Burnt chestnut - why?

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Asteger

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Just wondering. There's probably a simple answer that is known to several people, but the question just came back to me and I am curious to know:

Why is the wood in chestnut wood handles burnt? Is it aesthetic or for some other reason?

Would the handles not last as well if not burnt? There must be some reason.

Happy to hear any ideas.
 
wind88 said:
It smells awesome :)
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Funny enough, I remember reading a recent BST description where the seller received the knife, with burnt chestnut, and couldn't stand the burned smell or so, and so had to sell it. It is kind of tobacco-ish.
 
apart from turning it black (which is a more desirable color than light color), maybe it turns the surface into charcoalish and acts as a form of stabilization?

just guessing.
 
pkjames said:
apart from turning it black (which is a more desirable color than light color), maybe it turns the surface into charcoalish and acts as a form of stabilization? just guessing.
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Yes, interesting - and could be something like that. Thread just started, so no time to read.

But about darker being more desireable - that's debatable! I prefer lighter wood myself. With rough-grained chestnut, darker is probably better as the wood would look a bit crap if not. But not so with many other woods. (I think the ones with more pronounced grains work well.) In the case of chestnuts, I've never been sure if I liked how the charring fades right at the horn ferrule and so looks a bit unfinished.
 
CPD said:
It is exactly as the name implies ... burnt, just on the surface.

Toasting or burning the outer layer of the wood changes the color but more importantly, it alters the texture and improves the grip. As the wood chars, the texture will become more rough from the thermal expansion on the surface. At the same time, the carbon residue from the burn fills wood pores which helps to seal the grain. The combination has both waterproofing impact and adds texture which mproves the grip, particularly when wet.

To make the handle more waterproof you can oil with tung oil or linseed oil. That shouldn't have much impact on the "grippyness" ...

Is it traditional? .... not sure, but it's not a new technique. Shou Sugi Ban is the name of another method of burning wood that been used in Japanese woodworking for hundreds of years as a means of weatherproofing. I don't know if that had any influence on charring chestnut handles for knives, or when charred chestnut started to become more common, but it is a frequent option on Japanese knives.
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To quote a previous reply from another member.
 
... more importantly, it alters the texture and improves the grip. As the wood chars, the texture will become more rough from the thermal expansion on the surface. At the same time, the carbon residue from the burn fills wood pores which helps to seal the grain. The combination has both waterproofing impact and adds texture which mproves the grip, particularly when wet...

Just what I wanted to hear. Thanks.

Von blewitt said:
In the past, I have taped off the ferrule, and used a blow torch to darken that section of the handle, although I think I prefer it as it comes.
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Know what you mean.
 
Has anyone tried this with a regular Ho wood handle? I've got a small MAP gas torch. I' might try it. Just have to remember not to do it on any that have plastic ferrues.

Cheers,

Jack
 
The lighter section has always put me off, maybe ebonizing the whole wooden part of the handle would produce something interesting.
 
I like the white section if the ferrule is a flat black.

I really like white stripes in a black ferrule though, and would rather have a full dark wood section with one of those.
 
jackslimpson said:
Has anyone tried this with a regular Ho wood handle? I've got a small MAP gas torch. I' might try it. Just have to remember not to do it on any that have plastic ferrues.
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I haven't tried it so this is purely speculation (and I'd be curious to see results if someone experiments so I don't want to talk anybody out of it) but I don't think you'll get near the same result. The properties of the two woods are too different. Honoki (Ho wood) has tighter grain and doesn't have a lot of oil or sap. For those reasons it doesn't absorb moisture too easily and it's pretty stabile. But that means it will also burn faster and may not work the same way.

Chestnut has a lot more oil and tannin and more irregular grain ... Chestnut's related to oak, I believe. You'll get charring if you hit either one of them with enough heat, but I'd guess the Honoki is more likely to scorch and it won't build up the same kind of carbon residue. chestnut, the oils and saps melt/carmelize/change and that residue fills wood pores which influences texture . Shou Sugi Ban, as an aside, was mentioned earlier in the string...traditionally that's done with cedar which is an oily softwood. Oilier woods, I think, are a key to the process working best.

Both Ho and Chestnut are softer than oak (and softer hardwoods are better for burn-in handle installs) but if you wanted to get a similar result on a different wood. Oak would be a good bet to try ... end up being like the inside of a bourbon or wine barrel.... Purpleheart is another wood that will change from charring/torch... it's color and texture will change, and the difference remain even after knocking off any residue with sandpaper. I have done that with purpleheart before.
 
Another one of these things on my 'I should try that when I have time'-list.... I have some sugi and some American chestnut, wanted to see what happens when I hold it to a flame...

Stefan
 
apicius9 said:
Another one of these things on my 'I should try that when I have time'-list.... I have some sugi and some American chestnut, wanted to see what happens when I hold it to a flame...

Stefan
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Stefan, for the crazy and coolness factor, how about gunpowder scorching? .... probably sounds crazy but there's a Japanese guitar-maker who does that. He covers the whole guitar top with powder and then a protective blanket ..then lights it up. Look at this video: https://youtu.be/5Jfi0sOawT0 at about the 1:45 mark. The result is pretty wild. I'm afraid to try it on a handle or saya....want to but....bad visions of it being the last thing I ever build...but add another for the crazy bucket-list ideas of "what would happen if..." .... This guy's woodworking is world class too.
 
jackslimpson said:
Has anyone tried this with a regular Ho wood handle? I've got a small MAP gas torch. I' might try it. Just have to remember not to do it on any that have plastic ferrues.

Cheers,

Jack
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I did it on an oval ho handle, it didn't really affect the texture, maybe a little slipperyer, I didn't mind the look, but the member I sold the knife to changed it pretty quickly.
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Von blewitt said:
I did it on an oval ho handle, it didn't really affect the texture, maybe a little slipperyer, I didn't mind the look, but the member I sold the knife to changed it pretty quickly.
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That looks really nice. Maybe I will give the same treatment to my Ginga petty.
 
CPD said:
Stefan, for the crazy and coolness factor, how about gunpowder scorching? .... probably sounds crazy but there's a Japanese guitar-maker who does that. He covers the whole guitar top with powder and then a protective blanket ..then lights it up. Look at this video: https://youtu.be/5Jfi0sOawT0 at about the 1:45 mark. The result is pretty wild. I'm afraid to try it on a handle or saya....want to but....bad visions of it being the last thing I ever build...but add another for the crazy bucket-list ideas of "what would happen if..." .... This guy's woodworking is world class too.
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I'll keep this guy away from my Gibson Les Paul! :stinker:
 
apicius9 said:
Another one of these things on my 'I should try that when I have time'-list.... I have some sugi and some American chestnut, wanted to see what happens when I hold it to a flame...

Stefan
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Perhaps better have a brisket on standby?
 
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