Penan
Well-Known Member
Hello, I just bought a 240mm SS clad Toyama with a wooden handle. It's a great knife and I really want to take care of the knife, how do you do to take care of wooden handles so they don't dry out?
How do you take care of wooden handles?
- Thread starter Penan
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Nice pickup.
Mineral oil, camellia oil, or a board butter type concoction (wax/oil mix) are all fine. I use the latter just because it's what I happen to have handy and it works nicely.
Mineral oil, camellia oil, or a board butter type concoction (wax/oil mix) are all fine. I use the latter just because it's what I happen to have handy and it works nicely.
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
I like mineral oil and beeswax on my ho wood handles. Very easy to apply
I like a mineral oil/beeswax combo as well. I found ours at a local hardware store.
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
You can also make your own by warming up the beeswax/mineral oil and mixing at a ratio of anywhere from 1:10 to 1:4 (wax: oil).
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Tung oil is perfect, and after the oil has dried (1-3 days), cover the handle with Shellac. As the shellac wears off, it is easy to restore the surface. And the handles on your knives will always be like new 
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by using it frequently
Penan
Well-Known Member
Thank you! I use a coconut oil beeswax mix for my wooden board, do you think that will be good for handles as well?
Do you mix them yourself and at what ratio then or do you buy them already mixed together?
Awesome, I've done that for my wooden board with coconut oil and beeswax at a 10:1 ratio.You can also make your own by warming up the beeswax/mineral oil and mixing at a ratio of anywhere from 1:10 to 1:4 (waxil).
That's some great looking handles, might have to try tung oil and shellacTung oil is perfect, and after the oil has dried (1-3 days), cover the handle with Shellac. As the shellac wears off, it is easy to restore the surface. And the handles on your knives will always be like new
I just bought pre-mixed.
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
I believe coconut oil can go rancid. If thats the case, then it may not be the best option. A big bottle of food grade mineral oil (sold as a laxative) can be found at your local pharmacy for a few bucks.
Penan
Well-Known Member
Thank's for the advice
xxxclx
Award-winning geese
Do you guys know what Bryan Raquins uses for his burnt oaks handles? The feel and smell on those handles are amazing.
DitmasPork
Senior Member
Cool knife! I've never oiled or waxed a ho. Although, some people do.
This.
Because it is a saturated fat, coconut oil is relitively resistant to oxidation (going rancid) but it will oxidise eventually.
Mineral oil (parrafin) won't oxidise and is a much better option for treating wooden parts of kitchen implements.
Some people will use hardware store bought parrafin for this purpose as it is a lot cheaper than "board oil" that you can buy form a kitchen supply. While I have no idea whether the "food grade" mineral oil is any different to the hardware grade, I have always been reluctant to use a non food grade oil.
In Aus, you can get pharmaceutical grade parrafin for about a third of the cost of kitchen store-bought board oil and this is what I use.
As mentioned above, you can make a board butter by mixing beswax with heated mineral oil (obviously be careful not to burn yourself). This doesn't soak into the wood like pure mineral oil- it forms a protective waterproof layer on the outside. This will obviously wear off after a time. Or you could buy board butter but it's often not cheap.
Having said all of this, I mostly do not oil my ho wood handles. When I do, it's usually just with some board butter.
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
To add to this, if your handle is extra dry, you can do straight mineral oil applications (similar to conditioning of a new wooden cutting board), and when you feel like the handle has enough oil, then finish with a oil/wax mix as a top layer. It will eventually wear off anyways and need reapplication, but much less frequently.
There’s a form with the long-chain fats removed so it doesn’t go rancid. Food-grade versions can be found labeled as MCT Coconut Oil - they’re also used as a dietary supplement by some. MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides.
I use this stuff for my boards and knives and board butter. It’s about 10x more expensive than mineral oil but we’re still talking around $20 vs $2. Moisturizes your hands while you prep
I need to add some rosemary or lavender extract and market the stuff to all the metro knife collectors
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X1CFM1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Edit: Adding a disclaimer that some sources say fractionated / MCT coconut oil lasts forever, other sources say it can still go rancid. I haven’t see anything from an authoritative source on it.
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I have used both Beeswax/oil combo and Tung oil. They both do a good job of protecting the handle however the finish is slightly different.
I have found the wax/oil combo slightly darkens the wood with a smoother waxy finish.
The Tung oil is a bit lighter wood tones and more grippy feel.
I prefer the Tung oil, I just dunk the handle in to the container and leave it for 20 min or so then let dry for a few days removing the excess oil after a few hours.
