Red Maple Burlwood

[Kerr the Walker]

My answer would be a question - what do you plan on using it for?

Plan is to turn it into a sgian dubh handle

When I was active on the woodworking forums, this came up now and again. As I recall it wasn't considered a satisfactory solution.

I did read that some folks found that this wasn't a good method. But in the absence of a vacuum pump, I figured I'd give it a shot.

Worst case scenario: it doesn't work and I have justification to rig up a vacuum pump

[DWFII]

Thing is...it's maple burl. You should call a Woodcraft store or even ask on one of the woodturners forums if it needs to be stabilized. Not all burls need to be stabilized.

It's been a while but I think one of the first bowls I turned...it was a small one...was maple burl--untreated.

If it will turn without stabilization, you can surely make a sgain handle out of it no problem.

[ehiker]

I concur with DWFII.

If it's a tight burl (no gaps or cracks), and you're going to keep it at the thickness of a sgian dubh handle, I wouldn't expect any problems if you didn't bother with stabilizing it.

To be safe, though, I'd consider getting a finish on it fairly soon after you have it in the desired shape and attached to the blade. Start by soaking it in boiled linseed oil for a day or two (get a small jar, put sgian dubh in jar, handle down, fill to cover handle). After that, take it out and wipe it nice and clean. Check it every hour or so for a day to wipe off any seeping you might get (BLO finding its way out of the wood) to make sure you don't get any hardened runs. You should be good after the first two or three hours, but I'd keep an eye on it and wipe it occasionally, anyway.

You could stop there, or give it a good waxing (I prefer Renaissance Wax), or give it a coat or two of a mixture of BLO/varnish/mineral spirits for a little more protection. That will give it a little more protection without giving it a film finish (you want that wood to show through). In all honesty, though, the BLO should be good enough. It isn't like you're going to set a drink on it or anything.

Good luck and show pictures when you're done!

[Bugbear]

Thanks, the PM answered my questions.



* Question removed. *

[ehiker]

PM sent.

[Kerr the Walker]

Thanks to all for the advice.

With the boiled linseed oil, does it darken the wood at all?

[ehiker]

Any oil-based finish will darken your wood up just a bit. That will include varnishes, as they are generally oil-based. On a lighter wood like maple, it won't darken it up very much at all, and may add just a tint of a yellowish color to it. Quite pleasant, if you ask me.

If you have enough for a test sample (even a small one), it would be worth putting just a bit on it to see exactly how much it will darken.

If you don't want it to darken up at all, you'd have to either stick with no finish (maybe just a good waxing, which really would be a nice finish, to be honest with you) or use a water-based finish.

If you have access to a Woodcraft (or similar woodworking store), look for General's HP water-based finish or Deft water-based clear finish - both are a bit pricey, though. You could probably find a water-based finish at Lowe's or HD, too.

[Kerr the Walker]

I've been using bee's wax on some other projects, so I may give that a shot to see how it looks.

I'll definitely be sure to post pictures of the progress.

Again, many thanks for the insight. The knowledge I've acquired from this forum has truly been a great help.