Waterproofing wooden kitchen knife handles

R

rhubarb7

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Apr 2, 2006
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What's best method for treating wooden kitchen knife handles so water doesn't swell them

Thanks............Ron
 
Keep the handles well oiled with food-safe mineral oil. The type found in a drug store (probably located near the laxatives). Also good for wooden cutting boards. It will prevent wood from drying out and cracking.
 
you can also protect with Briwax (can get it at WoodCraft.com)




best water-repulsion of non-stabilized wood is a heavy layer of coats of polyurethane wipe-on varnish (glossy).
 
If any sort of quality at all, don't soak them in the sink or put them in the dishwasher. :thumbup:

The mineral oil should be more then enough to resist dampness. :)
 
There isn't really a way to water"proof" wooden scales, at least not without ruining any aesthetic look they may have. Tung oil, boiled linseed, danish oil, shellac, wax, varnishes and polys are all good but, in my opinion, like others said, don;t soak or wash in the dishwasher.
 
I second that. Just don't soak the knives in water and you should never have a problem.
Now if it's a handle on one of those old el-cheapo kitchen knives from the 60's made of pine or something, then you should just go out and buy something nicer. :p
 
I've got a knife with wooden scales that is flush with the tang when wet, but they shrink and expose the tang's edges when dry.

Is there any way to get the scales filled with water or whatever and then seal them when they're flush with the tang?
 
Thom, I would say it can;t be done. We can slow shrinking and expanding, but not stop it. When the maker made that knife, ideally he should have scaled the knife when the wood was at its optimum moisture content. But then, when wet or in the middle of July, the wood scales would extend past the blade handle. Also, different woods handle moisture variation differently. Mahogany, for example, is very stable during humidity changes, maple is not. Bamboo, while I don;t know this for sure, should not expand and contract as much during moisture changes.

No matter what we do to wood, even if we encased it in concrete, for example, there's no way to stop the absorbtion and release of moisture - and the swelling and shrinking of the wood fibers. At least, not in our lifetimes anyway. It would take thousands of years to turn wood into "petrified rock"... in that case, maybe there's no moisture transfer.
 
Thanks, StretchNM.

So I'll put the handle in a glass of mineral water and wait 20k years, I guess.
 
I have a junk knife I use for scraping, etc, to save my good knives the abuse. As an experiment, I dipped the wooden handle in a rubber-like compound (forgot the name) that dries to an elastic finish. The compound is sold at hardware stores. It provides a "grippy" feel in hand and completely protects the handle. It withstands the expansion/contraction of the wood (if any) and of the metal tang and rivets without cracking. The knife is still a junker and now ugly as sin. Functional => YES, Pretty => NO

For kitchen knives use pharmacy grade mineral oil to keep the knife food-safe. Soak a rag in the mineral oil. Take a zip lock type plastic bag and turn it inside out to use as a glove to hold the rag. Wipe a generous coat of oil on the handle and set it aside. Repeat over time until the oil does not absorb. With the plastic glove on hand, hold the rag and pull the plastic bag around the rag, turning the bag right-side out. Zip and store until the next treatment. Wipe the excess oil from the handle. Voila! Quick and easy.
 
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