How to care for handles?

[MikeT]

I have looked around, but do not see the information I am looking for. Two questions, but first, where I am coming from:

I have two Japanese knives with Wa handles, both handles came unsanded, unfinished. I am pretty sure that wearing them smooth and oiling them with my sweaty palm is not the answer. My questions:

q1: What is the traditional way to care for a wa handle?

q2: Modern best practice?

Thanks for your help and advice.

[sharksfan7]

My understanding is that traditionally, wa handles are meant to be removable & replaceable. As they got oily & dirty a sushi chef would sand the handles to clean them. When the handles need replacing they are just popped off and a new one is burned on. Here's a pic of Masaharu Morimoto's knifes after a few years of use. He said at his restaurant, he would sharpen & sand his knives twice a day.



As for modern practices, it's really personal preference and what type of wood the handle is made from. If we're talking basic ho wood handles, some people just use them as is. If you prefer them smoother, you can sand them. For example, the magnolia handles on the Masakage Yuki knives get kinda rough the first time they get wet. The grain rises a bit. Some people hate that, some people say it gives it better grip. If you don't like that feeling, it's often recommended to just sand it to knock down that grain and then treat it with mineral oil, just like you would a cutting board. You could also apply board butter if you want to seal it a bit. As a matter of fact, every time I condition my boards, I'll wipe off the excess oil and rub a couple of my handles with it.

Other woods don't really need much in term of conditioning. I don't really do anything to my darker wood handles (rosewood, ebony, cocobolo) other than clean & dry them. I did seal the cherry on my Koishi honesuki with TruOil only because I'm dealing with raw chicken with that one. Don't really like how that one feels now, but it had to be done.

[jacko9]

I refinished a handle for a friend that was in bad shape. It had a stain finish that was partially worn away so, I sanded, used General Finishes Gel Coat stain and then put on several coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal varnish. I've resharpened that knife twice since then over the past year and the handle still looks like the day I gave it to him refinished. It's his daily driver so it does get a lot of use.

Me, I leave my handles unfinished.

[BoostedGT]

This is a lot of heavy use

[MikeT]

Thanks. Fantastic photo.

[dragovmaterials]

Nice tools =O
I can recommend the general rules, like:
- don't put them in a dishwasher
- avoid high temperatures
And just don't forget to clean it, and your wa handle will serve you well

[jobone]

Some people like their handles grippy, while other like them smooth. If you prefer smooth, give them a sanding, maybe with 220/400/600 or so.

When making handles, I sand and polish to 1K up to 8K if metal or ebony. Some handle makers prefer to stop at 320 grit for a balance of grip and polish. I then follow with 2-3 coats of tung oil over a couple days. Just a little tung oil and work it in with my fingers, it’s relaxing. Rosewoods don’t need this step, but it doesn’t hurt.

For care, I suggest board butter or something similar on a regular basis.

Mark supplies this which gets good reviews
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/chwoco.html

Hope this helps

[kodo1]

would the https://www.chefknivestogo.com/chwoco.html work on ho wood saya?

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Yes it would work very well.

[jacko9]

Some people like their handles grippy, while other like them smooth. If you prefer smooth, give them a sanding, maybe with 220/400/600 or so.

When making handles, I sand and polish to 1K up to 8K if metal or ebony. Some handle makers prefer to stop at 320 grit for a balance of grip and polish. I then follow with 2-3 coats of tung oil over a couple days. Just a little tung oil and work it in with my fingers, it’s relaxing. Rosewoods don’t need this step, but it doesn’t hurt.

For care, I suggest board butter or something similar on a regular basis.

Mark supplies this which gets good reviews
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/chwoco.html

Hope this helps

Beware oil darkens Rosewoods and over time you lose some of the beautiful contrasting colors. I leave Rosewoods untreated, in non-water environments just shellac, or in moist environments I use shellac for a sealer and then pure varnish (Like General Finishes Arm-R-Seal) if you want to retain the color contrasts.

[Bluenoser87]

I’m a fan of several light coats of tru-oil. Not enough that it’s glass smooth but a few just to seal things up. Things don’t stain that way and it’s still grippy

[Jeff B]

I’m a fan of several light coats of tru-oil. Not enough that it’s glass smooth but a few just to seal things up. Things don’t stain that way and it’s still grippy

+1

[Jeff B]

Some people like their handles grippy, while other like them smooth. If you prefer smooth, give them a sanding, maybe with 220/400/600 or so.

When making handles, I sand and polish to 1K up to 8K if metal or ebony. Some handle makers prefer to stop at 320 grit for a balance of grip and polish. I then follow with 2-3 coats of tung oil over a couple days. Just a little tung oil and work it in with my fingers, it’s relaxing. Rosewoods don’t need this step, but it doesn’t hurt.

For care, I suggest board butter or something similar on a regular basis.

Mark supplies this which gets good reviews
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/chwoco.html

Hope this helps

Beware oil darkens Rosewoods and over time you lose some of the beautiful contrasting colors. I leave Rosewoods untreated, in non-water environments just shellac, or in moist environments I use shellac for a sealer and then pure varnish (Like General Finishes Arm-R-Seal) if you want to retain the color contrasts.

Rosewoods are very oily woods and pretty water resistant naturally. They need very little if any oil/sealer/wax treatment other than maybe a little freshen up over time.

[Bluenoser87]

Yeah that’s a good point about the darker woods. I’ve only sealed the ho wood stuff. I haven’t done anything to any of my rosewood/ebony/satine handles. They don’t need it.

