"Best" handle treatment

J

JOE68

Joined
Jan 18, 2011
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130
I have read on the various threads that there are certain preferences as to how to initially treat your wood handle with oils( mineral, tung, boiled linseed).
My first question is what is needed to prepare the handle for the oil job? Does it need to be sanded with a high grit sandpaper? soaked thoroughly?
lots of light coats?
My second question is very subjective, but I am looking for opinions.
What oil have you personally used and how did you apply it? Were you happy with the initial results or did you re-do it?
I prefer the wood handles and village finish so I want to make sure that I treat my khukuris with the proper maintenance.
I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. The fact that I live on the Atlantic Ocean and there is constant salt air I believe will eventually lead to issues if I don't maintain my khukuris properly.
Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

Joe
 
The villagers usually come with unfinished wood (i.e. not polished or coated). Really, unless there is something like a lacquer or polyurethane finish, you don't need to sand it first.

For the wood, I usually use boiled linseed oil -- it gives off heat when it dries and darkens the wood a bit. I usually just put some on a rag and rub it in. Let it dry, and then apply another coat. I just keep applying it until it looks good -- sometimes 3 coats, sometimes seven.

When the BLO dries, it leave the wood a bit harder than it was before. It's really noticeable with neem, which almost seems soft enough to compress by hand before treatment.

The blade just gets mineral oil.

I live close to the Atlantic ocean in Florida and have yet to have problems with any of my HI products.
 
JOE68, if you're going to use an oil to bring out the beauty of your wood handles there is one thing you might have to do before treating. The wood may have been buffed with a rouge as a finishing step. If you see a reddish coloration on the handle or in the rings of the handle it has probably been rouged. This rouge can lodge itself into pores and keep an oil from penetrating uniformly into the wood. There is a posting on how to clean the wood handles of this rouge by using Murphy's Oil Soap and without using water. I believe this information is in the Tips, Tricks and Useful Finds thread by Forumite ddean located in the HI Link Library. I would recommend using the Search on that thread for quick access. That is a large thread with mucho information and always worth going to for much shared knowledge.

For treatments to beautify the wood I would recommend going to the Archives and Search for the term "woodchuckery". A Forumite that went by the handle walosi posted regarding his method of using TruOil on the handles that brought out depth and various color streaks from some of his satisal handles. If you want to stay away from driers and petroleum additives in your wood treatment, I would think that pure Tung Oil would be your best bet. It will bring out the depth of the wood and its grain and give it good protection. Its also easy to reapply more oil to touch up any scrapes that may blemish the finish. To get the levels of depth with either method will require some time and many, many coats of either method.

If you're not looking to enhance the beauty of the wood and only want to keep it hydrated and protected in between uses, then mineral or neetsfoot oil (or whatever you have handy) applied as needed or when you thought of it would probably suffice.

I haven't used anything but mineral and neetsfoot oil yet. I did use the Murphy's Oil Soap to clean an over-rouged handle that I had once and it did a good job. walosi's posts got me interested in doing the intensive treatment on at least some, if not eventually all, of my wood handles. Although I haven't begun that process yet, when I do I will opt for pure Tung Oil out of personal preference.

Rick
 
It seems I should probably treat the oak handle on my new 20" Ang Khola to some BLO and the blade to some mineral oil then.
Thanks for the tips guys.
 
I just wipe down the whole khuk with mineral oil and I've had pretty good luck. Living in VT, I haven't had any rust problems except the time I left my WWII in the truck for a couple weeks after some heavy use and it got pretty rusty.
 
Shann said:
I just wipe down the whole khuk with mineral oil and I've had pretty good luck. Living in VT, I haven't had any rust problems except the time I left my WWII in the truck for a couple weeks after some heavy use and it got pretty rusty.
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I live on a an island in SW Florida... I'll be keeping my kurk "oiled up" for sure. ;)
 
For ease of use I just light sand and then treat with Watco Danish oil natural finish. It's super easy to apply, only has to be put on once, wipe off the excess, wait a half hour, reapply, wipe off the excess, and you're done. With a light sanding first, Watco also really pops the grain and adds a lot to handle appearance. (Stickfred has a great point though about first getting any rouge off the handle with Murphy's.)

Other than perhaps using flitz wax or ren wax or something similar on the handle later to keep it polished up, there is no need to ever do anything further.

