Knife handles

[tenbears10]

Ok I have finished fitting a handle to the japaneese kitchen knife I got but I need to seal it with oil now. I have looked on British Blades and they have a whole thread but people use mixes of several types of oils and I don't want to buy a load of different things just for the one knife. They have also been really helpful so far and I didn't want to push it with another load of questions.

So what is a basic oil which will look decent? But remember it is a working kitchen knife so it doesn't need to be perfect although it won't go in the dishwasher ('cos I don't own one) it really just needs to be hardwearing.

I have some raw linseed oil but what is the difference between that and boiled linseed?

Thanks in advance guys.

Bill

 

[Paganwolf]

the difference between raw and boiled linseed oil is basically raw oil will stay sticky and take longer to dry and boiled will dry quicker and go harder, with out going into too much detail, Tung oil is a goodie for using on spoons and knife handles used for eating utensils as it is clear and non toxic give it a good rub in and then wipe off the excess several times till sealed......

 

[C_Claycomb]

I would use Danish oil. I have heard from bow makers that linseed oil is water soluble and makes a pretty lousy finish. My experience with it has been that you need to apply coats over a very long period of time.

I have used Danish oil on a number of knives, and spoken to other makers who do the same. It contains thinners and sets in a relatively short time. This setting can be a problem if you just wipe on coats with a rag. The first coat, if it sets, stops subsequent coats from soaking in.

To get around that I tend to fill a jar with the oil and soak the handle for 24hours. This lets the oil soak in further. Then I will wipe thin coats over the surface to seal it.

Birchwood Casey Tru-oil gun stock finish is good if you want to build up a bit of a coating and seal pores.

For wood that will see a lot of water and detergent I prefer wood that is naturally oily like cocobolo and bocote. They are very like the rosewood used on some chef's knives and don't need finishing.

Hope that has helped a bit :roll:

 

[hootchi]

I would also say Danish oil. Can get it at most hardware stores and its what most of the amateur knife makers use, over at BB.

 

[RovingArcher]

I've heard the Danish oil is best for knife handles too, but have no experience with it personally.

 

[tenbears10]

Thanks guys I think the raw linseed will be no good so I will try one of your suggestions and soak for 24 hours then try and build up some extra coats,

Bill

 

[jason01]

Hi Bill

I use linseed oil sometimes mixed sometimes on its own and it does need repeat applications over a period of time (6 months or more) but it will eventually give a nice tough finish. With spoons/Opinels I often submerge in boiling linseed oil which helps penetration but thats not a good idea on an assembled full tang knife or anything thats been epoxied.

More important than the oil used is the preperation, your slabs should be looking glossy just from rubbing before you start applying the oil.

Jason

 

[falcon]

I dabble with making walking sticks for general country use (thumb sticks etc) and traditionalists swear by the use of BOILED linseed oil (branded as such) applied in coats according to the following rule:-
Once a day for a week
Once a week for a month
Once a month for a year
Once a year for life
I have to say that this is perfect for walking sticks, beating sticks etc but would probably result in too thick a coating for a knife handle. The applewood handle on my Bison began to lose a touch of colour after being wet so I applied two coats of boiled linseed oil and lightly sanded it with steel wool when dry. As it wears, particulary after wetting, I'll do the same again but not according to the walking stick maxim.

 

[alick]

Another vote for Danish oil. This is a readymade blend of tung and other vegetable oils etc.

It's durable and often used for garden furniture that lives outdoors.

Details here http://www.rustins.co.uk/Dano.html

I've a number of pieces of furniture made out of a huge slab of burr elm and have finished all of then with danish oil. It brings a lovely glow to the wood and brings out an almost 3D depth to the grain. I use the Rustins version in the link above since they have a good reputation among woodworkers.

Alick

 

[C_Claycomb]

I have never had a problem with Danish oil and epoxied handles, have used it on both full flat tang/slab handles, and on morticed tangs. Soaking in solvent laden things such as wood hardener and Rustins catalysed varnish is asking for trouble though.

I know that Allan Wood uses something very like the Danish oil soak on his Woodlore knives.

