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    Knife guys coco bolo question

    I have a knife handle out of coco bolo that will not take a finish. Every time it seems to get a hard coat the a couple days later it is sticky. I have tried guns stock filler, linseed oil, bees wax/mineral oil, and ting oil. Any one know what the problem is

    #2
    That wood has a lot of oil in it naturally. Woods like that won't take any kind of finish because of it. Sand it down to bare wood and run it on a buffer. It'll shine like it has a finish on it. About all you can do with it.

    Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

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      #3
      Originally posted by Puggy625 View Post
      That wood has a lot of oil in it naturally. Woods like that won't take any kind of finish because of it. Sand it down to bare wood and run it on a buffer. It'll shine like it has a finish on it. About all you can do with it.

      Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
      That's pretty right on. However I have found that the quick penetrating Teak Oil works very good on it. Rub it on and buff the next day.
      ALWAYS wear a respirator when sanding Cocobolo. I love the stuff but it can make you sick if you breath the dust. Same with Ironwood, Bocote, Texas Ebony and many of the exotic hardwoods.

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        #4
        I am not a Knife guy but, the above should work as it is such a hard wood.

        You can also try cyanoacrylate finish. It works great for me.

        A simple step by step procedure for using CA (Super Glue) as a wood finish for wood lathe projects. Also see this application on another of my videos at: ht...

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          #5
          I make long bows and have used Cocaboa, I wiped it down it real good with acetone a few times. Let dry between applications. And spray with thunder bird, two part epoxy finish. Works great.
          Last edited by critter69; 08-27-2018, 03:15 PM.

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            #6
            Originally posted by critter69 View Post
            I make long bows and have used Cocaboa, I wiped it down it down real good with acetone a few times. Let dry between applications. And spray with thunder bird, two part epoxy finish. Works great.
            This was along the lines what I wanted to say. Wipe down thoroughly with acetone more than once and change out lint free rags while doing so.

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              #7
              I build with cocobolo all the time. There are several finishes that work well with coco and other woods that are know to be oily. The 2 I use are thunderbird and Krystal. Thunderbird is the best IMO

              Also you should be sure the wood your working with is dry seasoned wood with a low MC.

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                #8
                I used to make bows with cocobolo, and the only kind of finish I could get to dry on it was lacquer. Thunderbird used to make a conversion varnish that starts off as a lacquer but then hardens into a polyurethane. I don't know how that worked, but it worked. You can get something similar at Three Rivers Archery.

                Another idea is to cover the whole thing in superglue. You can rub it on with your finger. Then sand it and buff it, and it'll be nice and shiny. That works, too.

                But really, I don't think you need a finish on cocobolo.

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                  #9
                  I use teak oil on cocobolo without problems. Take it up to 6oo grit, then teak oil, then buff.

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                    #10
                    CA finish

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Hawkpuppy 1 View Post
                      CA finish
                      This is what I use on my longbows I build before I spray a finish. The CA will seal the oil in and allow you to spray your finish. Using acetone will only draw the oils to the surface faster.

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                        #12
                        Cocobolo being a type of rose wood really doesn't need any finish except sanding ultra fine and buffing to a shine. I do use Teak oil sometimes since it seems to merge with the natural oils in the wood and dries to touch really fast. Adds an extra protection against moisture. I think if a handle is not going to be subject to much water or a dishwasher cycle there really is no need to do anything other than buffing. To me there is no prettier wood than Cocobolo.
                        In this pic these 3 are just buffed and no other finish.
                        Attached Files

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                          #13
                          If you already have various finishes on it and it won't take more, the finishes have already penetrated the already oily wood that it is..... Buff it on a grinder and it will suffice. One thing about putting more junk on the exterior of you wood is eventually it will crack as the finish dries. I've seen makers (some novice TBH knife makers) put CRAP on their finishes to make them shiny to sell and within two years they have a handle that is cracked and separating from the tang! If you have to put on ANOTHER finish on the wood the only thing I would recommend that will penetrate it would be some Minwax hardener. You can buy a pint of it at an Ace Hardware. Liberally with a brush until all the bubbles are gone. Let dry over night, then buff away the hard white crystals that are on the exterior and you'll see an amazing shine that will last for years. If you don't have a buffer don't do this, it will be too difficult to make it look good by hand.
                          The ticket to ANY finish it has to penetrate the wood!

                          Sam is right; you DON'T need a finish on Cocobolo!
                          Last edited by Bjankowski; 09-02-2018, 10:46 AM.

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