Stunning finish. Easily the prettiest knife handle I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched over 1000 knife videos and this is the best explanation of handle finished I’ve seen yet. It looks like an old-school revolver handle with the shape and the wood. I’ll be trying this method on the bocote wood handle I’m working on currently
I'm a metal fabricator by trade and polish all my parts. I use mother's polish on just about everything. I learned by a polisher that uses it to cut the fine marks. I use it on my knife handles. Awesome trick. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I stumbled by using it by accidentally getting some on a handle when buffing the blade and when I wiped it off it polished the wood as well. So I started experimenting with it
I just noticed you only have 1k subscribers currently. Hang in there, your videos are top notch, and you have some great knowledge. I've been building my own knives for a while but even I learned some stuff from watching your techniques. Always cool to watch how others have solved certain problems. Keep up the great work!
Hey thanks man! I just started the channel and it's growing quickly! I am having a lot of fun with it and plan to stick around for the long haul! Thanks for watching my videos!
Fantastic video. I’ve just got started into the knife making. I’ve worked with metal and wood before, just not at the level that this craft requires. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Thank for making these, it going to save a lot of us from frustration.
I use CA glue as a finish on gunstock checkering when refinishing or when checkering a new stock and it works great to prevent the normal wear and tear you get on those grip areas. Haven't thought about using it as a finish on a knife. From my experience with those super dense woods like Rosewood or Cocobolo, they're also very oily and any finish that leaves a surface film will fail over time. So i can totally see how a thin CA glue coating on the surface, polished up like pen-makers do, would work great.
Beautiful knife. For sanding those radius spots I use a few different size dowel rods with leather glued to one side about half way around and then wrap sandpaper. Makes it much easier than using something flat.
I have used simichrome polishing paste, which is a polish for metals, chrome, silver brass etc.for years on my blades and all handle material with great results.
Mother of all finishing videos! Thanks for your detailed pro tips on all finish options. Will paste wax protect blade steel as well as 3 in 1 oil. Any thoughts on 50% linseed mixed with shellac as a poor filling finish? Thanks again.
Yes sir the shellac would work great also! And probably be a little stronger in the end. This is a demonstration of getting a good finish with products from the local hardware store. Thanks for watching my videos!
I infinitely respect your pro expertise. I will pass along a different technique i have perfected. NO PINS IN HANDLE This is a decorative handle attachment that no drilling thru tempered tangs is used. I take my blade & tang and grind in (3) 1/8" X 1/8 notches each side of tang. Then select my woods. Prefit only to duplicate notch placement with tang. Either route or chisel 1/8" deep around scales. Then super glue the scales lined up to notches on tang. Then use Gorilla Duct tape to attach "Jump Stretch Bands"(their orange 10lbs. resistance called "micro mini's") to the blade end, then use the tape again on the handle end(remember there is only maybe an inch to grab on with tape). SO WHAT YOUR DOING IS USING 6 FOOT STRANDS OF CARBON FIBER TO RAP AROUND THE 1/8" SLOTS U HAVE feeding these from the twisted orange bands. I line up pre-filled hardner & epoxy(several). I super glue a end of the 3K Carbon-Fiber, then let the six foot length "Tow" feed out of a fresh mixed epoxy into the carved out notches. I twist up the knife with the bands, then use a big old adjustable wrench to hold the twists b/4 i guide the resin filled 3K C F into and around the handle. What i end up with is 3 or 4 Carbon Fiber rings that hold the scales on bullet proof, and are beautiful. I use a cheep infrared lamp next to handle to give a half hour cure each ring.
@@Aleeknives I am one of those kind of people that gives away gifts so my sister got the last artwork i did using the method i described. Just to help u i use www. compositeenvisios.com for one foot lengths of 60" wide 3K carbon-Fiber that i pull strands from. Also TRY Coach Bill Jacobs for the orange "Jump Stretch Bands".
