What type of oil would you use for new walnut scales?

[GunnersFan]

Hey folks. A buddy at work just received his new BK-62. Very nice walnut handle scales. Before use I suggested he oil them for protection, and I thought I’d ask for recommendations as to which oil would be best. Thanks in advance.

 

[Neener Neener]

Renaissance Wax. You can get it on Amazon and a little goes a long way. It's used by museums to preserve and protect all kinds of stuff.

 

[TheEdge01]

Walnut is pretty stable as is. I generally use renaissance wax or a little butcher block oil.

 

[Booba1000]

Boiled linseed oil

 

[Horsewright]

Mother's Carnauba car wax, hands down. All knives that leave this outfit have several coats from stem to stern. Think about it. What does a car wax do? Protect from the elements. Hot sun, rain, snow, mud and grime. I've tried all kinds of other things over the years including Renn wax. Think about Renn wax, designed to protect in an atmospherically controlled environment while literally being handled with white gloves.

Turkish Walnut wet sanded with multiple coats of oil to finish and then several coats of Mother's (the entire knife):

I do use an oil for finishing the walnut prior to finishing the knife. But for additional protection after being finished wax is probably a better deal than an oil. My knives are often displayed for sale in some pretty dusty environments such as this rodeo.

Or at this roping:

Folks and horses walking around kicking up dust, wind, people handling, them dropping them etc. Put em away at night and wipe em down the next morning of the show and they are untarnished, unscratched and unblemished. I can tell ya from having done this for a long time Mother's is the the best I've used by far. I've tried other brands of car wax too and come back to the Mother's. My knives get used in some pretty rugged conditions too. Not like they get babied. They keep on keeping on:

Give er a try.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Watco Danish Oil...... easiest to use. looks awesome.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I use tung oil for my wooden grips as well as ax handles. Seems to last longer and stand up to wet better than linseed oil.

 

[ScarFoot]

Beat me to it on the tung oil. I’ve used it on 5-6 of the knives I’ve made recently and like the way it looks the best. The main thing is to not over oil with whatever you use. It needs to be allowed to soak into the wood not build up on the surface.

 

[Sibyrnes]

I have had good luck with Lin-Speed Oil and Tru-Oil for both gunstocks and knives but I am interested in trying Tung oil. What brand of Tung Oil do you guys prefer? I have read that a lot of the "Tung Oil" sold is actually not Tung oil.

 

[John A. Larsen]

I use Flax Seed Oil (eatable Linseed Oil) on my wooden handled kitchen knives. Works for me, but I am not a using those knives a whole lot, just cooking a couple times a day. John

 

[BJE]

Horsewright , if you like mothers, you will LOVE Collinite, I work in the auto industry and have used most brands and types of wax over the years, preferring a solid paste wax myself, I got turned onto Collinite from pros in the detail industry, it’s awesome stuff, lasts so much longer, is old fashioned and inexpensive.
Hard to find locally as it’s not a marketed brand and used mostly by pros and those who have used it in days gone by. Easy to get online however.

Another honorable mention is meguiers ultimate wax, this and Collinite are the only waxes I spend money on anymore, although mother carnauba is a solid wax that I enjoy using, it just doesn’t last on paint like the other two mentioned above.

To the OP: be careful using things like danish oil and tung oil, most are a blend of drying oils and polymers that dry hard nearly like a thin laquer/varnish, makes applying other oils tough in the future unless you want to actually seal it in that way.

For wood I like nearly any natural oil, and even use motor oil as I always have it on hand, as well as mineral oil. Don’t overthink it, those oils soak in but don’t contain synthetic polymers that harden into a coating like most of the store bought oil treatments for wood do.

Beeswax is amazing for sealing wood and leather, is cheap and lasts much longer than thinner waxes such as ren wax or car wax, but are harder to apply, can get blocks of beeswax very cheaply and heat them up til they melt, then just rub into the wood until it quits soaking the wax up, after it cools, buff to a luster and your waterproof, also offers better scratch resistance than the thinner waxes or oils do. Really buffs out well if that’s something you desire.

 

[Arathol]

If the wood isn't sealed use lemon oil like you would on a gun stock. You can also use food grade mineral oil. I use it on mine-

 

[scdub]

I have had good luck with Lin-Speed Oil and Tru-Oil for both gunstocks and knives but I am interested in trying Tung oil. What brand of Tung Oil do you guys prefer? I have read that a lot of the "Tung Oil" sold is actually not Tung oil.

+1 for real tung oil.

It’s a drying oil, which gives it some of the benefits of wax but with better penetration - especially when used with a solvent:

I’m almost through these bottles. Note that tung oil can degrade if exposed to air, so I’ve kept the bottle full to the top by adding clean, dry gravel to the oil as I use it. No spoilage yet after more than a year or two…

 

[Crag the Brewer]

+1 for real tung oil.

It’s a drying oil, which gives it some of the benefits of wax but with better penetration - especially when used with a solvent:
View attachment 1964937
I’m almost through these bottles. Note that tung oil can degrade if exposed to air, so I’ve kept the bottle full to the top by adding clean, dry gravel to the oil as I use it. No spoilage yet after more than a year or two…

Wine makers trick......well, Sort of.

 

[Blue Serge]

John Boos Mystery Oil works great on walnut.

 

[BigMoney]

Walnut oil

 

[GunnersFan]

Thanks everyone. I’ve passed along the various recommendations to my buddy, and he’ll research them. He wanted me to pass along his thanks as well.

 

[Horsewright]

Thanks everyone. I’ve passed along the various recommendations to my buddy, and he’ll research them. He wanted me to pass along his thanks as well.

Ya bet, my wax answer was made on the presumption that the scales already have a finish on them.If unfinished I'd go with the Watco Danish oil too first and then the wax.

 

[afishhunter]

Doesn't Becker/BK use "stabilized" woods?
If they do, no need to put on anything to "preserve" it, seeing as the "wood" is filled with epoxy, (basically making it a plastic, for all practical purposes) and under a thin layer of epoxy.

On un-stabilized natural woods, be it a knife or firearm with an oiled stock or grips, if I use anything, it's usually Pledge furniture polish. If it really needs sanding down and refinishing (about every 15~20 years, or I got bored and couldn't find something "better" to do, during the dark pre-Internet days) a poly stain/finish (for a different look if a birch stock) or boiled linseed oil.

 

[Arathol]

Doesn't Becker/BK use "stabilized" woods?
If they do, no need to put on anything to "preserve" it, seeing as the "wood" is filled with epoxy, (basically making it a plastic, for all practical purposes) and under a thin layer of epoxy.

The BK-11 doesn't have scales, its sold as a skeleton knife in a cheap sheath. However, all sorts of aftermarket scales are available, many different woods, G-10, micarta etc.