Unstabilized Ho Wood Handle Care?

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The two main schools of thought are:

1) do nothing they are made to be replaced

2) treat with mineral oil or a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax. This will help prevent staining but will also darken the color and prevent the wood fibers from standing up when wet.

Edit: 3) replace with a custom handle that the knife deserves. :laugh:
 
Thank you for all the quick replies and the multiple suggestions! I have some time (3 months), so before deciding I'll look around to see what is locally available. When my new knife arrives, I will almost certainly do a few coats of some sort of oil, most likely one of the aforementioned. Does anyone know what the professionals here in Japan normally do?
 
very little to be honest... but tsubaki oil is commonly used for the knives, so some chefs use it on handles too. Mineral oil and beeswax works better though (1:4-ish ratio).
 
Great to hear from you, Jon! I was hoping you were going to jump in. I appreciate you sharing your extensive knowledge. I was mostly just curious, for me this is definitely a case of preferring what works over what is "traditional". The mineral oil & beeswax mix recommendation sounds good!
 
I use mineral oil and beeswax mix. Very easy and cheap to make at home an last a while.
 
That's what I use too. It works pretty well.
 
You're in Tokyo, Man! Pop over to kapabashi dori and start picking peoples brains! Most of us in the States would kill to have that opportunity.
Haha! I'm in Kappabashi every other week, of course looking at knives, but mainly to restock on my custom roasted coffee beans from Union Coffee. It's only about a 10 minute bicycle ride from my home.
 
I tried tsubaki oil and bee wax as well. In the end, I liked tru-oil more. ^^
 
I've used mineral oil, beeswax and mineral oil, and tung oil. They all work. People underestimate how nice ho wood can be when finely sanded and properly finished.
 
the slightly rough texture help with grip though. little things like that by japanese knife makers are what makes the difference. the handles were made to be abused, utilitarian, and at the same time have great grip even when wet. the grip on bare ho wood reminds me of micarta really.
 
I agree. What I meant was that some people assume that because ho is left rough that it is an inferior wood, when in fact it can be quite nicely finished. That it can, though, doesn't mean that it should be.
 
Interesting and valid points dmcurtis, franzb69, and panda. And I agree, ultimately handles should be utilitarian. That being said I'm using my knives at home, not in a super intensive work environment, and IMHO the pinch grip minimizes slippery handle issues. I'll see how the handles on my SS Heiji's are when they get here in February, but I definitely have a preference towards the more finished end of the spectrum. If they are very rough, I may consider doing some work on them.
 
I read somewhere about someone soaking their ho wood handle in mineral oil for about a week. It appeared to darken the wood a bit and bring out a bit more grain, which I am not opposed to. At this point I'm just considering options, but is a one week soak overkill or otherwise a bad thing to do?
 
i soaked mine for a couple of days. i haven't had to soak it again in a matter of months. but with the number of knives we knifeknuts have, it's not like we can get to use them all, all the time.

hasn't given me trouble when it comes to grip, even after the soaking.

i don't mind pretty shiny handles, if you're not working on stuff for long hours at a time and not having an overly wet environment, makes handles slippery.


there's a reason why wa handles are also not glued on, coz some pro kitchen peeps actually take off their ho wood handles so they can let the wood dry out and not rust out the tang. then they just put them back on again.
 
… and when you get bored with oiling plain handles, there are an army of talented makers here who would make and awesome handle for you :knife:
 
the only thing that i don't like about naked ho wood is that when you're working on something that leaves a stain, it'll be next to impossible to remove that stain. it's like patina on your blade but you can't buff it out. lol. or when you're sharpening your knife and some particulates are left, it sticks to your handle. sure you can wash some of it off, but you can never wash it all off. just like micarta.
 
When I was blocking Ahi quarters for banquet sashimi platters.Fish would get on the Ho handle.End of shift would have to scrub handle.

Alot of good suggestions on this site.I like beeswax & mineral oil.Another option is 50/50 pure tung oil & bullseye clear shellac,you can buff it or leave it unbuffed for more grip.
 
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