 

[jason01]

Chris,

I wasnt suggesting the oil (linseed/danish or whatever) used nomally would cause a problem on a full tang, but if you use boiling oil as I do on some wood (i.e. very hot raw linseed oil/boiled linseed oil) the heat will destroy the epoxy bond as its not very heat resistant and might also cause problems with tang and rivets expanding.

Jason

 

[C_Claycomb]

Boiling oil :yikes: :rolmao:

 

[Tvividr]

the difference between raw and boiled linseed oil is basically raw oil will stay sticky and take longer to dry and boiled will dry quicker and go harder, with out going into too much detail, ......

What Paganwolf said about the differences.

I would use Danish oil. I have heard from bow makers that linseed oil is water soluble and makes a pretty lousy finish. My experience with it has been that you need to apply coats over a very long period of time.

I have used Danish oil on a number of knives, and spoken to other makers who do the same. It contains thinners and sets in a relatively short time. This setting can be a problem if you just wipe on coats with a rag. The first coat, if it sets, stops subsequent coats from soaking in......

I have never heard that about linseed oil with regard to being water soluble, and certainly not about it being a lousy finish. After all linseed oil was traditionally one of the engredients used for the very highly regarded French Polish (although most polishers nowadays use several other types of oil - I know one french polisher who has polishing commisions all over Europe). Although I mainly use Danish Oil on bows, I have never experienced linseed oil to be a completely lousy finish. But I agree that it requires several coats (which should be thinned to go deeper into the wood), and that it takes a very long time to cure.

 

[C_Claycomb]

My feelings about linseed as a finish have come from talking with guys at the BLADE show, and from talking to bowyers and reading about bow making.

Everyone agrees that it needs lots of coats and needs to be applied over a long period. All the makers at the Blade show who used an oil finish, that I talked to, doctored their oil somehow. The high end gun smiths that I have talked to also doctor their oil, boiling it and adding waxes and drying agents (terebene).

Now gun stocks may get wet, but knife handles are almost guaranteed to get soaked! French Polished fine furniture doesn't tend to see the same use conditions as a bushcraft knife. I am not swayed by how traditional a finish is, or whether some group has been using it for years. That does not mean it is still the best stuff.

Maybe I should have been more specific about "lousy" :roll: . Due to the length of time involved, and the processes needed, (boiling, additions to the oil, specific application techniques) linseed is hardly a convenient finish. It is used by master craftsmen who want to let the grain of the wood show and are not concerned with time.

 

[Tvividr]

My feelings about linseed as a finish have come from talking with guys at the BLADE show, and from talking to bowyers and reading about bow making.

Everyone agrees that it needs lots of coats and needs to be applied over a long period. All the makers at the Blade show who used an oil finish, that I talked to, doctored their oil somehow. The high end gun smiths that I have talked to also doctor their oil, boiling it and adding waxes and drying agents (terebene).

Now gun stocks may get wet, but knife handles are almost guaranteed to get soaked! French Polished fine furniture doesn't tend to see the same use conditions as a bushcraft knife. I am not swayed by how traditional a finish is, or whether some group has been using it for years. That does not mean it is still the best stuff.

Maybe I should have been more specific about "lousy" :roll: . Due to the length of time involved, and the processes needed, (boiling, additions to the oil, specific application techniques) linseed is hardly a convenient finish. It is used by master craftsmen who want to let the grain of the wood show and are not concerned with time.

I can agree with that :biggthump

 

[Hoodoo]

WATCO oil is great and highly recommended for canoes with wood trim. This is what is stocked in many canoe stores. WATCO makes a Danish oil but I don't know what the difference is between WATCO exterior finish oil and WATCO Danish oil. I think they are pretty close to being the same thing. WATCO exterior finish oil is designed to penetrate the wood and waterproof it. I use WATCO exterior finish oil on my canoe and on wood knife handles.

 

[Dave Barker]

Danish oil. Everyone goes on about Danish oil.

I don't actually like it. It sometimes destroys the patterning on wood ( if spalted) and if you have coloured the wood then the colours become much duller.

I use either a combonation of boiled linseed and terps, junkers and terps or liberon and terps.

oiling is not to be rshed. it is saturated when it is saturated, then you can make it shiny if you want.