James from KnS made a video on how to make the wax/oil combo
I have found the wax/oil combo slightly darkens the wood with a smoother waxy finish.
The Tung oil is a bit lighter wood tones and more grippy feel.
I prefer the Tung oil, I just dunk the handle in to the container and leave it for 20 min or so then let dry for a few days removing the excess oil after a few hours.
James from KnS made a video on how to make the wax/oil combo
dafox
Senior Member
Some ho wood is very porous, like on the KS, straight mineral oil darkens it quite a bit, more than I wanted, a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax darkens it less. I've never seen where sushi chefs in Japan treat their ho wood handles, has anyone?
Burnt chestnut handles do fine without any treatment.
I treat rosewood, yew, and walnut handles with JKI saya wax (mineral oil and bees wax), I leave ho wood handles untreated.
Burnt chestnut handles do fine without any treatment.
I treat rosewood, yew, and walnut handles with JKI saya wax (mineral oil and bees wax), I leave ho wood handles untreated.
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SeattleB
Well-Known Member
Gotta resist...making a joke...arrrggghhhh...
That's what she said.
Penan
Well-Known Member
I have a wakui santoku that also had a ho handle, might try one handle with the tung oil and one with the wax/oil combo. Thank you for the video
You can buy 5L jugs of food grade mineral oil on Amazon in Europe for 40 euros shipped, or a liter for under 20. You can buy tung oil for just slightly more, again, all shipped with Prime.
I just use mineral oil. It works perfectly, re-apply it if the surface starts feeling or looking dry or fuzzy. It takes about 15 seconds, maybe once every couple of months. Do the same for wood cutting boards and sayas and stuff.
I just use mineral oil. It works perfectly, re-apply it if the surface starts feeling or looking dry or fuzzy. It takes about 15 seconds, maybe once every couple of months. Do the same for wood cutting boards and sayas and stuff.
Ask him, I believe boiled linseed.
I dislike parrafin oil on handles because the few times I tried the handles felt like they sweated oil sometimes and I felt like the wood took dirt easily.
So I like curing oils- birchwood casey tru-oil, danish oil, or boiled linseed.
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Boiled linseed is great stuff for wood treatment, just be careful with the fire hazard, linseed rags can heat up and catch fire.
O eeerh and do not assume it is food safe:
Boiled linseed oil[edit]
Boiled linseed oil is a combination of raw linseed oil, stand oil (see above), and metallic oil drying agents (catalysts to accelerate drying).[51] In the Medieval era, linseed oil was boiled with lead oxide (litharge) to give a product called boiled linseed oil.[52][page needed] The lead oxide forms lead "soaps" (lead oxide is alkaline) which promotes hardening (polymerisation) of linseed oil by reaction with atmospheric oxygen. Heating shortens its drying time.
O eeerh and do not assume it is food safe:
Boiled linseed oil[edit]
Boiled linseed oil is a combination of raw linseed oil, stand oil (see above), and metallic oil drying agents (catalysts to accelerate drying).[51] In the Medieval era, linseed oil was boiled with lead oxide (litharge) to give a product called boiled linseed oil.[52][page needed] The lead oxide forms lead "soaps" (lead oxide is alkaline) which promotes hardening (polymerisation) of linseed oil by reaction with atmospheric oxygen. Heating shortens its drying time.
DitmasPork
Senior Member
I've been wanting to get some Tru-Oil. Have been using Watco Tung Oil Finish on some of my handles.
Tru-oil has been awesome on the cork and wood handles of the fishing rods I build. Years of salt water abuse with little to no change, not dried out at all and still nonslip when wet. There is more than one Western maker I've spoken to that uses it on their knife handles.
I don't treat my knife handles with anything unless they're going into storage...since I'm already wiping the blade with tsubaki oil.
inferno
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) <*))))><
i like tung oil. but its expensive. linseed oil will get yellow after some time.
i prefer to do the first coats mixed with acetone or white spirit naphta. it soaks in much deeper then.
the hardening oils are a much more permanent solution imo.
i prefer to do the first coats mixed with acetone or white spirit naphta. it soaks in much deeper then.
the hardening oils are a much more permanent solution imo.
DitmasPork
Senior Member
I have a gallon of pure Tung oil in the closet, used it for our dining room table, beautiful finish—although it took a REALLY long time to cure/dry. I've not used it on handles, preferring the Watco Tung, since it dries in just a couple of days. Will order some Tru-Oil soon.