BLO works just fine though, it just gives a slightly different look.

For horn, leather and steel I use Ballistol generally, as it treats everything at once. For specific applications, I'll use mineral oil on horn, picards leather dressing on leather, and A.G. Russell Rust-Free on the blades, which really protects the steel long-term, and a little bottle lasts forever. I've never personally put mineral oil on wood or leather.

Norm
 
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Thanks for all the input and advice. It is very much appreciated.
I will probably go with pure tung oil as I have used it in the past, but boiled linseed oil may be an option.
Pure neatsfoot oil will be used on the leather as required.
Thanks again for all the help.

Joe
 
JOE68 said:
Thanks for all the input and advice. It is very much appreciated.
I will probably go with pure tung oil as I have used it in the past, but boiled linseed oil may be an option.
Pure neatsfoot oil will be used on the leather as required.
Thanks again for all the help.

Joe
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The Watco natural is cleaner and faster and gives a better look IMO. YMMV.

For the leather, your call, but FWIW I wouldn't use neatsfoot oil. It was meant for living material, cow hooves and stuff like that, and there a bunch of other products better for leather. Check out Pecard's antique leather dressing.

Everything I use I learned from someone here, and Yvsa turned me on to Ballistol, which smells funky and works great on everything (if you have a horn handled kukri you need nothing else for the entire blade, handle and scabbard.) It shines, lubricates, protects, and does a good job cleaning and preserving leather. I have the spray and the liquid; the spray is way more practical IMO.

For leather Steve Ferguson turned me on to Pecards antique leather dressing. The stuff is like butter, and not only treats the leather, but gives it a nice gloss. Neatsfoot oil doesn't do the first very well, and the second not at all. Also the container lasts forever. It costs more than neatsfoot oil but actually works, and Ren wax is more expensive and doesn't work as well or last as long.

I'd take any bet that a scabbard (or any leather) treated with a high quality leather dressing like Pecard's will be more supple, less greasy, and look richer and more polished than anything treated with Neatsfoot oil. It also won't stain, or break down the leather over time like Neatsfoot will.

Just my .03¢.

Best,

Norm
 
Thanks Svashtar.
I'll have to check the local Tandy Leather store and see what they have.
I have used neatsfoot oil in the past on belts and other handmade items to "soften" them and it has worked well, but a leather conditioner may be a better choice for the leather on the scabbard.
 
Svashtar said:
Check out Pecard's antique leather dressing.


For leather Steve Ferguson turned me on to Pecards antique leather dressing. The stuff is like butter, and not only treats the leather, but gives it a nice gloss. Neatsfoot oil doesn't do the first very well, and the second not at all. Also the container lasts forever. It costs more than neatsfoot oil but actually works, and Ren wax is more expensive and doesn't work as well or last as long.

I'd take any bet that a scabbard (or any leather) treated with a high quality leather dressing like Pecard's will be more supple, less greasy, and look richer and more polished than anything treated with Neatsfoot oil. It also won't stain, or break down the leather over time like Neatsfoot will.

Just my .03¢.

Best,

Norm
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Thanks for the info; I hadn't heard of Pecard. I wonder if Pecard's classic leather line wouldn't be even better than the antique leather line unless the leather is already damaged. http://www.pecard.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Pecard&Category_Code=classic
 
heinlein said:
Thanks for the info; I hadn't heard of Pecard. I wonder if Pecard's classic leather line wouldn't be even better than the antique leather line unless the leather is already damaged. http://www.pecard.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Pecard&Category_Code=classic
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It might very well be, and I saw that as well, but like the antique because I can use it on all leathers old and new with good results. I recently brought back an old damaged rifle sling with it, and it took some old mold in the leather right off as well.

The classic leather looks fine but I haven't checked out all the variants for the differences between them.
 
A friend of mine swears by 'pure' Neatsfoot oil and that there is a significant difference between the 'pure' form and other forms - including some that have 'pure' in the label. He says you have to read the ingredients and be on the lookout for 'driers' even in varieties labeled 'pure'.

Can't say I used either for over 30 yrs, but thought I would bring it up.
 
