Treating maple handles

[Andrew Middleton]

I am on the verge of receiving my Alan Wood Woodlore knife (yipee!!!). I am sure this has been covered before, but do I need do anything as far as treating the handle is concerned? I know how to look after the steel, but I am unclear as to what ongoing upkeep is required for the wood, either in normal use, or after full immersion.

 

[Martyn]

Just oil and wax, nothing special.

You can try a good mineral or gun oil, or if you want to keep it tip top, you can try a product called "renaissance wax" (do a search, it's been covered before).

The new handles on both the maple and micarta knives have been super-thouroughy treated and tested (high/low temp/humidity and immersion tested to DEF STAN 00-35 - that's MOD standard if ya didn't know - yup, they're mil-spec). You'll have no issues, I'm sure.

 

[FJS90-91]

I don’t know if your handle got some kind of coating, if not u can always use linseed oil.. If the handle is coated then it depends on the coating..

 

[Andrew Middleton]

I am in possession of some of the much-recommended ren wax. If this works on the whole knife then that's great.

 

[Adi007]

That's only the WS ones ... not the Alan Wood! :-D

The new handles on both the maple and micarta knives have been super-thouroughy treated and tested (high/low temp/humidity and immersion tested to DEF STAN 00-35 - that's MOD standard if ya didn't know - yup, they're mil-spec). You'll have no issues, I'm sure.

 

[Martyn]

I am in possession of some of the much-recommended ren wax. If this works on the whole knife then that's great.

It does, and it is. :-D

 

[Martyn]

From Wilkinson Sword...

Martyn,

The grips are stabilised with Linseed oil. We found that this worked much better than other oils or polymeric stabilizers (for this application). Linseed oil also penetrates well - with 'forced' impregnation, there is a tendancy for oil to 'sweat out' at high temperatures. The grips are finished with a mix of waxes. The grips should be relatively low maintenance even when used in extreme climates. We would recommend periodic re-waxing, however if people prefer an oil finish, the wax can be removed and danish or tung oil can be used instead (regular re-oiling would then be recommended).
We intend to produce a small booklet to go with the knife; this will incorporate care instructions and basic instruction on usage, sharpening, etc. Obviously, though, we need to work with Ray on this, so we will be issuing some basic care instructions in the interim.

So, for future releases, there'll be a booklet, but for now - you have it from the proverbial horses mouth.

 

[Martyn]

That's only the WS ones ... not the Alan Wood! :-D

The new handles on both the maple and micarta knives have been super-thouroughy treated and tested (high/low temp/humidity and immersion tested to DEF STAN 00-35 - that's MOD standard if ya didn't know - yup, they're mil-spec). You'll have no issues, I'm sure.

That would be correct...

again, from Wilkinson Sword...

We are confident with the process we use for treating the maple grips: we have had both types of knives subjected to very harsh climatic tests - high temp/humidity, low temp and immersion, to DEF STAN 00-35. The grip scales on one of the maple knives temporarily showed about 1mm expansion around the edges after being subjected to all 3 tests, but this contracted back after a couple of days at normal atmospheric conditions. None of the knives exhibited any warping, twisting or bowing or loosening of the grip scales.