Old Army trick when spit shining boots we always lit the wax on fire until we had a liquid base in the can and then applied it to the boot surface. This also works with wood as well. It will also keep you from over heating the wax and wood.
@@Aleeknives Thank you for the very detailed video. I have one question thou, which I didn't read an explanation for. Why use the Teak oil first coat and what does it do that the Tung oil doesn't?I have been watching all the videos I can find on the subject but have not had much luck except for this one. Thanks! I'm putting a finish on a knife handle that I just completed that uses several types of wood with each being 1/4" thick plus, G10, micarta, aluminum and copper in thinner layers all stacked in a pattern. I'm hoping this process will work for me.
Great question! Teak oil is basically tung oil that has been thinned down with naptha. The thinner solution can penetrate deeper into the wood. I use teak oil first and then move on to using tung oil to do build up coats.
I'm not a knife maker but, I turn bowls and such on a wood lathe and I have read where tung oil can take up to a month to fully cure. What are your thoughts on this? I am trying to make a few knife handles so, I'm looking for all the thoughts on these things. That oak looks like end grain and really nice.
When sanding the underside of the knife handle try using a dowel for a sanding block. The dowel will follow the contour better. IMHO Tru-Oil applies better than Tung oil. Nice looking handle.
I like the dowel trick also. I use tru oil also but it definitely has a darker tint than the tung oil. I did a white tiger maple gun stock with tru oil and it turned honey amber color. It eventually bugged me and I stripped it all off and used tung oil. It was much better with the tung oil. However, I have since started playing with shellac! And it can go on even more clear!
Here’s an idea for you that might save days in that process. After watching this video I grabbed some unfinished not stabilized wood pieces (zebra wood and a spalted semi hardwood of unknown name), brushed on straight Tung Oil and set them under a 100 watt incandescent bulb. They felt dry a few hours later so I added another coat, again using a paper towel folded up for a brush. Four hours later, dry again. Thinking I might be able to lay more on to speed it up, I put the next coat on with an eye dropper (!). Now that was a thick coat. Under the lamp again and repeated it four more hours later. I’m a beginner knife maker and this was a first time experiment, but the surface was filled with no gummy buildup when rubbed out. Just an idea.
Thank you Patrick! Glad to have you! It really depends on the climate. In the winter when it is cold I can get 2 coats a day. 1 morning and 1 evening. In the summer months I can squeeze 1 extra coat in the mid day also. If you try to sand it while it's still tacky ot will turn into a gummy mess. So make sure it sets up after your last coat before knocking it back and starting the finish coats. I generally start another project so I don't rush it!
I don't have another, this was actually fire wood and I noticed it had nice grain so I set it aside and stabilized a year later. Slabbed it and used it. Sorry man!
This is a tung oil finish and will dry completely between coats. Generally I wait 12 hours between each light coat. It may take longer in cooler climates
HI, I am loving your video's on knife handles & have incorporated your technique with heating the wax & buffing, (LOVE IT). I'm getting ready to finish some wenge handles & want to try the Mothers polish, My question is do you use the mothers polish over the wax or skip the wax & just go with the Mothers polish. Thank you for all the Great information in your video's.
