Wood end grain
- Thread starter ArtinNC
- Start date
I believe for woodworking purposes, someone might consider a nonpenetrating finish. Oil based finishes seem to soak in and darken end grain more. On a handle, maybe a sanding sealer, or try superglue on the end grain or more likely pro stabilizing. Sometimes going to a higher grit on the end grain will make it take up finish closer to the rest of a stick. I'd practice the finish on scrap first.
Steven Janik
SUPERMOD & AWARDS BOSS
When staining or finishing wood with open end grain you must visualize the wood as if you were holding a bundle of drinking straws. The finish will not penetrate the side of the grain but will pour into the end grain where it can not be wiped out. Hand rubbed finishes often contain alcohol which has a low viscosity, often thinner than water, and can immediately contaminate the wood. Stains and finishes advertised as deep penetrating are the thinnest in viscosity and are made for floors and household trim which can take some abuse and still show the stain color. This isnt the case with knives. In the cabinet industry we use high solid vinyl sanding sealer. It penetrates nicely and sands up leaving a fine dust like talc at 400 grit. It does not darken the end grain because no matter how deep it penetrates, its still crystal clear. Sealer can be tinted if you like but most of the wood I choose to use on knives is already the color I want. These products are available thru Sherwin Williams or any large paint chain. The sealer can also be top coated with lacquer in different sheens (lacquer can be touched up and resprayed if damaged) or rubbed with any good furniture wax or Johnsons Paste Wax.
This is not a sales pitch but if you visit www.romarcabinet.com you can look at door styles and see how even the finish is on open end grain. On oak and hickory there will be some slight shading because the open pores (inner stice) of the wood can never be completely closed with vinyl sealer. On open pore species you can also use a product called bridge filling sealer. With this you can get red or white oak to look like glass. Fortunately, most knife scales are fine grained and this shouldn't be a problem. If you do find that a particular piece darkens too much on end grain, you can also try denatured alcohol on a rag pushed onto the dark spot and it will often draw the dark spot out.
If you are really adventerous, there are plenty of high solid polyester resin finishes around. These are two part epoxy type finishes in various percentages of sheen (10% is the flatest and 90% is the highest gloss) which can be applied and buffed or rubbed to the desired finish.
Regards,
Steve
This is not a sales pitch but if you visit www.romarcabinet.com you can look at door styles and see how even the finish is on open end grain. On oak and hickory there will be some slight shading because the open pores (inner stice) of the wood can never be completely closed with vinyl sealer. On open pore species you can also use a product called bridge filling sealer. With this you can get red or white oak to look like glass. Fortunately, most knife scales are fine grained and this shouldn't be a problem. If you do find that a particular piece darkens too much on end grain, you can also try denatured alcohol on a rag pushed onto the dark spot and it will often draw the dark spot out.
If you are really adventerous, there are plenty of high solid polyester resin finishes around. These are two part epoxy type finishes in various percentages of sheen (10% is the flatest and 90% is the highest gloss) which can be applied and buffed or rubbed to the desired finish.
Regards,
Steve