Finishing Magnolia Handle

[cjallen]

Hi KKF,

I recently purchased a S. Tanaka gyuto from BST that has an unfinished handle. I believe it to be magnolia with buffalo horn based on another offering.

My plan is to torch it, apply some butcher block conditioner I have laying around (John Taylor), and polish it with 0000 Steel Wool. Seems simple enough, but as it is a first for me, any advice or guidance is appreciated.

 

[Choppin]

I’ve never torched a handle so can’t give any advice there. But I’ve been playing with different finishes on my handles recently.

0000 steel wool works well, some people here advised using a wire brush or Scotch Britte pads to avoid small bits of metal impregnating the wood.

For finishing, any board conditioner works well. I’ve been using a homemade beeswax + mineral oil paste for my burnt chestnut handles. After drying I apply some carnaúba wax and buff. Carnauba hardens and gives a bit more protection, also it gets shiny if you buff it.

For non-burnt handles I use tung oil diluted with limonene 50/50. Maybe it works well on burnt handles but I haven’t tried yet.

 

[tostadas]

Protect the horn before torching.
Go hot and fast.
Brush off the ash with a stiff brush.
Keep in mind that burning removes material, but can also make it swell. So it may result in a step at the transition between materials.

Note that ho wood won't have the same pronounced texture like chestnut or oak when burnt.

 

[gentiscid]

I wouldn’t scorch Ho/Magnolia wood. But you do you.

 

[icanhaschzbrgr]

That's actually a finished handle. At least that's how Japanese makers think

Please post pictures once you refinish it. I don't see how anything can go wrong given you do go berserk with torch

 

[Heckel7302]

Doing a shou sugi ban to a Ho handle looks great and is pretty easy to do. Main concerns are getting the scorch even, not too deep, and not burning the horn.

To protect the horn, I wrap it in aluminum foil. Works well. For the scorching, go easy. Keep the torch at a reasonable distance, not too close. Keep it moving or things can get out of hand quickly. Take special care around any corners, they will burn faster. You can always burn a little more, but you cant take the burn away without deeper sanding.

To finish, yes, light sanding with steel wool then oil/wax is all you need.

Here are some pics of one I did.

Pre burn with foil

Post burn, pre sanding

Post sanding

Finished with mineral oil and beeswax

 

[Rideon66]

I haven't done a burn yet, but planning on it.
There is the option of ebonizing too. It depends on the tannins in the wood, but you can also add strong tea. Both the saya and the handle were white woods. Mixed vinegar and steel wool. Let them sit for like a week. Then just sponge brush the tea on if you want it darker. Then the Iron acetate you made with the steel wool and vinegar. You can go darker with more coats. Apparently if you do enough it gets almost black like ebony.

 

[Jovidah]

Doing a shou sugi ban to a Ho handle looks great and is pretty easy to do. Main concerns are getting the scorch even, not too deep, and not burning the horn.

To protect the horn, I wrap it in aluminum foil. Works well. For the scorching, go easy. Keep the torch at a reasonable distance, not too close. Keep it moving or things can get out of hand quickly. Take special care around any corners, they will burn faster. You can always burn a little more, but you cant take the burn away without deeper sanding.

To finish, yes, light sanding with steel wool then oil/wax is all you need.

Here are some pics of one I did.

Pre burn with foil
View attachment 272816View attachment 272815
Post burn, pre sanding
View attachment 272814
Post sanding
View attachment 272813
Finished with mineral oil and beeswax
View attachment 272812View attachment 272811View attachment 272810

Nice Mazaki...

 

[cjallen]

Doing a shou sugi ban to a Ho handle looks great and is pretty easy to do. Main concerns are getting the scorch even, not too deep, and not burning the horn.

To protect the horn, I wrap it in aluminum foil. Works well. For the scorching, go easy. Keep the torch at a reasonable distance, not too close. Keep it moving or things can get out of hand quickly. Take special care around any corners, they will burn faster. You can always burn a little more, but you cant take the burn away without deeper sanding.

To finish, yes, light sanding with steel wool then oil/wax is all you need.

Here are some pics of one I did.

Pre burn with foil
View attachment 272816View attachment 272815
Post burn, pre sanding
View attachment 272814
Post sanding
View attachment 272813
Finished with mineral oil and beeswax
View attachment 272812View attachment 272811View attachment 272810

This is awesome. Is the handle magnolia as well? That is how I am hoping it turns out.

 

[Heckel7302]

This is awesome. Is the handle magnolia as well? That is how I am hoping it turns out.

Yup. Magnolia and black horn. Good luck! It's not hard. Whole process took me about 20 minutes from beginning to end.

 

[cjallen]

I finally got around to this. I torched it, sanded it with 0000 steel wool, and finished with a mineral oil + beeswax mix. Since I am unfamiliar with magnolia, or wood properties in general, the charring went a bit farther than I would have liked because it burned very quickly. Overall, pretty happy with the results and prefer it to the before. Thank you all for the advice.

Before

After (pictures are a bit dark)

 

[Heckel7302]

Nice! Fun little project. Looks bad a**.