Making knife handles.

[Caster]

Okay, so there's this store over in franklin called the Woodcraft store. They've got some neat little knife kits and some wicked exotic woods to work with.

A question for you knife nutz out there who make your own knife handles:

Have any of you ever worked with purple heart? I have a pair of grips I made for a skinning knife. They're getting darker the more I finish them. I hear tale that if you set purple heart out in the sun, the purple will come back. I don't care about that as the look is awesome as is. Kind of a purple burgundy I'm told [red/green colorblind]. I'm using boiled linseed oil on these. I rub in a VERY light coat once per day, I buff it out with 0000 steel wool before each application taking care to only buff, not get in deep. I've been doing this once per day for over a week and they are still soaking up oil. Is that normal? I do it over a wood stove and the linseed oil is pretty warm as is the wood when I do it.

I have just finished a knife using Bloodwood [brosimum paraense] and it looks decent. Bloodwood is an awesome looking wood.

Going to start making sheaths this weekend. Just got a 12 x 12 x 1/16 sheet of kydex in the other day.

[MacGyver]

I'm not allowed to go into that store.

Seriously, they've got some really nice stuff in there. I could probably spend at least a couple of paychecks with them.

If you're using an oil like linseed oil, you'll find that the wood can absorb more than you think it can. We don't really notice it that much with modern laquers and varnishes, as it effectively seals the wood permanently. I like that life that a wood takes on with oil, though. It takes some care, but I guess all good things do. Over time, I think you have something that is far more interesting.

[peejman]

Dad is a wood turner and he's made several things from purple heart. What he uses to finish them varies based on the intended use. Sometimes it's oil, lacquer, polyurethane, or nothing.

A little googling highlighted something else... his pieces typically sit for several days if not weeks between sanding and applying the finish.

How do you finish Purpleheart to keep it purple?

The Grape Popsicle of Woodworking: Purple Heart Wood (Peltogyne spp.) « Woodworkers Source Blog

Question on sanding & finishing Purpleheart wood - by buckeyedudes @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

[Guest PapaB]

Why apply a little BLO (boiled linseed oil) at a time? Woodturners like myself will often soak a piece in it for hours, wipe off the excess and let it dry a few days before buffing. Using BLO on purpleheart will end up with a wood that's a nice shade of brown. Use poly or laquer next time to keep the natural color, unless the knife will be exposed to a lot of water like a kitchen knife, then stick with oil or a butcher block finish. I've made several pieces from purpleheart, it's the favorite wood of my wife and daughter.

Next time you're in Woodcraft take a look at pink ivory, padauk and osage orange. They are also naturally colored woods, each very neat in their own way. For brown woods with a lot of character, look at any of the burls. Any of these woods will make an attractive, long wearing knife handle.

[Caster]

I get all the "osage orange" I need locally. A buddy of mine saves me chunks of bodock [as we call it here in the south]. I LOVE that wood!

[Caster]

Finished two of my knives up this evening. Getting started making Kydex sheaths tomorrow night.

The spear point is mine. Handles are bloodwood. The small skinner is for the wife [shh, christmas gift] handles are purpleheart.

I have another skinner to do later. I have some gaboon ebony for that one.

[Caster]

Pictures are not great from an iPod, and I don't know why photobucket refuses to show the one knife right side up!!

[Guest Scramasax]

Also remember that some exotic woods are toxic. Another route for nice looking handles are stabelized wood.

Cheers,

ts

[DaveS]

Finished two of my knives up this evening. Getting started making Kydex sheaths tomorrow night.

The spear point is mine. Handles are bloodwood. The small skinner is for the wife [shh, christmas gift] handles are purpleheart.

I have another skinner to do later. I have some gaboon ebony for that one.

Those are some very impressive looking knives......hmmm......

[Caster]

I dunno 'bout impressive but thank you. The kits run $20-30 but they had a sale the other day; $10 each. I bought a few. They're really pretty nice blades. They are 6A SS. I'm not a big lover of stainless, but we're not talking a $300 Dozier either. I got less than $30 each in the two above and that's counting the sheet of Kydex i bought.

[Guest Broomhead]

Where is this store located at in Franklin? I am gathering supplies and knowledge to start making knives.

[Caster]

You know where Kmart is over by the interstate? Well it's in that shopping plaza about 75-100 yards down.

[daddyo]

woodcraft franklin tn - Google Maps

[peejman]

Nice!

[Guest Broomhead]

I know exactly where that's at. Thanks!

[Curiousgb]

You can pick up lots of nice knife scales on Ebay. I have used them to make grips for 1911's

[Guest PapaB]

If you go to the Woodcraft in Franklin, don't be afraid to ask questions about the different wood types. The staff is a good bunch and can tell you which woods might have toxicity issues, which ones will wear better etc. The same is true of the folks in the Knoxville woodcraft store. I have been known to spend a dollar or two at both of them.

[bigbabysweets]

I am allergic to cocobolo. The oil in it has the same effect as certain detergents I can't use. About 15 of the last 18 paring knives I made were Purple Heart. Sanding took the color out, a heat gun put it back in amazingly. I was told Armor All kinda stuff would help keep the color, but I waxed it on a buffing wheel with a jewler's rouge and they've kept color for months now. I have ordered a lot of knife making stuff from Jantz without any complaints.

[Caster]

Well, I finally got back around to fooling with these. I finished my piss poor kydex sheath for it. I'm not happy with it but it'll do. I'm not very good at making it work so I give up while I still have a usable sheath.

[Caster]

I made the sheath for the other one and it is very sturdy and functional but a blind quadriplegic monkey could make a nicer looking one so I won't be showing it. I have SOME pride. I'm done with the Kydex though. It's nice but when I finally get around to making the third knife, I'm going back to leather.

[gjohnsoniv]

Those are some nice looking knives you have there, Caster. Good work. I'm working on some wood scales for a knife of mine so it will match my pistol grips.

[Guest Broomhead]

Caster, You have any kydex left over? I'll take it off your hands if you do.

[Caster]

Caster, You have any kydex left over? I'll take it off your hands if you do.

I got just enough to make a mag holder for a Glock magazine. I'm going to make one and put it on my bug out bag.

The wife got this off Ebay for relatively cheap.

[Guest Broomhead]

No problem. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

[Guest Bowdenknxvll]

Ive used Bloodwood but never Purpleheart. With BLO like mentioned you can soak it for a few hours up to a day and let dry. One of my knifemaking buddies from Sweden does his that way. Soak for 24 hours and let dry in the sun for a day. In my experience it really depends on the wood. BLO is good for most but walnut really darkens with it. I prefer TruOil on some but it takes coats like you mentioned. Here are a couple of my favorite woods for handles

Koa block I recently picked up

Feathered Walnut Crotch

Quartersawn White Oak

Ironwood