Do walnut scales need to be stabilized?

R

rockfishbrewery

Joined
Jan 24, 2012
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35
Hello,

I purchased a nice slab of walnut lumber (not sure what subspecies) at the hardware store and want to make my own knife handles out of it.

My questions are as follows:
- Will walnut make a good knife handle even if it's not stabilized? Will there be any issues with cracking?
- The walnut plank I bought was labeled "Walnut" in the store. What species of walnut is commonly used for lumber for mass consumption?


I appreciate any input you may have.
 
Hello Rocky!!
If you use walnut for the handle, it does need to be stabilized! There are only a few types of wood that can handle the abuse without being stabilized. What kind of knife are you going to make and how is it going to be used? If the knife is gonna be a heavy duty user, you might want to consider using a synthetic handle material like micarta or g10. These would hold up to abuse much better that even stabilized wood. Just something I thought you might want to consider!
 
L6steel said:
Hello Rocky!!
If you use walnut for the handle, it does need to be stabilized! There are only a few types of wood that can handle the abuse without being stabilized. What kind of knife are you going to make and how is it going to be used? If the knife is gonna be a heavy duty user, you might want to consider using a synthetic handle material like micarta or g10. These would hold up to abuse much better that even stabilized wood. Just something I thought you might want to consider!
Click to expand...

I beg to differ, my current edc is walnut that is unstabilized, finished with danish oil and from Texas and I'm in California and has not moved one bit. I'm building a rifle that has the original walnut stock from 1918 and it has held up to the abuse of war, storage, and use for almost 94 years! It has been used longer than that and think of 18th century furniture that is still around. Yes, walnut burls benefit from being stabilized, but plain planks should not need it. But do make sure the plank you bought is dry, if from a hardware store it may be "green" or too high of a moisture content. Set it in the shop and leave it for a while (6 months or more) and check to see if it moves or warps.

My edc in walnut

2012-07-02125247.jpg


Saying all wood needs to be stabilized is like saying all steel needs to be stainless!


-Xander
 
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I have used unstabilized walnut and other species on knives that will not see hard use but I found them laying in the bottom of the sink with water around them,(love my wife but sometimes!) and they swelled a little. That is when I switched to using only stabilized wood, what a difference. Now after sanding to around 1000-1200 and buffing them with compounds, they shine and water just beads off them. I have not looked back and will continue to use it for that reason.
 
Always use stabilized woods, if possible. If not, you're only asking for problems(shrinking, cracking, etc..)
 
kiln dried finish grade hard wood lumber will have a moisture content between 3 and 5% so shrinking will not be a problem, however swelling can be a big problem, the best way to avoid that is to apply a sanding sealer, you can buy it premixed or mix it your self, 1 part urethane 4 parts lacquer thinner apply two generous coats, this will stop the wood from sucking up moister from the air
 
Got to agree with fast14riot. Walnut has been used for centuries for all kinds of hard use items without being stabilized. If it's seasoned properly and you use a good quality sealer, it'll work just fine for every day use on a knife. Stabilized is okay if that's what you like and it gives you a sense of security. Be very sure to wear a top of the line respirator when sanding any stabilized wood.
 
This is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt.
Walnut can be used for hard use knives without being stabilized,
IF..... you use walnut that is good and dry (under 10% moisture) and it is finished properly.
The best finish for walnut would be multiple coats of an oil finish properly applied. True-oil or other gunstock finishing oil.
To do it correctly will take multiple light coats over a couple weeks.

These days a lot of makers use stabilized walnut because it is much easier to finish and more durable.
You can get your walnut stabilized by K&G or WSSI for a little over $10 a pound.

When you think of the time savings alone the cost of getting your wood stabilized is not so bad.
 
Burl Source said:
When you think of the time savings alone the cost of getting your wood stabilized is not so bad.
Click to expand...

Hi Mark,

You're certainly right on time savings. My question (for about 15 blocks of Don Hanson's good stuff) is whether stabilizing
and finishing will look as good as careful finishing of the unstabilized wood?

Sorry for the hijack, but I think this is relevant to the OPs topic.
 
Mike Fennessy said:
fast14riot, I really like the shape and color of that knife :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanx! Gotta give credit to my good buddy DanCo (Montgomery, TX) for that! He also made me a pocket special (6"oal 1/16" thick) using the same block of walnut for scales. Its a standard for him.


-Xander
 
Stabilized woods are great but if you want to use the piece you have, just seal it with an oil based finish. Tru-Oil works great and looks stunning on walnut. Just use multiple coats, lightly sand between coats(400-800 grit works well) leaving the dust that forms, then coat over it again. 4-6 coats should be plenty. The reason you leave the in between coats dust in place is that it will fill in the pores of the walnut and level the surface.

Cheers
 
jonekatt said:
kiln dried finish grade hard wood lumber will have a moisture content between 3 and 5% so shrinking will not be a problem, however swelling can be a big problem, the best way to avoid that is to apply a sanding sealer, you can buy it premixed or mix it your self, 1 part urethane 4 parts lacquer thinner apply two generous coats, this will stop the wood from sucking up moister from the air
Click to expand...

yeah, what he said
 
My stabilizer didnt want to stabilize the walnut I got from Don Hanson he said use True oil , He said it would look a lot better.
Anthony
 
Some of my older Chicago Cutlery and Ontario work knives have unstabilized walnut handles. They actually take quite a bit of abuse and have held up fairly well.
 
I'm pretty sure that most walnut lumber is from the black walnut (Juglans nigra) tree. The Carpathian walnut (Juglans regia) is grown for the nuts that we eat. I don't know if the wood is similar or not, but trees grown to produce nuts aren't grown in the same way as when you want to produce lumber. Butternut (Juglans cinerea) makes good lumber but doesn't look like black walnut.

- Paul Meske
 
I just made a straight razor for myself with unstabilized walnut scales about a month ago. No problems so far. I really like its simple large grain and subdued color its very classy I think.
 
Walnut does not need to be stabilized... !! it does however need many coats of linseed oil or other finishing oil .... don't be in a hurry to turn good walnut into fake crap .. enjoy the material for what it is !
 
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