Knife and chisel handle finish

Re: Knife and chisel handle finish

What are you really trying to achieve - glossy or satin finish, long-wearing hard finish, or ....?

While shellac is fantastic for finishing and as an interface between different finishes, I don't consider it a long wearing finish but it is easy to recoat at a later date after cleaning the surface well. Since you've gone to poly I'd continue with it since you've sealed the wood which means penetrating oils won't penetrate.

billh

Re: Knife and chisel handle finish

Bill,thx for the reply Varnish it is.

Agree

I agree that a few wiped coats of slightly thinned polyurethane makes sense. Shellac isn't a tool-handle finish in my book because it's too soluble in things you probably have around the shop -- alcohol, ammonia, etc. 

Re: Agree

Re: Knife and chisel handle finish

For knife handles one generally seeks out materials that can be polished, like Dymondwood (whatever they call it), or various plastics.  These can be buffed.

When using woods like walnut, that have open pores.  One can fill them with drywall compound and then sand them smooth and then fill coat with a liquid that will penetrate the filler, like a spray lacquer. or varnish. This is how guitars are sometimes finished.

Another great way to fill a porous handle wood is to use 5 minute epoxy , and pull it off with something soft, or a squeegee.  One can further coat with a varnish.  Bowling lane or bar finish has become quite popular on guitars, though I would not use it on the softwood parts.

Another method I like is to french polish it with crazy glue.  Just briskly wipe it on and unlike using polish, the glue will harden in the fad, but just keep adding a drop at a time, and rub briskly with long strokes so it doesn't get stuck.  The fad can get hot, and while I have never had any trouble, when you are experimenting, keep a can handy to drop them in.

Ideally for chisel handles I want something harder than maple or cherry.  The Japanese oaks (live oak is said to be similar) are ideal.  I have chisel made of ebony or boxwood, and they were too hard.  It is hard to say how something can be too hard, as one is beating on the end grain which will not yield, but that is as I found it.  I used to be able to get good stock by buying up old Kendo bokans.  For 7 bucks, one bokan will do a lot of chisels.

A tradition option is something like maple with  a hard dowel inserted, where the mallet will hit.  Today one could cast in epoxy, if it was good quality.  A little graphite powder will make it a pleasing black.

As with any such recommendations on finishing, one should run a test piece.  On doesn't want to do a big piece and find your varnish is the only one on the market that doesn't render transparent, the drywall filler.  Or whatever...

Re: Agree

Shellac makes a good handle first coat, but needs something more stable over it. The oils and salts from your hands will eventually attack and break down a shellac finish. Waterlox original works very well as a tool handle finish, if you like the change of color it imparts.

Japanese dip it all in varnish...

... or something like that; for protection. Their new chisels always need to be tuned by the purchaser, and a bare wood finish is the final specification. Yes, that feels much safer and easier to use than slick-finish wood or (god forbid) rubber/plastic. Since I am ham-fisted, the wood is black-gray after sharpening the first time.