Thread: Part seasoned timber

If the wood is sealed it should be ok
Kind regards Peter
PS I can`t speak for Bill but I`m certainly no expert

do you think cocobolo would hold up long term in a shaving brush?

I'm not an expert on wood either. I am really only familiar with a certain group of woods that work well as knife and razor scales. I had to go to my notes on woods from my knifemaking library to give the weights and stuff.

There are several members here who are extrememly knowledgeable about woods. Maybe they can jump in.

Cocobolo sinks in water... it's pretty dense. The more dense a wood is, the less water it will absorb. I would think it would be good for a brush handle. I'm not even sure if it can be sealed with traditional sealers because of the tight pores. It is also very oily. I guess it could be coated with a protectorant, but don't even know if it even needs that.

One thing you MUST DO. Wear a mask with cocobolo when sanding..ALWAYS.

Gary

I know a guy that spent three days in the hospital after making a single cut in a piece of Cocobolo. Using a mask is a good idea!

Regarding the brushes, rosewood will work for brushes, though any wood should be stabilized OR sealed OR both to prevent dulling of the surface and the raising of the grain. While cocobolo is very oily and will naturally resist water to some degree, I would choose another rosewood simply because true Cocobolo is the least color fast of the bunch.

Cocobolo is a rosewood. There are many, from central and south america (brazilian rosewood?) and austral-asia mostly.The one african Rosewood I know of is Bubinga, but it's not in the same latin family of rosewoods. I doubt europe, since it is a more tropical tree.

There is alot of confusion since many rosewoods look the same, and many are named for their place or origin. This is common also in ebony, nigerian ebony, madagascar ebony, etc. etc.

Cocobolo(AKA nicaragua rosewood) (dalbergia retusa) is around 65lb/cu.ft.
slow to season, with high risk of distortion and checking, though stable once dry.
Gluing, very difficult. Wipe with acetone to remove natural oils and glue quickly.
Nice coloration and patterning, but this will face with time, to a nice even brown.

Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia Stevensonii) is around 59lb. /cu.ft. commercially, most comes from Belize.

Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia Latifolium) 52lb./cu.ft.
Unlike Cocobolo, the coloration of this wood improves during seasoning, which should be slow and steady. Very stable once dry. Not too oily.

Other rosewoods I know of are D. Javanica and D. Sissoo. I have worked with Camphi Rosewood and Payung Rosewood, not sure of latin names, and both are great, with excellent colorfast figure.