bugs eating wood handle!

O

olpappy

Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
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I just received this knife, the sender swears there was no damage when he mailed it, so upon seeing these insect boring holes I assume there may be live bugs actively eating the wood. How can I be sure to kill the bugs before filling and repairing the damage? My first priority is to kill any bugs so they won't spread and start eating any other wood items!

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The handle is probably infested with wood beetles. 2 months ago, after seeing some powdery saw dust and holes in an olive wood piece (natural - i.e. untreated), I sliced up the wood and found 3 beetles and a dozen tunnels. oh I did tried to kill these buggers before slice up the wood: heat, pesticide, sub-merge in water - all failed. I still have no clue how & when these beetles got there.
 
Heat should kill any remaining bugs- put the knife in the oven at 135 degrees F for an hour. Hopefully the prolonged temperature won't affect the laha or wood.

edit - did you notice any fine sawdust in the packaging when you unwrapped the knife?

JR
 
Not sure if this method works with wood beetles but the same thing can happen to cigars with tobacco beetles. In order to kill tobacco beetles that may be in a cigar, you can freeze a cigar for 2-3 days and that should work. Might be worth trying on the knife.
 
Hi OlPappy,
Receiving a Damaged knife, when you paid for a undamaged knife, should mean the maker should make good on the damage.
Repair, Replacement or Refund. Unless the knife was Free to you?
Sincerely,
Dave
 
Maybe its just me, But I do like the look of it with the holes. Looks rustic or old. Like a well appreciated knife carried for years.

But at the same time, I agree with what Dave Loukides said if your unhappy with it!!!
 
A pest exterminator or your county agent should be able to give you some ideas about killing the bugs.

In my last articles in Blade I mentioned my method of preventing insects from working on your handles. I simply mix up some Brownell's Acragals and then dilute it with three parts Acraglas thinner. Rub it into the outer surface of the wood, untill it will accept no more, then wipe it off. Let the Acura glass set up and finish the handle as you want. The insects that like sheep horn do not seem to like the taste of the diluted Acraglass and I have not seen any damaged handles since I started using it.
 
I'd tap the handle to make sure there's no dust comming from the holes and then have it sit on some white paper for a few days to see if there's dust coming from the holes.
If so there likely are bugs in there. When not, then not and fill them with ca of epoxy or so.
But I agree the maker should do this
 
If it's beetles you should be seeing sawdust. it looks like drill bit holes to me though. Anyway, I'd dip it in boiling water for a minute or so.
 
Looks like a Himalayan Imports piece to me. If Auntie or the seller can't/won't help, shoot me a message if you want. I'd be happy to help you rehandle it, if nobody else will.
 
I wonder if microwaving would boil the little critters? Microwave is used by a friend to dry wood out. I need to ask him for details.
 
Thomas Linton said:
I wonder if microwaving would boil the little critters? Microwave is used by a friend to dry wood out. I need to ask him for details.
Click to expand...
I did microwaved (1K Watts) a 5/8 x 8" round olive wood stick (no metal) for 45secs, that didn't kill the beetles. The wood warped a little too from the heat. Exoskeletons creatures can withstand micro-wave must longer than ones think.
 
stereo.pete said:
Not sure if this method works with wood beetles but the same thing can happen to cigars with tobacco beetles. In order to kill tobacco beetles that may be in a cigar, you can freeze a cigar for 2-3 days and that should work. Might be worth trying on the knife.
Click to expand...

I think the cold, very dry freezer would be worse for the wood and organic glue than mild heat.

Heat treating to internal temperature of 135 degrees F for 30 minutes is required to kill all insects for international shipping of wooden crates and pallets, so it should worry fine for killing any remaining critters in your knife.

OT -do you smoke the frozen cigars after they thaw?
 
What you are seeing can be fairly common with Ebony.
We fight with powder post beetles throughout Oregon and California.
The 3 ways to kill them are;
heat - 140f for at least 4 hours
cold - in the freezer 3+ days
poison - apply liberally and seal in a plastic bag so the fumes penetrate the wood, not just the surface.

I like the cold treatment best as it is less likely to cause damage to the wood.

I would not microwave the wood. Some woods will combust internally (don't ask how I know) and you don't know until you see smoke coming out of the bug holes.
 
+1 for the re-handle. Not to be overly picky but based on the pics I wouldn't habe let that out of the shop.
Please do not microwave your wood... And if you do, stop. It simply isn't a proper way of drying wood. Microwaves bombard the water molecules with high energy radio waves causing them to vibrate and boil. Hence, doing so will cause localized rapid expansion inside the wood, and the water will not have time to fully exit the wood and only reconstitute in the less dense sections of the wood causing the tell-tale warping. Kilns dry wood very slowly allowing the water to evaporate and escape via proper osmosis through the wood.
I would question a heat treat from someone as careless with their wood as well... Not trying to hurt feelings or offend, just what works for me...
 
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