[jobone]

Good point, it does darken a bit for sure, which may or may not be desired. I try to stay pretty conservative with the oils and rosewoods, normally just a couple drops for the whole handle. I can see using none, as they are a nice oily wood.

When I started making handles, I was more hesitant to use any oil on rosewoods. Getting advice from a couple old knife makers about my handles, they suggested doing it with just a few drops (along with more sanding, I used to stop at 400 grit). I have followed their advice, but I can see why others prefer to use none.

It was also suggested to use my fingers, not a cloth to ‘work it in’. I really liked this one, it gives you a moment to really be in touch (no pun intended) with the wood. They also suggested mixing the tung with teak oil. Note to self, get some teak oil.

[Carter]

I have worked extensively with various rosewood species over the years for both handle and sayas. Most are very hard fine grained woods with a higher than average oil content. While these attributes make for a good handle material that is robust and less susceptible to periodic movement due to climate change and are more naturally resistant to moisture than less dense/oily woods, it does need to be sealed, in my opinion. I have been able to effectively seal all rosewood species with TruOil, Waterlox and/or other curing oil varnishes, such as Arm-R-Seal's various products...except for cocobolo. I have worked with cocobolo for over 6 years and never found a finish that fully cured resulting in a hard sealed finish, until a few months ago. I really love the look of cocobolo, and enjoy making matching handles and sayas, as evidenced by my work. The downside was that cocobolo (and any other wood) with just a rubbed oil finish, or a wax finish, will oxidize and darken with use due to oils/dirt/moisture, etc. The natural oils, or applied oils that are non-curing, will help protect the wood, but the wood will still darken and discolor over time, this does not happen with a finish that fully cures and seals the wood. Cocobolo (and most other woods) without a sealed finish will be dark and dull and void of character within a couple of months use in a pro environment. Mineral oils, tung oil, and wax finishes are all dirt/oil magnets and without periodic sanding/refinishing, the handles will continue to darken with time and use.

[Jeff B]

...I have worked with cocobolo for over 6 years and never found a finish that fully cured resulting in a hard sealed finish, until a few months ago..,

And what would finish would that be?

[jobone]

Mineral oils, tung oil, and wax finishes are all dirt/oil magnets and without periodic sanding/refinishing, the handles will continue to darken with time and use.

You definitely have some good knowledge and experience, much more than me, but I tend to disagree on tung oil. Perhaps I disagree in ignorance. Unlike mineral or wax, tung is a drying oil used for sealing. Perhaps not as good as some of those cut with a solvent for penetration, like TruOil, so that maybe why it needs to be worked in.

Let me know what you prefer and I’ll give it a go.

[Carter]

And what would finish would that be?

It still has several coats of TruOil, like my other handles.

You definitely have some good knowledge and experience, much more than me, but I tend to disagree on tung oil. Perhaps I disagree in ignorance. Unlike mineral or wax, tung is a drying oil used for sealing. Perhaps not as good as some of those cut with a solvent for penetration, like TruOil, so that maybe why it needs to be worked in.

Let me know what you prefer and I’ll give it a go.

Tung oil is a good finish, but I find it is better for furniture and stationary objects, not a knife handle. I am speaking of pure tung oil, not the tung oil finishes by Formby's etc. I also have had issues with tung oil curing fast enough, maybe it is a geographical thing, both Miami and my current home in NC are higher than normal humidity. I found that even with light coats, allowing several minutes of penetration, sometimes even thinning the initial coats with mineral spirits, and then wiping the handle dry....rinse and repeat 8-10 times over a week long period, that my handles often still had a bit a tackiness to them.

About 5 years ago I tested handles for a year using the following handle finishes: mineral oil/bees wax, tung oil, boiled linseed oil, Waterlox, Festool Surfix, Danish oil, TruOil, Arm-R-Seal wiping varnish, and just a waxed finish. The handles were curly maple that was well seasoned. I went with light colored handles so that any darkening from dirt/oils would be more visible, also there was very distinct banding and chatoyance in the wood used. I used the handles in a rotation in my kitchen and I cleaned them with soap and water as required and dried them, I did not do any maintenance to the handles during the test period.

The mineral oil/wax, and waxed finishes darkened the most and needed re-coating within a few months. The tung and BLO handles did better they each had several coats of finish applied over a few weeks (they may have done better with more coats and additional time). Waterlox is a tung oil based varnish and is used for hardwood floors, it is very durable, but it does darken the wood on application and although it dries to the touch in 24hrs, it takes about a month to full cure, and it has a strong tung oil/solvent smell...it did work well at protecting the handle. The Festool oil is a proprietary oil/wax misture, I used the outdoor version because it is tougher and has UV inhibitors, it did ok, but wouldn't be practical for a customer to obtain for maintenance and touch ups. Danish oil seemed to do an ok job protecting the wood but it degraded over time, not durable enough. Arm-R-Seal wiping varnish is a urethane and it did a good job of protecting the handle, but had more of a plastic feel. TruOil performed the best in the testing, no surprise. Only the handles coated with Waterlox, Arm-R-Seal, and TruOil maintained a relatively vibrant finish and preserved the chatoyancy in the wood.

Sorry for the long post, but I did want to share my findings.

[Bluenoser87]

Sorry for the long post, but I did want to share my findings.

This is great info Carter. I’ve read about all these different methods but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them all compared the way you did. This thread is reminding me I have a few handles to seal up so I think I’ll dig out the tru-oil tonight...