a cordless drill can work wonders.
In the immortal words of Ken Schwartz-"Master The 1K."
beanbag
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Re: Bare wood handle treatment

Post by beanbag »

How did the wax wheel work out?
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