That's fantastic! I'm glad you're getting some goodness out of my videos. You definitely want to use the mothers before you apply wax. The wax will seal the wood and the mothers is an abrasive compound so the wax will prevent the abrasive compound from doing the polishing
You mix the tung oil and naptha in a separate jar or just buy a tung oil finish. Then yes burnish between coats to knock off any imperfections. Or you could just do a bunch of junky build up coats to fill the pores and then lightly sand it back with a hard backed sanding block and 500 grit. The object is to fill the powers of the wood making a perfectly smooth surface. After the smooth surface is achieved I like to do my finish coats by applying the oil with and old cut up tee shirt that is lint free as to not introduce any debri into the finish! Cheers mate
You jave to wait for it to dry so that time may vary but I usually do 2 coats a day. One early morning and one late at night. I want to also add that this is a tung oil finish, it is not pure tung oil. Pure tung oil takes ages to dry. You can take pure tung and cut it with naptha at about 50/50 to speed up the drying process
Real similar! I finish oak to final dimensions and then wet it with water, heat it with a heat gun to raise the grain. When it is dry cut the grain with a sharp resh piece of sand paper. Then start the oiling process. Raising the grain really helps to achieve a fantastic finish. It is crucial for the wood to be fully dried or it will move and crack as it dries. Best to stabilize wood in an acrylic resin
Aleeknives, I want to get some finishing paste wax like you use but all I can seem to find that is close is Minwax "natural" or "special dark". It seems like you use the original without the natural or special dark designation. Any idea if they have the same protective/durability properties as the original stuff? Just wondering if you've run into this, I'm wondering if they no longer sell the original. Thanks
Hey Airin! Great video, I found this super helpful. Something that I can not figure out for the life of me is how to use tung oil without creating a white splotchy finish? it seems every time I use it this happens. I normally finish wood at 400 grit and use extra fine steel wool in-between coats. I wonder if I need to buff it out with something finer then steel wool?
Excellent series. Came to your channel from the chef challenge. I'm subbed now. On this handle finish video. After the 7th coat the video ended. Did you block it back down and then apply light finish coats?
Thanks for the sub! I generally do 1 coat in the morning before I head out to work and then 1 in the evening. This style of finishing takes a long time to do it right but it does make an awesome glass smooth finish!
These are great! I'm using Mesquite for mine. Could I use a mixture of these methods? Like the superglue and then the rim wax and paste wax runny? I'm confused about which method to use. These are great. Glad I found your channel!
If you choose the super glue, use it on bare wood, do a build up and then wet sand with a high grit paper above 500 and polish with mothers. If you want to do the oil build up, I would just use the oil and skip super glue. The oil is easier than the super glue
@@Aleeknives cool! I will try it in a while 😀. Before I have to watch the video again to be sure of having we'll understood all your advices. Thanks again for the share! I have also started a little (and humble) channel few weeks ago. It's really interesting to do it. I don't have your knowledges but each time I try to do my best 😁.
Hello, I have 2 last questions for you. Why do you use teak oil first? It seems to be very difficult to find the Minwax paste wax in France. Do you know an equivalent? At this moment I'm using a blend I made called "encaustique" . It's a blend of beeswax, terenbenthine, black soap an lindseed oil but I think it's not the same because it doesn't harden by drying... So if you have an information about that it would be nice :)
Excellent ideas 👍👍💡one question, the idea with super glue, did u use this knife? I made the same thing with my knife, but nearly 2 month of use and it began getting of, some places it get off till wood, but some places it stay. Maybe my super glue is not good... It not a discrimination of idea or something esle, i want to know only)
I have had that happen with the super glue once, it was because I sanded to high in grits befote applying it so there was no mechanical bond. Generally if I am to do a super glue finish I only sand to 220 grit then start the super glue. I did not use any super glue on this knife, just tung oil. I will do more videos later explaining the other finishing techniques! Thanks for watching my videos!
@@Aleeknives Thank you for answer👍 then i think that my mistake was sanding to much, i sand before gluing till 2000 grit, then after gluing do the same from 220 grit till 2000 and polished with paste GOI. Thanks a lot for answer, you helped me 😊👍💪💪
depending on your environmental conditions I wait till the previous coat is dry. I can usually do 3 coats a day, evenly spread out throughout the day. Thanks for watching!
hi you have so much info,you make knives sheifs ,forge,you have lots of info,thanks ive got so much thank you walter.i took you info and doing it,even belives,their better...i need more work,just orded more steel..
