walnut oil

[HillBill]

Baking a knife handle will cause it to shrink a little... seeing as though it will be attached to the knife before baking. Leaves pins and tang proud... so needs fettling, which removes the work you did with baking around the tang and pins... only a bit, but it will.

Taking advantage of Charles' Law of gas physics, the oven baking process is vastly superior to any soaking and, you are done, completely, in 3mins, 30 secs. Never again.
I've done it with beeswax over raw birch, a carved dish. Works every bit as well but the initial painting with beeswax was an unbelievable spattered mess in my kitchen.

 

[Robson Valley]

Is it at all possible to oven bake the scales and then do the final fitting/hafting?
Remember, this process takes no more than 3/30. Any longer and I can guarantee that the wood will begin to brown like chips.

In all honesty, I cannot tell you how far the oil gets sucked into the wood.
Clearly, it depends on time, temperature, pressure ,and the details of the wood anatomy (vessel element lengths/diameters/end walls)

 

[Janne]

I got today an answer from the Japanese company. They recommend Magnolia Oil in first hand, Mineral Oil second.
As Magnolia Oil is not something I can get decently easily ( never seen it for sale to my knowledge) I will start using Mineral Oil.

(Might use the engine oil I put in my 575. )

 

[Robson Valley]

Food-grade mineral oil will be just as good as any other vegetable oil on the market.

Critics claim that veg oils will oxidize and thus go rancid.
They neglect to add that the oil has to be exposed to the oxygen in air for this to happen.

So, ignoring them, the oil in the oven baked process has been sucked down inside the wood
where there was no a whole lot of air in the first place.

I have not carved a single spoon or fork for several years. All have the oven baked olive oil treatment.
I do have some left overs that I never sold or gave away. They have no oxidized, rancid smell.

 

[scarfell]

First coat is on this stuff smells beautiful! 1st coat doesnt really show much, plenty more rubbing to come!

 

[HillBill]

How do you mean by the first coat doesn't show much?

The first coat will show everything. Additional coats add depth, but won't bring anything else out that isn't there already.

How high did you go with the sandpaper?

 

[scarfell]

Its literally just had a coat wiped onto it, It hasnt been rubbed at all, which is usually when i start getting happy about finished wood.

I went upto 1200, dont feel the need for anything higher than that

 

[HillBill]

I don't take it above 1000... but i polish with vonax compound and a buffing wheel in my pillar drill after the oil has cured.

Olive wood has nice grain, but never really has other features other than colour variation ( some olive grain is awesome)....It also stays quite dull, compared to other woods which take a nice polish. Its still good though. Love the smell it gives off when working with it... its very sweet.

 

[Robson Valley]

I think of olive wood as being untold thousands of years old. Old orchard wood repurposed.
I like the oiled appearance. The oven-baking process (not my idea) can't be all things to all people.

I've forged some chalcolithic copper knife blades, just as an experiment. Got luck and found/bought some 1/4" copper rods.
Maybe some day I'll find some olive wood for handles. Seems an excellent idea.
BTW, they are just sharp enough to cut carrot and green beans in my kitchen.

 

[scarfell]

I enjoyed working with it allot, not difficult to shape and slow to file down so harder than i expected to get carried away; the smell alone is enough for me to be on the look out for more to make a few more things...buck saw next perhaps lol


Not massively fussed about a show quality sparkly finish tbh, this will be a working knife replacing my old one, my main concern is longevity; but i'm happy with it so far, we'll see how it comes out in a week or two

 

[HillBill]

It may well be just that.... a lot is wild uncultivated stuff though. And thats stuff produces the best grain... The growth is not as even... resulting in some spectacular grain patterns.

I think of olive wood as being untold thousands of years old. Old orchard wood repurposed.
I like the oiled appearance. The oven-baking process (not my idea) can't be all things to all people.

I've forged some chalcolithic copper knife blades, just as an experiment. Got luck and found/bought some 1/4" copper rods.
Maybe some day I'll find some olive wood for handles. Seems an excellent idea.
BTW, they are just sharp enough to cut carrot and green beans in my kitchen.

 

[HillBill]

Being as oily as it is... it lasts a long time. One of the best... along with cocobolo, blackwood, and some of the other tropical hardwoods.

Woods like that are practically waterproof, and only benefit from a looks perspective as far as extra oiling goes.

I enjoyed working with it allot, not difficult to shape and slow to file down so harder than i expected to get carried away; the smell alone is enough for me to be on the look out for more to make a few more things...buck saw next perhaps lol


Not massively fussed about a show quality sparkly finish tbh, this will be a working knife replacing my old one, my main concern is longevity; but i'm happy with it so far, we'll see how it comes out in a week or two