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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #16  
Old 11-10-2012, 07:43 AM
fizban fizban is offline
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Hunter, if you are wanting to change the color slightly w/o obscuring the grain you might want to look into analine dye such as Trans-Tint. The problem with most stains is that they are either a mix of pigment and dye or just strait pigment based. The color comes from the pigments which catch in small variations in the grain and wood but at the same time it obscures some of the grian. Also when you are sanding to the 600-12,000 grit levels and/or buffing there is a very limited amount of places the pigment can grab so its hard to get much color. Conversly a full dye actually sinks in and dyes the actual wood itself without messing with the grain. I like to mix my dye with alcahol but it can be used with water too depending on the brand. Just make sure and strain it either way first to get any globs out. (learned this one from experience lol)
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  #17  
Old 12-17-2012, 09:27 PM
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Hunter280man Hunter280man is offline
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Well, I have now finished 7 knives, with two more started and two on order. I have found the alcohol based stains made for rifle building have worked quite well. They don't seem to cover up hardly any of the burly redwood grain.
I started out by taking the handles to 400gr paper,staining darker than I want it to look, then buffing with a wheel while the stain is still damp but wiped off the surface. The stain lightens depending on how much buffing is used. But the color seams to melt into the wood and brings out the swirl with depth. Add a couple of coats of wax and they are beautiful.
Now, as for that quercus alba stuff.....the minwax hardener worked well enough...not great but made a nice handle when done. Took two weeks for the hand rubbed oil finish to harden enough for a dozen or so coats of wax....vwolla!
I got a bit experimental on one hand forged blade, heat treated the blade in a case hardening furnase at work then cryo and drawn twice. Added a little file work on the back side for good measure. Then took rose wood for the outer scales and zebra wood for a center spacer cut out for the hidden tang to fit in. A tungsten/copper bolster and mosaic pins for good measure. Toss in a nice cross draw sheath for fun......I gots me a new toy.

My thanks to all.


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  #18  
Old 12-18-2012, 05:33 PM
samuraistuart samuraistuart is offline
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While I consider myself basically a "spectator", "lurker", or "newbie" at ALL of this, I was intrigued by your inquiry into wood finishing. Beautiful wood is something to behold, and I really love a nice Black Walnut, or Bastogne Walnut stock on a rifle! I had one made for my Sako, Black Walnut, and I finished it myself. Came out really well. I noticed that Birchwood Casey's TruOil wasn't mentioned. If you're not familiar with it, you might give it a try. It doesn't come close to what stabilizing does, but it does help to seal wood. When it dries, it forms a protective layer on your stock, or knife scales. It's like poly, but it's easier to work with, and you don't need stripper to take it off. You just wipe it on, wipe off the excess, let it dry, buff it with 0000 steel wool, and voila! Birchwood Casey recommends their wax, of course they do, to finish it off. I don't use it. Just the TruOil. I just made my first knife, a 4" drop point hunter 1084 with walnut handle. I tried Lindseed Oil, but it doesn't seal the wood like TruOil does. I should have TruOiled the inside of the scales as well, but I didn't think of it till it was too late.
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  #19  
Old 12-20-2012, 09:52 PM
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Hunter280man Hunter280man is offline
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Hi Samu: I started building muzzle loaders from kits when I was 17 I think, I am now nearly 52. I rarely make a modern rifle anymore, but do have a half dozen nice mausers spread out over the states and canada some with eye popping AAA walnut stocks. I am quite familiar with tru oils of many types and brands. But when making traditional muzzle loaders I tend to work with maple or cherry woods almost exclusively.
I now build mostly orphans....meaning the nearly forgotten styles like underhammer/mule ear/flintlocks, and 20ga flint pistols for turkey hunting with. But I have found that I like the "pop" in the grain from using alcohol stains with a hand rubbed linseed styled finish the best, on maple anyway. I'm guessing my experience with the carving/shaping/engraving has given me a bit of a leg up as a newbie knife maker anyway. Its just that as far as final finishing, they are two very different critters.
I am thinking of getting some of the waterlux that was recomended on another thread to be able to seal and fill pores a bit before buffing. But, the tru oil is certainly going to be another one of my purchases soon since I do like its properties on the more pourous woods. I still have much to learn!


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  #20  
Old 12-29-2012, 08:23 AM
Jon Kennedy Jon Kennedy is offline
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since rose wood has oil in it, it will not take resin very well, you can take and place wood blank in vacuum chamber with thin Ca and pull 29" of vacuum on it and that works very well! it will be like a rock when you are done!
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