# What kind of wood for ferrule?



## tostadas (Aug 30, 2021)

I'm probably going to experiment with making a few different handles with various materials. Looking for a good wood for ferrule material that's on the dark side. Right now I've got some buffalo horn, but I'm also considering ebony, African blackwood, or some sort of well stabilized wood. Any recommendations? And as a followup, what are some good sources to get this wood from (I'm in USA)?


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## childermass (Aug 31, 2021)

I like to use bog oak for ferrules. It’s easy to work, stable and if you get a very dark piece it’s almost completely black after finishing.


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## cotedupy (Aug 31, 2021)

Maybe worth looking into ebonizing if you haven't tried. You basically take wire wool, or iron filings, with vinegar, and brush it on. Which reacts with the tannins in light woods and turns them darker... 5 Magical Ebonizing Wood Tricks (how-to, techniques, formula)

---

[This also raises another question I've been thinking about recently, which I'll do a separate post on, so as not to hijack your thread, but the gist is... are harder handle materials actually desirable? Hard things - ebony, horn etc. - tend to be very brittle. It strikes me that what you actually want is _tough_ materials. And toughness is usually _inversely_ proportional to hardness. As I say though - that's a topic for a different thread.]


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## tostadas (Aug 31, 2021)

childermass said:


> I like to use bog oak for ferrules. It’s easy to work, stable and if you get a very dark piece it’s almost completely black after finishing.


Where do you get yours from?


cotedupy said:


> Maybe worth looking into ebonizing if you haven't tried. You basically take wire wool, or iron filings, with vinegar, and brush it on. Which reacts with the tannins in light woods and turn them darker... 5 Magical Ebonizing Wood Tricks (how-to, techniques, formula)
> 
> [This also raises another question I've been thinking about recently, which I'll do a separate post so as not to hijack your thread, but the gist is... are harder handle materials actually desirable? Hard things - ebony, horn etc. - tend to be very brittle.


Thats actually a good point. I did read that ebony can tend to be brittle.


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## cotedupy (Aug 31, 2021)

tostadas said:


> Thats actually a good point. I did read that ebony can tend to be brittle.



I did actually do a very nice ebony ferrule handle the other day (for the first time). And though it's certainly pretty damn hard, it wasn't impossible to drill, or break, or anything. So perfectly do-able , it just made me think.

Comes out looking _very _like horn...


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## silylanjie (Aug 31, 2021)

cotedupy said:


> Maybe worth looking into ebonizing if you haven't tried. You basically take wire wool, or iron filings, with vinegar, and brush it on. Which reacts with the tannins in light woods and turn them darker... 5 Magical Ebonizing Wood Tricks (how-to, techniques, formula)



I ebonizing wood all the time and it works like magic. For wood with low tannins, I add tannins like let it soak in black tea or


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## tostadas (Aug 31, 2021)

silylanjie said:


> I ebonizing wood all the time and it works like magic. For wood with low tannins, I add tannins like let it soak in black tea or


Does ebonizing wash off, or otherwise come off with use? I basically dont want it on my hands or in my food (I'm thinking of like a dye but understand it's not the same).


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## cotedupy (Aug 31, 2021)

silylanjie said:


> I ebonizing wood all the time and it works like magic. For wood with low tannins, I add tannins like let it soak in black tea or



Ah, I'd never thought of adding tannins... clever!

Although thinking about it... I actually work with wood that's almost black from added tannins quite a lot. In the knife below the ferrule is used winemaking oak - all of colour is from red wine tannins which have permeated it completely.


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## tostadas (Aug 31, 2021)

cotedupy said:


> Ah, I'd never thought of adding tannins... clever!
> 
> Although thinking about it... I actually work with wood that's almost black from added tannins quite a lot. In the knife below the ferrule is used winemaking oak - all of colour is from red wine tannins which have permeated it completely.



Nice handles. How do you finish them, in terms of sanding and coating?


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## cotedupy (Aug 31, 2021)

tostadas said:


> Nice handles. How do you finish them, in terms of sanding and coating?



Ta! Usually this process... finish belts at 80, mineral oil, hand sand from 120-400, mineral oil, hand sand up to about 800 (higher if using horn). 

Then finish with a couple of coats of 'hardwax oil'. Which is a tung oil based blend of oils and wax; waterproof and food safe, sets hard, but you can kinda play around with the finish by taking it off earlier if you want to.