@@Aleeknives you are very talented,thanks for all the info,after watching im getting better,finisher 4 knives ther not bad..that 7 part knife making you made great when i get stuck,i watch one,2 of them go to my nice work shop,and try...you have ben a big help...now a have a lot of sewing to do.all by hand..walter
I also do all my sewing or stitching by hand! I think it comes out better than with a machine. 😉 send me some pictures! I love to see what everyone is building! Cheers
In addition to my knifemaking, I've finished a little over 500 rifle stocks with teak, tung and the other assorted finishes in the industry. I fill my pores by sanding in the teak or tung oil...works much faster and you get an ultra smooth finish in the end. I use a 120, 220, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 grit sandpaper progression. After the finish has dried and thoroughly cured, it can be waxed with whatever wax you prefer....Mimwax, Ren Wax or my new favorite, OdiesOil wax. Odiesoil (the "oil" formulation) works great on any wood but will darken woods just a smidge. OdiesOil WAX is clear and does not darken the pretty handles made from Desert Ironwood, snakewood, etc. Odiesoil is sold on the internet/Amazon, etc. Using tung and teak oils, I can get a much higher gloss using teak oils.
Following your process almost done with my last coat of teak oil before letting it dry and going to the tongue oil during the shaping of the handle process I nicked the backside of my blade and has a scratch mark probably the size of a frozen P is there a way to get rid of this? Or should I give the full knife a different look by rubbing it with Scotch-Brite lengthwise in order to mitigate the obviousness of that scratch any ideas would be helpful.
That is cool that your thinking outside the box on how to fix the scratch. I jave had to do a similar fix on several mistakes. I like to do a rock pattern finish to hide mistakes
Just found your site after struggling through my second attempt at San mai. Great content and I love your enthusiasm for your craft. I learned more this weekend than the last 2 years.
If it does not specifically state "Pure Tung Oil" it is going to be a mix of a little bit of tung oil (can be as low as 5%), varnish and solvent. Effectively you are just putting 7 coats of quick drying varnish on your handle. The SDS for Watco Tung Oil has: Stoddard Solvent, Methyl ethyl ketoxime, Triethylamine, Ethylbenzene, Hydrotreated Heavy Naptha. None of which are present in pure tung oil. Pure tung oil also takes up to a week for each coat to cure, so it is a lot longer to build up a finish.
I use the bevel jig to create the ricasso. I am making a new series right now that goes into detail without these use of a 2x72 grinder! All hand tools man! Glad to have you on the channel!
I live in Kansas city. My knives range wildly in price depending on many factors like handle materials and time involved. I have an etsy shop for my available knives although I don't have any listed currently. I Apologize!
I wet sand then polish with mothers. It is really difficult to sand it without cutting through the the layer of super glue! You have to be really careful. If you break through you will see it in the finished product. I had to go back with more coats of ca glue and re sand till I got the hang of it. It is definitely a more advanced finishing technique 👌
great looking video! I learned a few good ideas one suggestion is to spend some $ and buy a microphone. A better microphone, (lavalier style) will really make your video better!
@@Aleeknives No worries, Ive been working as a cameraman director for 25 years, one thing I DO know is audio will carry the day, people will forgive some weak camera work for a while, but they expect good audio. That said your knives are waaay better than what Im making between jobs... keep up the videos!
Im confused. All through out the video you only mention Tung oil but when you get to actually doing it the first thing you use is Teak oil..Did I miss something?
This is part one. I expain that teak oil is thinned down tung oil. Basically tung oil and naptha. It allows the oil to penatrate deeper into the wood. Then I begin to use the tung oil finish which is also a finish and not pure tung oil.
Tell me if you like this high luster finish! What do you use to finish your handles? If you want to see some knife build videos where I make knives to awesome music click this link! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fWpfeB_Tt3M.html
Well, don't I feel stupid. I've been working on a handle for a full week, not getting the results that I wanted with Tung Oil, only to finally have it dawn on me that Watco Tung Oil is not pure tung oil. It's a wiping varnish. Doh!
