I've never used it before so I don't have a clue as to how to finish this type of wood. Texas Knifemaker Supply says to use a sealer after sanding. has anyone ever used Osage for a knife handle? How did you finish it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Osage orange is rather fiberous and tends to make little fuzzies. A sanding sealer will prevent that. On the walking sticks I've made I used boiled linseed oil. I love the wood but it can be difficult to finish because it will tear out around tiny knots. Extreme sharp tools and careful attention to grain will produce beautiful results. Finishing Osage orange can not be rushed.
Scrapers are sometimes better that sand paper. Sharp broken glass can work.

We use tung oil for a hand rubbed finish the more layers the better! (Was a daily chore for months to go rub another drop of two of tung oil on the knife handles.)

Thanks for the help. The Osage I have is straight-grained with no visible knots. I am making it for an archer who wants a knife to match his Osage longbow.

Funny you said that, as my supply of Osage comes from a bow maker. When he spilts the tree that grows on his property, if it has knots or non straight grain, he wont use it for a bow. lucky me.

This seems to love oil finishes and has nice colors. I like the red and brown splashed throughout the orange.

Edited July 2, 200917 yr by mod07

I like tung oil, too.

The stuff like Formby's is usually "tung oil finish" and contains some synthetic sealers to give it a harder finish. This might be good for knife handles in the long run.

Pure tung soaks in and will probably need to be maintained over time; either keep oiling it or wax it occasionally. Like Thomas said; the more, the better.

In any case, time, use, and sunlight are what (to me) makes osage beautiful. I think it's a bit "loud" when it is freshly cut and bright yellow-orange, but a little UV and it takes on some interesting deeper colors.

I once had some *old* osage orange fenceposts, the bottom sections were about gone and that takes a long time! Boy it was pretty when finished though.

After sanding I burnish the heck out of it with a piece of round steel (usually a polished screwdriver shank), then apply paste wax and polish. (A light toasting before sanding can help highlight the grain.) Looks gorgeous. The burnishing is a very worthwhile step, in my experience; it really seems to bring out a 3D quality to the grain.

Osage is highly rot resistant so I don't worry much about needing a protective finish, like I would with most other woods.

Edited July 2, 200917 yr by MattBower
Language

Was your piece of Osage from Texas Knifemakers Supple stabilized?

bamboolongbow. No, it is just the standard Osage block. I glued it up today so I may have some pictures to post by the weekend. Thank you all once again for your generous assistance.

Well I finished the knife and have posted a photo of it on the Knifemaking thread. Holy cow was I shocked at the color it turned while working it. Neon green! It has muted in color alot since I burnished it and gave it a coat of tung oil. Thank you all for your help!