Osage Orange

[wmhammond]

Customer has ordered a Brisket knife sith an Osage Orange handle. Got the wood and it is dense as hell. Looks like it will sand and finish well. The wood isn't stabilized and will be a "Kitchen Knife" (the blade is CPM-154) so I'm looking for suggestions on how to finish the handle. I'm thinking about sanding to about 600 grit and then cutting some Waterlox Original sealer by about 50% with mineral spirits and applyinga coat of that - letting the grain raise, sanding again with 600 grit and applying a second coat. When that dries sand it to 1000 grit and then buff it. Is that enough water protection for an unstabilized kitchen knife. If not, I need other suggestions. Actually, I would appreciate other suggestions anyway. Thanks for the help,

Wallace

 

[Sean Jones]

I have a kitchen knife in progress with an Osage Orange handle. I was planning on finishing to about 6-800 and then coating with Tru-Oil.

However that's what I've done on all my wood handles, so that may not be the best way to go. I'd like to see what others with more experience have to say.

 

[Randy Lucius]

I haven't made a kitchen knife with Osage but I have made a couple for an avid outdoorsman. Big time waterfowl hunter and uses his knives the way they were meant to be used. In all kinds of weather and environments. He's really put them to the test and they have held up perfectly. They were sanded to 800 grit polished with white compound and then pink. Applied a good coat of wax. I don't think a kitchen knife will see the same tough conditions these were put through. Just caution the owner not to put it through the dishwasher or let it soak in the sink. Hand wash and dry only and it should be fine.

 

[wmhammond]

I haven't made a kitchen knife with Osage but I have made a couple for an avid outdoorsman. Big time waterfowl hunter and uses his knives the way they were meant to be used. In all kinds of weather and environments. He's really put them to the test and they have held up perfectly. They were sanded to 800 grit polished with white compound and then pink. Applied a good coat of wax. I don't think a kitchen knife will see the same tough conditions these were put through. Just caution the owner not to put it through the dishwasher or let it soak in the sink. Hand wash and dry only and it should be fine.
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Hey Randy, that is my normal finish process for any stabilized wood I use and it works great. Thanks for the tip.

 

[wmhammond]

Based on what randy said above I am now thinking about a two day soak in 1/2 Waterlox Marine Solvent and 1/2 Mineral Spirits and then finish as above. What do you think?

Wallace

 

[chrisstaniar]

I don't think I'd do any kind of soak on it. Personally, I'm a tru-oil fan, stabilized or not.

 

[Randy Lucius]

I don't think I'd do any kind of soak on it. Personally, I'm a tru-oil fan, stabilized or not.

Being as dense as it is probably wouldn't soak up very much anyway. I use it unstabilized.

 

[wmhammond]

Thank you so much for your comments. Well, that's kinda my point. my main concern here is to waterproof the wood as much as possible and I think it stands to reason that soaking it for two days will produce more absorption than a 30 minute application of either diluted Tru Oil or Waterlox marine. I guess there must be some downside but I don't know what it is. What am I missing here?

 

[chrisstaniar]

Even with dense woods like blackwood, cocobolo, rosewood, etc. I still do the tru-oil coating. After all the sanding that they get put through they do absorb the first few coats of tru-oil, the rest are protective layers.

 

[soundmind]

Wallace I know your further along in the game than me...but I'll post these pics for what it's worth... it's true oil on unstabized birch which is not a dense wood. I also used it on moose this year and it cleaned up well. Good luck.

 

[Doug Lester]

I made a knife with a Osage Orange handle, the North American species, and it oxidized to a deep russet brown. A very attractive wood. Just coated with boiled linseed oil.

Doug