Snakewood finish

wmhammond

wmhammond

Well-Known Member
Anybody got any suggestions on how to finish Snakewood? Man is it dense and oily. I'm suspecting finish it like Cocobolo, Desert Ironwood or Ebony - Teak Oil - or nothing. When I sand it, even with 100 grit it polishes. Could use some help. Thanks

Wallace
 
I'm with you Wallace, I don't have a lot of knowledge about the different woods, but I can tell you that I've experienced the same thing. I did a set of scales in Ebony and a block of African blackwood and they both seemed to be polished and smooth with very little sanding, at least to the way I like a handle to feel. I'm thinking it may have something too do with the stabilization also, but not sure. I seem to be able to get the look I like, but not sure if the oils that are put on are for asthetics or preserving the handle, or both. I'll be following this one to see what some of the more knowledgeable guys have to say, thanks.


Wayne
 
Traditional furniture finishes, like boiled linseed oil will give a nice satin sheen. Many thin coats applied will begin to build up. If you want more filled grain I have used pumice, ( spareingly) rubbed into the grain, along with the linseed oil. And if you want to build more on top of that, shellac is my favorite. Shellac will stick to anything, it is often used between dissimilar finishes as a barrier coat. I use a " traditional flake shellac" ( do not use the premixed stuff in a can) dissolved in denatured alcohol. You can control how thin, or thick you make it. Very simple to make and to use, very forgiving.
You could even alternate 1 coat linseed oil, 1 coat shellac. It would not take much to build a nice finish up on a wood that is as dense as you say. I have used these methods on many large pieces of furniture. Keep the coats thin to give the best water resistance. In the future you can give it a fresh coat of either and it willlook like new again. Try on some scrap first if you can. Ask any questions you might have.
Larry
 
I use a fair amount of snakewood on both kitchen knives and hunting knives. I sand to 800 grit and finish with Formby's Tung oil finish in glossy. It takes only about 3 coats for a decent finish. You can apply more coats if you wish. I have a Chef knife in snakewood that I left unfinished. It resisted washing very well but lost it's luster and contrast in less than 1 year. I used steel wool to remove the tarnish and finished it with Formby's.
 
What about the horror stories concerning snake wood cracking badly over time? Is that due to how it's worked or how it's finished? Or is it just luck of the draw whether you get a stable piece or not?

I have several pieces of unstabilized snake wood and the horror stories have me afraid to use it.


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John, I've heard some of the stories but as oily as it is I can't imagine how it could dry out that much in a short time and it sure as the dickens won't absorb water. My guess is that it wears just about the same as any of the other stabilized wood we use.(I feel like an expert on Snakewood because I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night :) )

Wallace
 
Yes, as far as I know it is so dense and oily that it doesn't need anything. Put it in a bucket of water and see if it floats - ironwood won't I doubt Snakewood will either or if it does just barely. Use it and finish with Tru Oil, it"ll be fine but beware of the McCaffery Tru Oil finger (See my other post) :)

Wallace
 
Snakewood does not stabilize well and is unneeded as stated above. Very dense and will take a high polish. It works best in thinner slabs, its prone to splitting. Its one of my favorite woods.

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Thanks so much, guys. I appreciate it. I love the look of snake wood. I'm happy I ran across this thread.


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I had good luck sanding up to 1500, then using a very soft cloth buffing wheel and some tripoli (brown) or pink compound. I was afraid my expensive scales would split so I took great care that my handle design didn't have the person holding the knife applying a lot of shearing force to the scales (very soft tapered edges with well-placed pins suitable in diameter and not too oversized). But I was still worried that it'd split and it's new owner would be unhappy, so I finished with 4 very thin applications of West system's epoxy with special clear hardener, then baked after all 4 to complete the cure and really harden it up. Possibly overkill but they are still using that knife☺

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