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Carey Mitchell
120 posts
and
11 followers
in over 1 year
in over 1 year
Finish for knife handles
I finished making a couple of chef's knives from Woodcraft blade blanks. I used stabilizes woods for the handles. They were sanded down to 1000 grit, then buffed with compounds down to jewelers' rouge. I still don't get a glossy surface as in previous efforts.
Anyone have a suggestion for a finish that would give me some gloss with polishing? I need something to bring out the figure of the woods.
Anyone have a suggestion for a finish that would give me some gloss with polishing? I need something to bring out the figure of the woods.
Carey Mitchell
5 Replies
not sure carey ive always preferred a matte finish on knives im gonna use. make sure and post the knives when done,
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
You may already know all this, but…Not knowing exactly how they were stabilized, my best efforts to get true gloss require insuring the pores are all filled and leveled. That can be with a pore filler or a film forming finish, but you gotta fill and sand back until it’s totally smooth. Then apply enough coats of a film finish to be able to buff it back as well.
Dull finishes, in my experience, is either a finish with high solids (which can be buffed super smooth but has a hard time looking glossy), or because of pores not being fully filled and leveled. Others with more experience will surely chime in, but that’s been my experience.
Dull finishes, in my experience, is either a finish with high solids (which can be buffed super smooth but has a hard time looking glossy), or because of pores not being fully filled and leveled. Others with more experience will surely chime in, but that’s been my experience.
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
I would go one of two directions. Either a friction finish (shellac and oil, put on in very thin coats and buffed between coats) or buff on some wax and call it good. The three stage Beall Wood Buffer (now sold by Lee Valley) comes with two buffing compounds and a carnauba wax finish which would get you done fairly quickly. It sounds like you’ve buffed with the first two, so you may just need a hard wax finish. Just make sure to protect the blade and your hands.
May you have the day you deserve!
OK, guys, I went with thin CA. Held the knife with blade up and let the CA run down the handle and drip off. Smoothed a couple of places with gloved finger. Ended up with a couple of bumps that I knocked down with 600, 1000 grit. Then went over it all with 1500 grit. Then to the buffing wheel with green, then jeweler's rouge. Had to get some CA off the bolster (or whatever the thing that separates the blade from the handle is called).
I decided not to use the supplied SS rivets, as it would be too easy to sand through the heads ; instead, I drilled out the holes on the blank to 3/16" and used brass rod - it looks much better to me.
It polished up very nicely, and the CA will withstand a lot of use and a reasonable amount of water.
Rocklers had a closeout on this blade for $24; I went back and grabbed 3 more. These will make nice gifts.
I decided not to use the supplied SS rivets, as it would be too easy to sand through the heads ; instead, I drilled out the holes on the blank to 3/16" and used brass rod - it looks much better to me.
It polished up very nicely, and the CA will withstand a lot of use and a reasonable amount of water.
Rocklers had a closeout on this blade for $24; I went back and grabbed 3 more. These will make nice gifts.
Carey Mitchell
Love that grain. What wood is that Carey?
Somebody gonna get a nice gift.
Somebody gonna get a nice gift.
