Smallshop
KNIFE MAKER
Do you suppose a water based seal would be less problematic than oil base applied in a humid environment?
Stabilizing
- Thread starter C Craft
- Start date
scott.livesey
Dealer - Purveyor
no clue. the water based I use is polyurethane for floors, dries clear, doesn't discolor the wood. the only issue I had was repeated washings in very hot water(probably some soak that wasn't reported) caused some bubbling. a floor finish is designed to hold up to foot traffic and not be effected by spills or wet feet. the main plus for me is that the true colors in the wood are seen. ALL oil based finishes I have used or seen the results of darken the wood, especially light highlights of color you find in ambrosia maple.
for prep/applying the finish, i do the same as furniture. hand sand to 180-240, first coat. sand with 320. second coat. sand with 400. third coat. usually enough.
Smallshop
KNIFE MAKER
Ohhh...you have one too....lol
scott.livesey
Dealer - Purveyor
no, have the wife trained. this was a customer.
Smallshop
KNIFE MAKER
I gave up....mostly stainless and plastic handles now...doesn't stop the nicks though...
scott.livesey
Dealer - Purveyor
i find easiest way to care of kitchen knives is be the only cook and lock them up when done for the meal. wife would rather use her pioneer woman knives with the pink flowers on the blade
C Craft
Well-Known Member
Steve, that is what I was looking for exactly!
Ed, I had a bad experience with one I sent out of here to Illinois! The guy complained that the handle had shrunk back some. This is back when I first sold a few. I told him to send it back and I would make it good! He first complained about the shipping, so I told him I would pay the shipping both ways. In the meantime winter turned into summer and they were having some pretty humid days he told me. He decided he was satisfied with the knife and didn't want to take a chance on it getting lost in the mail!
Hell, I ain't stupid! The humidity increased up there and it put the wood back full again, just like it was when I sent out the knife!!
At present most of my knives are sold local and only a few are ordered! Meaning I build what strikes my fancy or in some cases what will build what I am pretty sure will sell about deer season!
That experience with the Illinois knife is always in my mind. I think that is why I was trying to look in depth into the stabilizing of wood. I worked as a carpenter, doing residential, commercial, trim installer, cabinet maker, and furniture maker since the age of 14! One thing I know is wood moves. Some species more than others.
So if I am sure the knife is going from the area or I know it is a wood that moves I will go with stabilized. I still don't think I want to get in to the business of stabilizing!! I have enough going with trying to build knives!!
Ted, I am a firm believer in oil stains and oil finish!! In doing all my woodwork, every time I have used the other alternatives, I ended up regretting it!! Of all the wood I ever finished the best results were always oil or oil base!! I do all my handles like that and here in the humidity it works fairly well!
Ted, I have always said around here. If a product says it has a 20 year life span, you can automatically take 5 years off of that for the heat and humidity. Now if you take that same product and put it on the beach, you can automatically take that 20 year life and cut in half!!
If it isn't a quality stainless steel do not and I repeat do not put it on the beach, cause it will rust out in 10yrs.
Aluminum and even copper oxide so badly that their normal life span is less that half of what it should be. The heat, the humidity and the salt will eat it for breakfast!!
Ed, I had a bad experience with one I sent out of here to Illinois! The guy complained that the handle had shrunk back some. This is back when I first sold a few. I told him to send it back and I would make it good! He first complained about the shipping, so I told him I would pay the shipping both ways. In the meantime winter turned into summer and they were having some pretty humid days he told me. He decided he was satisfied with the knife and didn't want to take a chance on it getting lost in the mail!
Hell, I ain't stupid! The humidity increased up there and it put the wood back full again, just like it was when I sent out the knife!!
At present most of my knives are sold local and only a few are ordered! Meaning I build what strikes my fancy or in some cases what will build what I am pretty sure will sell about deer season!
That experience with the Illinois knife is always in my mind. I think that is why I was trying to look in depth into the stabilizing of wood. I worked as a carpenter, doing residential, commercial, trim installer, cabinet maker, and furniture maker since the age of 14! One thing I know is wood moves. Some species more than others.
So if I am sure the knife is going from the area or I know it is a wood that moves I will go with stabilized. I still don't think I want to get in to the business of stabilizing!! I have enough going with trying to build knives!!
Ted, I am a firm believer in oil stains and oil finish!! In doing all my woodwork, every time I have used the other alternatives, I ended up regretting it!! Of all the wood I ever finished the best results were always oil or oil base!! I do all my handles like that and here in the humidity it works fairly well!
Ted, I have always said around here. If a product says it has a 20 year life span, you can automatically take 5 years off of that for the heat and humidity. Now if you take that same product and put it on the beach, you can automatically take that 20 year life and cut in half!!
If it isn't a quality stainless steel do not and I repeat do not put it on the beach, cause it will rust out in 10yrs.
Aluminum and even copper oxide so badly that their normal life span is less that half of what it should be. The heat, the humidity and the salt will eat it for breakfast!!
bladegrinder
Well-Known Member
That's another reason I never chased home stabilizing Cliff, I feel I have enough irons in the fire without getting more jugs of what not laying around my shop.
I'm only a couple miles from the beach so I know all about corrosion. I ran the leak truck for the gas company I work for for 13 years and can't count how many leaks I repaired on galvanized pipe, mostly right at ground contact due to electrolysis but also a lot above ground that was paper thin from corrosion from the salty air. in the last ten years we replaced just about our entire gas main system, we had a lot of 4" cast iron held together with hub clamps. and believe this, just ten years ago I was re-packing 2" cast iron bell joints with lead, some were the same joints year after year. dig them up, repack them, and back fill. man, that was a young mans job, I'm kind of beat up now but I can still hold my own.
High carbon knives would have a hard time here but there's not much hunting here on the beach
most of the killing around here is the two legged kind unforunatly, that's why I'm escaping to your neck of the woods in a couple years. I started with stainless steel and just always kind of stuck with it except for some Damascus, once I move up there I'll probably use more high carbon, steel doesn't seem to rust over night up there like here.
C Craft
Well-Known Member
Come on up Steve. I just looked to see exactly where you are. My wife had kin there, but I think they have all passed!!
My kids never understood when they were young why we lived in a small town. Now both live here in the same county as me, about 5 miles as the crow flies from me. They both work in the same town I always did but, now they understand why I chose to raise them here! There is a lot to say about a lack of crime and corruption!!
If I had it to do over again, I would bought about 360 acres of woods with a stream running thru it and, built me a house right in the middle of it!!
....................If I had it to do over again, I would bought about 360 acres of woods with a stream running thru it and, built me a house right in the middle of it!!
Cliff - you're talking about my dream house
J. Hoffman
Dealer - Purveyor
C Craft if you are specifically looking for bark pocket, I can help you with both natural and stabilized. I've got a bunch of it.