Finishing cocobolo wood

A

AJH_Knives

Well-Known Member
So after the final sanding is there anything that you can put on cocobolo? would like to give it a sheen.. any thoughts? The only thing i have done in the past is to buff it out. However it seems to loose it sheen/ shine.

Aaron
 
I have used neutral shoe polish mixed with a little bee's wax and linseed oil. Hand rubbed it and followed with a little buffing. Lasts 6 to 7 months. I instruct my users to do the same.
 
Do I need to do anything to Cocobolo? I have tied poly with mixed results, what about shellac? is it possible to get a finish on cocobolo wood that does not need to be touched up?
 
Natural shellac (1lb cut) works great. Make sure you buy and mix your own flake as the stuff sold premixed isn't as good. When done right, it is water resistant and very durable. My daily use (3 years now) shaving brush is finished with 15 coats of shellac, and its still going strong on some natural curly walnut. Just make sure to use your batch within 6 months to avoid poor performance. Also, rotten stone and steel wool in between coats will help even out any inconsistencies in the finish.
 
Last edited:
I hand sand to 400 grit then hit it on my buffer wheel with white buffing compound. The oils in the wood seem to naturally come to the surface when it heats up from the friction. I have been able to get it to a very high shine and it almost feels like plastic. Very smooth...I have never found I needed to put a "finish" on Cocobolo.
 
You can certainly leave the wood unfinished and rely on the natural oils to provide protection. The only drawback is that the oil will eventually be leach out over time and with normal use. Even worse, regular soap and water will hazen the wood and cause white spotty blotches on the surface. I've found that a finish will decrease the amount of upkeep required to keep it properly. Even an oil and wax finish will help but it needs to be retouched regularly.
 
CA is more complicated than most other finishes and takes a bit of patience and practice to get it right. CA also breaks down with sweat and gets quite messy. Sadly I must admit that I've been superglued to myself, work pieces and tools quite a few times. The oils in cocobolo and other hardwoods also react (unpredictably at times) with CA. BUT if you have the time and patience I'd say go ahead and give it a try.
 
How does one perform a CA finish? I haveFiles it on a piece of mahogany and I did something wrong. I want to do it on my next knife because its the only thing I have.
 
I've read a couple (or more?) methods - Seems the idea is to get a few coats of CA to soak into wood for sealing. The super thin version of CA should soak better into wood than the thicker CA. On my last knife I used CA "super thin", with a powder free latex glove I just rubbed a light coat over wood, let dry, sanded down a bit with 1,000 grit, repeat this for several coats, with final sanding to be everything is nice 'n smooth with no bumps. Finish to 1500 to 2000 grit, then hit lightly on a really clean soft cotton buffing wheel for just a few seconds to make the shine really pop.

I've read to top off with a coat of Renaissance wax polish, then final polish helps protect the finish.

I built a kitchen knife the wife is using with White Teak Burl handles that is finished this way - we'll see how well it holds up over the long haul.

Ken H>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top