Thread: finishes on cocobolo

Im in need of a little help. I have a set of scales i made out of some left over cocobolo. Since they were just some scrap barely large enough for scales, i decided to do some experimentation with this razor. my question is,because of cocobolo's oily characteristics, would they hold up unfinished and just buffed? ive done this on turnings in the past and they held up fine, though they weren't handled much. i like the natural satin appearance buffed coco has. Has anyone ever left cocobolo unfinished with good results on wear?

Buff than renwax.

The question should not be about the wood, it is about the razor,,,
If the wood absorbs water at all, it will release it as it drys and rust the razor, usually around the pivot.

You want to stop this as best as possible, for as long as possible, for tight grained oily woods Teak Oil is a good option as it keeps the natural look you are talking about and penetrates and seals inside the grain... Followed by a quality wax like the Renwax or perhaps Johnson's paste will keep the outside of the wood in good shape too...

The scales are there to protect the razor..

True,in the real world the scales should never see water tho.

How about a heated friction polish such as Carnauba.....the good stuff used for turning, not the automotive stuff.

I agree with Glen. Probably the most important part of the scales are the insides, so they need to be Tung oiled and Renwaxed before the razor is pinned. That's the way I have treated Coco scales and brushes. Maxi - I'd still put on a bit of oil before I tried the friction wax - also, the problem there would be getting enough heat to melt the wax - not a problem with something spinning on a lathe, but that's not the way we'd be applying it to scales - maybe a heat gun?

True true. Cocobolo though contains lots of oil. It would be important to acetone the scales before the tung oil, and then use a wash coat first to help it sink into the wood.

Using a beale system with carnauba works with burl work, as in salad bowls. I've tried it on scales with a 6" diameter 1" wide sprial sewn wheel. Load it up, and then run the scales over the wheel, while using a titch of pressure to build up some heat from the wheel. So far so good.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

True,in the real world the scales should never see water tho.

In a perfect world the scales should never see water...

thanks glen. i have done exactly what you said and will be posting pics in the restoration thread soon.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

In a perfect world the scales should never see water...

And the razors should hone themselves.