After putting about 10 coats of tung oil and using a heat gun to speed up the hardening process between layers, I found that it did indeed make for a shiny finish as per instructions on the bottle, but for some odd reason it just didn't look quite right, like it was some sort of cheap off the shelf lacquered handle that you`d get from Rona, and felt like it could slip if it got wet.
So after some experimentation, I found that scuffing between coats with 000 steel wool gave a much nicer matte finish that gave it a warmer look and feel.
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| before steel wool |
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| After steel wool. Much better! |
After a final coating of paraffin wax after the oil dried <in reality candle wax, that's all I've got>, I tested the handle for water resistance to see if the water just beaded off or clung to the handle, which would be problematic after long term outdoor use.
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| Looks like it worked as planned. |
Now that the handle is pretty much done, aside from maybe drilling a hole at the bottom of the handle for a simple para-cord lanyard of some sort <still debating on that> , all that's left now is to make a sheath and sharpen it. The sheath will be something like the one below that I made for a hatchet head last year, but it will be waxed to improve cut resistance and I will need to burnish the edges for a cleaner look. I may also need to buy some better leather given that the current piece I have is somewhat frumpy on the underside as opposed to nice and smooth, we shall see.
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| One of my earlier pieces of leather work, still room for much improvement but the design is fairly sturdy. |
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