While I love working with walnut there are times that the end grain gives me fits. In order to get a clean look to a work piece with end grain you need to stiffen the wood fibers so that they will shear cleanly. So for this handle I decided to wet sand and attempt to eliminate those trouble spots.
As I was told, you need to think of wood grain as a bunch of straws. Looking in at the ends is of course, simulates the end grain. If you hold them loosely in you hands and rub them against sand paper you will notice that the straws bend. THAT'S what is happening in the wood. It's why sometimes, no matter how much you sand, you can't get rid of those little defects in the end grains. But if you hold them tight, and close to the end, they will shear. So you need to use something to stiffen that end grain.
Back when I was more into wood turning and had a problem like this I would wet sand using a mix of 50/50 mineral spirits and varnish. This mix would penetrate the wood and then help the end grain to shear like it had been cut with a knife. It works best with open grained hard woods woods like Walnut, Ash, and Osage. But I've also used it successfully on Apple and Cherry.
The trick is that you need varnish with
Alkyd resins. I was told to use McClusky's Spar Varnish in the red can. And lucky for me, the hardware store around the corner had some. But at $29.99 it was MUCH more expensive than I remember! (note to self: order it online before hand next time!)
So I assembled the items needed for this wet sanding
Notice that I'm working on a small tray? And you can't see it but I'm wearing rubber gloves. Believe me, this method works. But it's MESSY!! Still,....the end results are indeed worth it.
I only mixed up a small amount. Maybe a 1/2 cup of each. Then I started sanding using 400 grit wet dry sand paper. I dipped the sand paper in and started sanding.
The slurry quickly fills the pores of the walnut. And as you work you can
feel the difference. Where you sand is smoother. I went over it two times to make sure that I got all the surfaces. Then I wiped it off using a rag soaked in mineral spirits and then repeated the process with 600 grit sand paper
Now I can almost hear a couple of you go, "600 GRIT?! For a saw handle????" Yeah, I know.
I could have just wet sanded using 320 and then let it go. But I really wanted a good finish on this one. Here are some photos I took right after I finished.
After a short time the surface should start to dry. I usually allow it to dry overnight and then come back the next night to add an oil finish. This wet sanding mix does not interfere with the wood absorbing the oil finish. In fact, it seems to help in the same way that a seal coat does. Which stands to reason considering that they both address the way end grain absorbs a finish.
I also sanded and gave another light coat of TruOil to the Jatoba and Rosewood handles. This is their final treatment. I made sure to wipe off any excess. At this point, any excess finish left on the surface after a day or so isn't going to get absorbed. It'll just stay tacky. They should be ready for buffing in a day or so.
me for that one.
