Eric, I use a process that some folks will probably laugh at. But I'm here to tell you that it works and works REAL well.
I use Cutler's Resin on all natural handle materials. I use it as the bonding agent in place of epoxy on full tang knife handles. And I also use it as a final finish for all natural handle materials. The way it works is with heat. When you place your wood handle scales in the hot resin it will bubble like crazy until it gets loaded with the hot resin. I don't know how far it penetrates but it will make the entire handle impervious to water. And I believe that Cutler's Resin will outlast the blade on most any knife. They've found bugs suspended in pine pitch that were carbon dated to millions of years old. Who can argue with that? Cutler's Resin is a mixture of pine pitch, carnauba wax and beeswax. 1 lb. of pine pitch, 1/4 lb. of beeswax and 1/2 cup of carnauba wax is my normal recipe, but you can mix it any way you want to get the results you're looking for.
You have to use this stuff hot because when it's at room temp it's as hard as, well, let's just say it's real firm. You can almost put a dent in it with your fingernail. Now, to me, that's a good thing. Because it stays flexible for temperature variations and vibration like when chopping in a camping situation. I use a trick when I use it as the bonding agent that I should probably mention. I use very thin split leather as a shim between the handle slab and the tang. I soak this piece of leather in the hot, liquid Cutler's Resin until it's completely saturated and then stick it to the handle slab and drill the holes (or you can pre-drill the holes to make it easier) in the leather and pin the handle to the tang. A heat gun is handy for that process. Then I repeat the procedure for the other slab and dip the whole handle in the hot resin until it's completely saturated and immediately clamp it in a vice until it cools down a bit. I then pein the pins (do that while the resin is still a bit gummy and you will get a much better seal) until it takes over for the vice and c-clamps and re-heat the handle with a heat gun and clean up the excess resin. Yes, it's a sloppy procedure, but I haven't found a better way in all my fooling around. And that resin shines up real good with a wool cloth or piece of canvas. I use an old military wool sock. The resin also makes your shop smell nice
As a side note I should mention that I use that handle method on micarta and other synthetic handle materials too. It just doesn't benefit the materials like it does wood, bone and stag.
The only downside is that you're adding another processing station to your shop. But it only takes up a small area because all you need is a countertop hotplate and a small saucepan. Once the resin cools down you can store it anywhare because it will stay put. If you want to know more, email me and I'll give you links to the sites where I buy my supplies. I'd do it here but I don't know if there's enough interest in this old method to go to the trouble.
