# Strip old oil from handles?



## Tag302 (Nov 14, 2020)

Hello, has anyone found an effective way to clean and/or strip old oil from a wooden handle? 
I have a lot of old knives that have pretty significantly darkened from use over the years and was wondering if they could be brightened without the use of sandpaper? 

Thanks


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## M1k3 (Nov 14, 2020)

Acetone?


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## @ftermath (Nov 14, 2020)

Mineral spirits


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## inferno (Nov 14, 2020)

angle grinder


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## TB_London (Nov 15, 2020)

The darkening is often the wood oxidising, so sanding off the surface will be the only way to get the new look again.
You can get “furniture reviver” compounds that will refresh the surface


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## Ericfg (Nov 15, 2020)

This is a reasonable request from OP. A few months ago I bought a roughly 100 year old knife with wooden scales. The scales were dry as dust and seemingly unusable, and underneath the scales the tang (and the bolster) showed major rust pitting. Meaning the knife handle had been seriously wet for a long time before being dried out.

After popping the scales off I decided to soak them in water for a day to see what they were. The water turned really dark and the scales re-hydrated, to the point that there was usable wood again. At that point I decided to use a little bit of the original scale wood in my rehandle job thinking that that original scale wood was maybe at least 25 years old when used as a handle on my knife in 1920 and possibly even older than that. So the scales are something I want to keep.

So, for OP's question; some of the "oil" or grease, or years of crap built up on the handle can be removed with warm water and dish soap. And any excess moisture should be removed to protect the steel. But that oil or grease or crap will also protect that wood handle and add a certain patina to the wood which, IMHO, is a positive thing.


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## Tag302 (Nov 17, 2020)

Awesome! Thanks for all the info! 
I will definitely be trying some of these ideas


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