Oiling handles

Advertise with us
Shop Knives and stones on ebay
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
brainsausage

brainsausage

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2012
Messages
3,447
Reaction score
43
Location
Somewhere else
What's your recommendations in this regard? Do different varieties of wood take to different oils?

- Josh
 
For me it depends on the finish desired. I have been using mineral oil as a base, for a matte finish I use birch wood casey gunstock wax. For a shiny finish I will use Tru-Oil, followed by the gunstock wax.
 
If they aren't too dried out, boardsmith board butter would be good for maintenance
 
I live in a very dry climate and nothing I have found reduces shrinkage. Even when I re-handle I like to let my wood sit for 6 months to a year before use to help minimize it.
 
Maybe you can keep your knives in a mineral oil immersion (handles inside) if you are not using them. You can rotate half of your collection like this. I think they stay healthy then.
 
When mine start to look a little dry, especially the vintage with original handles, I use plain mineral oil. Wipe them heavy, let sit for a few hours, then wipe them off. Seems to work well. For new handles, I just wipe them with mineral oil and wipe them off right away once in a while. Normally when they hit the stones.
 
Board butter here too, then buff with a clean dry towel. If they're particularly bad I'll coat 'em in mineral oil for a few hours, buff, then board butter again.
 
i find beeswax a bit sticky when applied on handles. but maybe i did the mix wrong.
 
If the wood has been stabilized with epoxy, oil probably won't penetrate. For non stabilized wood tung oil penetrates and seals wood well. I have also used bees wax based finishes, made by myself, on bowls that I have turned, and this works well but needs to be buffed.
 
For unstabilized wood, I usually wrap in a towel that is soaked in mineral oil overnight. The next morning, I'll wipe it dry, and apply a coat of Renaisance wax. For the stabilized woods, I'll just add a layer of Renaisance wax when it starts to look a little dull.
 
Food-safe / non-toxic.
Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes are non-toxic and food-safe when dry. Special care and attention should be used when applying the finish with regard to spread rate and adequate ventilation.

There are two basic steps to the drying and curing of a Waterlox Original Tung oil finish:
The first step is the evaporation of the solvent/"carrier" system. The evaporation of solvent usually occurs in the first 2 - 4 hours with proper cross-ventilation techniques.
The second step is the curing of the solids system, which is comprised of the oil and resin. The solids system completes 95% - 98% of it’s complete cure cycle in 7 – 14 days with proper ventilation; full cure, film hardness and chemical resistance properties are achieved in 30 -90 days with continued adequate ventilation.
The only “toxic” portion of the formulation is the mineral spirits, a petroleum distillate, which, as mentioned above, evaporates in order for the finish to dry in the first 2 – 4 hours. A minimum of 7 days should be waited before using the surface. While 95 – 98% of the chemical resistance properties are reached within the first 7 – 14 days, full cure, film hardness and chemical resistance properties are achieved in 30 - 90 days.
Click to expand...

http://www.waterlox.com/faqs/woodworking/food-safe-non-toxic-wood-fnish
 
Jmadams13 said:
I thought tung was toxic?
Click to expand...
Just don't use your handle to stir your food.
OK, I know I am being a smart a**. Sorry.
Are you talking about maintaining old handles or new ones?
Natural or stabilized?
There will be some minor variations of what to do.
 
Burl Source said:
Just don't use your handle to stir your food.
OK, I know I am being a smart a**. Sorry.
Are you talking about maintaining old handles or new ones?
Natural or stabilized?
There will be some minor variations of what to do.
Click to expand...

I have all of the above...
 
My handles are all stabilized wood. What do you recommend to put on them to keep them looking nice and how often should they be treated? Thanks in advance for your time.
 
I use Tung oil 1:10 diluted with orange oil. I usually submerge the handle for a few days in the oil and then let it dry in sunlight since tung polymerises in sunlight. I do the same with sayas, because I'm always afraid of staining them.

Polymerised Tung with orange oil is foodsafe and the orange kills the unpleasant smell of tung.

I posted pictures here. (I don't know if the link is allowed, if not, please delete and let me know.)
 
This is just my opinion and what I do so take it with a grain of salt.

On an old handle I would apply a few liberal coats of cutting board oil until the handle doesn't appear dried out anymore.
After that I would apply a couple coats of wood wax or board butter.
I use Minwax paste finishing wax on mine.

On the new knives and stabilized stuff I just use the paste wax when I think of it.
The wax creates a barrier and makes the wood look better and slows down changes in moisture level.
I treat wood a lot like with a pair of leather shoes. If it is dried out and dull, I oil and wax.

When I wax my handles I use a scrap of cloth and rub in the wax like I am polishing a pair of shoes.
After it sits for about 15 minutes I use a dish towel or ??? and buff off any excess and polish it till it looks good.
 
i understand that many of you use mineral oil and/or board butter for handle maintenance.

do handles made of stabilized wood need that maintenance too? i am asking because i have an yet unsed piece of stabilized oregon myrtlewood (from burl source) which has been sitting around my home for half a year now, and it looks a bit bleached/dry compared to when i bought it...

i am also trying to get mineral oil around the place where i live. wikipedia says that mineral oil = white oil = (liquid) paraffin (oil) = (liquid) petroleum. is that what you guys mean with mineral oil? i can get (liquid) paraffin (oil) at my local pharmacy/drugstore...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top