Persimmon anyone?

gaelic forge

Well-Known Member
I try and use local hardwoods for knife handles as much as possible, at least those that I don't stabilize such as osage orange, walnut and black locust. The question I have is: has anyone tried persimmon as a handle material? This stuff is hard! Any feedback on finishing? Tru-oil?
 
Welcome to the Pack!
It sounds delicious. Or very bitter! Can't help you with working it. Never seen a Persimmon tree big enough to get handles out of!
Someone here will know.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
I've turned persimmons and have used it as ferrule material for Japanese Wa handles. Seasoned correctly, it is an absolute wonder to work with. I finished my pieces a bit more traditionally than most using tung oil, followed by shellac followed by polyurethane when used in handles. When turning, a few coating with tung oil or the slower drying linseed oil will give a nice finish.
 
Thanks Mike. Here in central MO it grows in groves and some of the trees are over 50 feet in height with a basal diameter of over 14 inches. When grown in a hardwood stand with overstory it grows very straight with few side branches. What do you recommend for seasoning? I have done air dried walnut in a rick under a pole barn shed roof.....will that work? I might be able to find some dead-seasoned as well. I heard a while back that small scale sized pieces of hardwood could be flashed seasoned in a microwave, but have never tried this.

If anyone needs persimmon email me at drumwinds@live.com and we'll see about it. Ditto for walnut or osage orange. Osage grows like blackberry does in other places! Tough and hard.
 
From what I've read about it at the North Carolina Hardwoods site persimmon is of the same family as ebony. I don't know if it shares the same problem with checking, though. Mike, I would stack it up just like you did for the other woods to dry. I should work fine.

Doug
 
I am not a knife or wood expert, but I will share this. back when they made the wooden drivers and fairway wood, oil hardened persimon was the hardest and usually most prized of wood. I have a old Tommy Armour made in the 50s, oil hardened persimon driver and I don't think you could drive a nil in it. Very solid for wood. Now I use metal like everyone else.
 
Gaelic, I like a slow seasoning for all hardwoods in a cool dry place. Luckily my wife does mind so I have a wire shelf in the living room were the temperature is constant, cool and has great air movement as we always have fans on. This has always worked for me... my grandfather used to dry wood until it was at a stable 10% MC and then he would move it the rafters in his smoke house. This process would take a year to a year and half but it would yield some of the hardest wood that you could imagine. As I imagine that you don't have the time or smoke house, I like to suggest that wood be boiled, left to cool in said water, then removed, allowed to dry for 12-24hrs, then wrapped in newspaper or a paper bag and allowed to dry for a few months. This has always given me great results.

You can choose to microwave, I do with smaller pieces. You have to keep in mind that moisture becomes steam and needs a way out so it looks for the easiest path typically resulting in an explosion of sorts when one gets careless. Typically, only pieces from 1x1 up to 3x3 get 15 seconds, then allowed to cool to room temp, 10 secs, cooled, 10 sec, cooled... for a few cycles until you don't see any signs of moisture, IE, steam, bubbles, or any other sign. Also, make sure you find a cheap microwave that you can designate for wood drying as the smell it produces will never leave your microwave and its not pleasant at all. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
 
Welcome gaelic, I see that you are new, so would like to welcome you to Knife Dogs. I also notice that you and I are sorta neighbors, I live near Stover, Mo.
I have been going to cut a Persimmon tree off of our place and dry some wood also, I have seen a couple of knives at a local show a few years back using it and they were very nice, the guy said he put a super glue finish on them, but I wonder if that would be needed, I intend to try Tru-Oil or have it stabilized.
Good to have another Mo. maker around here, we seem to be few.
Dale
 
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