Question about wooden handle material.

P

phatjohn

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

Anyone ever use mesquite wood for handle scales? Does it need stabilized? If you have used it, how did you finish it? I came into a PLANK of this stuff that looks like it was cut out of the tree trunk. The wood is very nice and the grain has awesome patterns in it and its been dried for years. If you have pictures of any knives with mesquite handles post them up.

Second question, I have a piece of jet black ebony that I just got. It has been coated in wax, how do I get that crap off so I can use it?

Thanks,

John
 
The wax coating on the Ebony was put there to allow it to dry out evenly and not check. I've had some other woods that have been coated like that and I scrape as much of it off as I can and then run it across my grinder with an old coarse belt to get off the rest. Make sure that the wood is fully dry before you use it or it could check on you. I understand that Ebony is bad for that.

Can't help you on the Mesquite. I've often meant to order some for myself but I haven't used it yet.

Doug
 
I've used dry mesquite unstabilized with good results. I like a finely sanded handle 1200-1500 grit and a nice multi coat oil finish. Tru oil, tung oil or danish oil or something similar.

On the wax, scrape it off with a razor blade or something and sand the rest. Like Doug said.
 
I use a ton of mesquite, both dry and stabilized. Works good either way. I'm with John, 800 or 1200, then teak oil or something similar.
 
I second what John said about finishing......Tru-Oil. Be patient, and take the time to put on SEVERAL coats, following the directions on the bottle. After about 10-12 coats (over 2-3 days) it will look great.

Ebony......YUK! Ebony is like concrete....it's not a matter of IF it will crack or check, but rather a matter of WHEN. If you want a dark/black handle matieral, African Blackwood is the way to go.
 
Thanks for the reply's fellas. I should have know better, but using the search function never even crossed my mind.

Ed I think you are the first person I have ever heard that dislikes ebony. Would having it stabilized help keep it from checking?

John
 
Some will tell you that Ebony can be stabilized.....but it's hit-n-miss at best, and it will make no difference in keeping it from checking/cracking. I'm actually a little surprised to hear that I'm the only person you've heard of that dislikes ebony.....the majority of experienced knifemakers I know share my opinon of it.
Whenever I have a client who asks for ebony, I try to steer them towards African Blackwood instead, and if they still insist on ebony, I'll do it for them, but with the caveate that when the ebony checks/cracks, they are on their own.
 
Ed, I think it's because I'm still a noobie knife maker. I read a lot on the various forums and web, but I like to come here to ask questions.
 
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