Looking for handle making solutions

[Duncan Tipton]

Hi everyone,
Do you have any tricks for keeping handle pin material from embedding into handle material causing staining?

I just finished a handle with beautiful white stripe in coco bola that turned dirty from my brass pin stock, and I'm feeling bummed.

Thanks for your time. Duncan

 

[Blackstonevalley]

can you upload a pic?

 

[TacticallySharp]

I use a gum eraser to clean it up on white paper micarta. Works pretty good.

 

[Rudy Joly]

The light bulb finally went on when using white micarta....
Don't use silicon carbide paper or belts in your finishing steps. Next problem was finding high grits that weren't silicon carbide. I found that 'Alox' sheets came in high grits and didn't turn everything black. It's an automotive product and my sheets look on the pink side. Change out the paper frequently or you'll be polishing the dust into the light colored material. I managed to find some up to 800 grit, got to hunt around.

http://www.onlineindustrialsupply.com/inrhpl9x11dr7.html

Rudy

 

[rhinoknives]

Another tip is that Brass/Copper can be just plain dirty.
Along with what Rudy has said about sandpaper I find that stainless and even nickelsilver pin stock are quite abit cleaner to finish.

 

[Duncan Tipton]

Thank you all for the advice. Here are a couple pics. Have any of you had any luck wet sanding wood handles?

 

[TacticallySharp]

Tried it once. Never again. What a mess, I was using brass pins then with tiger maple...

 

[KenH]

What is the problem with wet sanding wood handles? I've wet sanded bright wood on the boat for many years - makes sandpaper last longer.

Ken H>

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

Light colored handle materials always spell L-O-T-S O-F W-O-R-K.

Any "dirt" from sanding, grinding, buffing, or just about any other operation will "load up" the light colored material(s).....when I use light colored handle materials, my whole methodology changes.

 

[Duncan Tipton]

Light colored handle materials always spell L-O-T-S O-F W-O-R-K.

Any "dirt" from sanding, grinding, buffing, or just about any other operation will "load up" the light colored material(s).....when I use light colored handle materials, my whole methodology changes.

Ed,

I'd appreciate it if you would explain your methodology for finishing light coloured handle materials.

Duncan

 

[Duncan Tipton]

Just a report. I wet sanded the handle with good results. There is still metal embedded in the wood, but it cleaned it up a bit and if it were clean to start it just might work. You have to let it dry out before oil as well.

Duncan