I second the recommendation for Pecard's dressing. It is the only thing I put on my leather products, which are many. Some years ago I picked up a strange little rucksack in a surplus store that is grey canvas with a metal frame and leather straps/support. I put pecards on it and the formerly-dry-as-a-bone leather lived again. When I finally had it ID'd, I was surprised to find it is a German WWI backpack!!! Yes, as in the FIRST world war. Five years and thousands of miles of travel with me later, that pack is going strong. Pecards works wonders applied every six months of normal use or so. About the only thing it CANT do is bond torn leather... I only once gave that pack in as a checked bag with Aeroflot, and it came back missing one of it's straps to connect to your cartridge belt :( I have never produced so venemous a rant to any officials as I did that day. But I digress...


I also support Cpl Punishment's recommendation of linseed oil (for wood, not leather, duh). Specifically, look into a product called "Linspeed." I used it on my rifle and pistol stocks and have absolutely loved the result--an old guy who helped get my Garand working explained that normal linseed oil contains some undesirable element in it that causes it not to dry fully and effectively. Linspeed has been refined to leave just the good stuff in there, and I would stand by that stuff for any sort of tool's wood finishing. Ain't nothing wrong with Tung Oil either, though. One word of caution, linseed oil is a "soft" finish, meaning you will have to touch it up over time. It's not like a polyurethane seal layer. But those do undesirable things to dangerous items you have to grip well....
 
Kenniets said:
I second the recommendation for Pecard's dressing. It is the only thing I put on my leather products, which are many. Some years ago I picked up a strange little rucksack in a surplus store that is grey canvas with a metal frame and leather straps/support. I put pecards on it and the formerly-dry-as-a-bone leather lived again. When I finally had it ID'd, I was surprised to find it is a German WWI backpack!!! Yes, as in the FIRST world war. Five years and thousands of miles of travel with me later, that pack is going strong. Pecards works wonders applied every six months of normal use or so. About the only thing it CANT do is bond torn leather... I only once gave that pack in as a checked bag with Aeroflot, and it came back missing one of it's straps to connect to your cartridge belt :( I have never produced so venemous a rant to any officials as I did that day. But I digress...


I also support Cpl Punishment's recommendation of linseed oil (for wood, not leather, duh). Specifically, look into a product called "Linspeed." I used it on my rifle and pistol stocks and have absolutely loved the result--an old guy who helped get my Garand working explained that normal linseed oil contains some undesirable element in it that causes it not to dry fully and effectively. Linspeed has been refined to leave just the good stuff in there, and I would stand by that stuff for any sort of tool's wood finishing. Ain't nothing wrong with Tung Oil either, though. One word of caution, linseed oil is a "soft" finish, meaning you will have to touch it up over time. It's not like a polyurethane seal layer. But those do undesirable things to dangerous items you have to grip well....
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Kenniets,

Thanks very much for the "linspeed" ref. I have used linseed oil but because it takes longer to dry on some woods have just defaulted to Watco which does a nice job on handles. The only time I refinished a gun stock I used tru-oil, but this sounds like a nicer more muted finish. I'll do a search for it. Thanks again.

Norm
 
Svashtar, the company that makes linspeed is called GB. You should be able to find it on midway or brownells or any number of gun nut websites. "GB Lin-speed"!

And Joe68, sorry I didn't include one of the details you were looking for, which is how to apply it. If I recall, it even explains on the cap. The phrase they use is "moderate finger dunks", applied by hand. Just rub it in with your first two fingers or the heel of your hand. You can rub pretty vigorously, you'll see when it has soaked in and you can let it dry. If you apply it way, way too thick it might have a slightly sticky surface at first. Check out their website, if I recall some people go over the stock (or knife handle) with 0000 steel wool first. I never had to, and my gun stocks shed water like a duck's back. YMMV
 
For treating wood I just use a little Howard's Feed N Wax. All that's in it is beeswax, carnuba wax and orange oil (you could eat it if you wanted to). It protects wood and keeps it hydrated and ever so slightly enhances the grain. It's good for treating things like old milsurp stocks that you don't want to ruin the authenticity of by pimp-shining them with BLO or Tru-oil (Howard's isn't shiny). My friend used it on his villager siru neem-wood handle and it came out pretty nice. It retains the villager quasi-unfinished look but the wood is protected.

+1 on ballistol for Horn, blade and sheath
 
Thanks for the info on the Feed N Wax RobCarter3. I hadn't heard of it and will look into it. Sounds good.
 
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