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## silylanjie (Aug 31, 2021)

cotedupy said:


> Ah, I'd never thought of adding tannins... clever!
> 
> Although thinking about it... I actually work with wood that's almost black from added tannins quite a lot. In the knife below the ferrule is used winemaking oak - all of colour is from red wine tannins which have permeated it completely.




cotedupy, you have very amazing work and beautiful handle there.



tostadas said:


> Does ebonizing wash off, or otherwise come off with use? I basically dont want it on my hands or in my food (I'm thinking of like a dye but understand it's not the same).



Ebonizing doesn't wash off unless you sand it off. It is not like paint but it's a reaction of the wood to darken.


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## tostadas (Aug 31, 2021)

cotedupy said:


> Ta! Usually this process... finish belts at 80, mineral oil, hand sand from 120-400, mineral oil, hand sand up to about 800 (higher if using horn).
> 
> Then finish with a couple of coats of 'hardwax oil'. Which is a tung oil based blend of oils and wax; waterproof and food safe, sets hard, but you can kinda play around with the finish by taking it off earlier if you want to.


How is the grip and texture compared to Tru oil?


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## silylanjie (Aug 31, 2021)

Cotedupy, I never used hardwax oil before but I really like the looks of your finish. Do you apply it by buffing it on and then buff off... or... buff it on and let it dry?


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## Bensbites (Aug 31, 2021)

In my experience people like blackwood, Indian ebony, and Gabon ebony a lot! I have ebonized stabilized oak for a handle, it will fade slightly over time, especially at the corners. I imagine a curing finish like truoil would help. There is also black pakkawood. 

some people like a heavy wa handle, others do not.


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## tostadas (Aug 31, 2021)

Bensbites said:


> In my experience people like blackwood, Indian ebony, and Gabon ebony a lot! I have ebonized stabilized oak for a handle, it will fade slightly over time, especially at the corners. I imagine a curing finish like truoil would help. There is also black pakkawood.
> 
> some people like a heavy wa handle, others do not.


Have you experienced increased cracking when working with any of those woods?


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## LostHighway (Aug 31, 2021)

Most species of Ebony (_Diospiros_ sp.) are either IUCN Red Listed or CITES listed. You have to make your own choices but personally I want no part of over exploited or threatened species for knife handles. There are plenty of other nice, not endangered, woods.


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## Bensbites (Aug 31, 2021)

tostadas said:


> Have you experienced increased cracking when working with any of those woods?


Not in 5 yrs.


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## tostadas (Aug 31, 2021)

LostHighway said:


> Most species of Ebony (_Diospiros_ sp.) are either IUCN Red Listed or CITES listed. You have to make your own choices but personally I want no part of over exploited or threatened species for knife handles. There are plenty of other nice, not endangered, woods.


Any recommendations? I'm not married to any of these woods in particular. Trying to get an idea of various options.


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## LostHighway (Aug 31, 2021)

Not specifically for ferrules but there are number of North American woods or exotics naturalized to NA that are quite decay resistant without stabilizing resins: Black Locust, Osage Orange (bright yellow when fresh ages darker), most oak species, Honey Mesquite, Coffee Tree, Black Cherry, Walnut, Yew, and Black Ironwood (_Krugiodendron ferreum_). I'm less familiar with various Australian trees but IMO Tasmanian Blackwood is nice and not at all threatened.
I could probably come up with a longer list with some research.


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## cotedupy (Aug 31, 2021)

tostadas said:


> How is the grip and texture compared to Tru oil?



I can't give a first-hand answer to that one I'm afraid. I've seen them being talked about as options for the same kind of thing, so I guess perhaps similarly. The brand of hardwax oil I use comes in a variety of finished though; Classic, Satin, Matte, and Gloss.



silylanjie said:


> Cotedupy, I never used hardwax oil before but I really like the looks of your finish. Do you apply it by buffing it on and then buff off... or... buff it on and let it dry?



Ah thanks! It kind of depends on the finish I (or rather other people) want. I tend to use the 'classic' version. If you let it dry fully it'll be shinier, whereas if you buff when half set then you sort of rub the oils and waxes into the wood which leaves a more natural textured finish.

It's designed to be left to dry fully (which takes about 12-24 hours), but I quite like having the option.


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## xsmx13 (Sep 2, 2021)

I've enjoyed working with osage orange (darker orange pieces) and bocote. The bottom picture was my first re-handle.


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## childermass (Sep 5, 2021)

tostadas said:


> Where do you get yours from?


Sorry, completely forgot to answer you. I get my bog oak from different german wood vendors. As I saw you are from the US I didn’t put that into my first post as I thought it might be of little help for you.


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