Hello all - how well does Bocote wood hold up for knife handles without being stabilized? I've got a bit of wood I was thinking of using for a couple of knifes - maybe a kitchen knife or a EDC knife.  Just wondering how well it would work.  This wood had been drying for at least 20 yrs so is WELL seasoned.

 

Thanks for info and suggestions.,

 

Ken H>

so far so good for me, but now I stabilize most all woods to be safe.

Thanks for the info Steve, but just how much penetration do you get when stabilizing a really dense wood like Rosewood or Bocote?  

 

Ken H>

depends on the vacuume and presures you use. but if even only 1/4 inch it helps hold the entire mass in place.

I strongly suggest micarta or corian for kitchen blades as they will end up in the water!

Bocote is a fairly stable wood. I would just give it a nice oil finish if stabilizing is out of the question for you. With any natural wood handles its always best to wash them by hand and not submerge them into water.

I don't know about that Thomas. If the knife is washed and dried, and lightly oiled prior to storing, a handle like bocote will last a long time. Steve's right about the stabilizing even if it isn't all the way thru. I'm just thinking about all those old kitchen knives with no protection, you find in garage sales that have non-stabilized walnut handles (supposedly a no-no among the gurus) that have been around forever, and are still fine except folks get tired of them because they have a patina and aren't shiny and new.

I have a neighbor who is the consummate garage sale person on the lookout for old kitchen knives that I use as patterns.

John

This is another good thread,,,,handle materials for kitchen use is a thing to think about,  and my thouhts lean towards Wot Thomas said,,dishwasher proof handles,,,

i put the best handle materials I can buy on knives and if they can be they are stabilized. Thinking that perhaps my SS blades with good handles will not be sold cheap at garage sales.


Wish I coiuld double up my work as easy as I can these posts!

Proper care prevents problems that is true; however I have seen many knives with their handles trashed by clueless kitchen help. (Highly skilled Chefs are prone to NOT let anyone else use their equipment!)

As the tendency, at least in America, is to go towards expecting little or no maintenance of *anything* a consumer owns; I tend to bet on making things as idiot proof as possible. I prefer to make things to be used rather than kept behind glass on display and so I made the suggestion that I did.

Thank you to all for the comments on handles and wood - as others said I've seen these old knives with wooden handles that seemed to last for many years, BUT - I think that was before everyone had a dishwasher.  A good well seasoned Rosewood or Bocote is so dense it's hard to see why they wouldn't last a long time when well oiled.  Heck, those woods even sink in water!

 

Thanks again for all the help - I don't do much posting, but do a lot of reading on these threads and learn.

 

Ken H>