Two different knives (picture heavy)

[mr dazzler]

Thinking about it, the fibres are being held in place by the resin, it might actually make it a tad easier to do fine finishes on wild grain such as burr elm. Eg with a scraper which I like to use sometimes. My Dad's firm used to make and sell microtome machines to do tissue sampling. The sample had to be embedded in wax to prevent it deforming with the cut's and so it would show clearly on a microscope slide, I'm thinking maybe this stabilising technique has a similar function, apart from the main one of aparently stopping the hydroscopic action. Like you I loathe dust I have some burr elm in the garage I bought 3 years ago it has been air drying since then. Do you just buy it in that state or do you send it away to get done?

 

[jojo]

Thinking about it, the fibres are being held in place by the resin, it might actually make it a tad easier to do fine finishes on wild grain such as burr elm. Eg with a scraper which I like to use sometimes. My Dad's firm used to make and sell microtome machines to do tissue sampling. The sample had to be embedded in wax to prevent it deforming with the cut's and so it would show clearly on a microscope slide, I'm thinking maybe this stabilising technique has a similar function, apart from the main one of aparently stopping the hydroscopic action. Like you I loathe dust I have some burr elm in the garage I bought 3 years ago it has been air drying since then. Do you just buy it in that state or do you send it away to get done?

I haven't tried with a scraper but I don't see why it wouldn't work. It certainly was fairly easy to sand to a very fine finish and also it appears to be less easy to scratch it again. I haven't used any finishing on this knife handle apart from some finished wax and a good rub.
I bought the blocks from someone on another forum, and they were already stabilised.