Does wood need stabilized?
- Josh Crutchley
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Does wood need stabilized?
I got some wood a while back, teek and padauk, that's not stabilized. Does anyone have experience with either of these? Will they hold up without stabilization?
Re: Does wood need stabilized?
Padauk is a medium hardness, medium density wood. With most wood species ranging from about 500 to 4500 on a wood hardness scale Padauk is 1970. Teak is quite a bit softer than Padauk unless it's Brazilian Teak, in which case it's very hard. Whether or not to stabilize is a personal choice because any wood will last some time and provide some degree of durability no matter what. You have the option to treat non-stabilized wood with boiled linseed oil, coconut oil or other products to give it some water and chemical resistance to extend its' life. If you want it to last as long as possible without worry, stabilize it. If I were to use Padauk or Teak for a knife handle I would personally choose to stabilize them, but stabilizing isn't necessarily required.
:spyder: Spyderco fan and collector since 1991. :spyder:
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
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Re: Does wood need stabilized?
Teak would be one of the few woods that I wouldn't worry about stabilizing. It tends to turn whiteish with UV exposure and time, not sure if stabilizing will stop that. It's very weather resistant and has been used in boat building for centuries. Additionally, it is a tricky wood to stabilize because of it's oil. It can be stabilized but it's not very friendly to the process.
- Larry_Mott
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Re: Does wood need stabilized?
Mopane, which i chose for my latest scale swap is widely used for flutes. It's a hard, resinous wood akin to African blackwood and keeps up well in flutes that constantly gets dripping wet with condensation from the player's breath.
I don't worry much about using it as is and just oil it from time to time, but there's huge differences between timbers..
I don't worry much about using it as is and just oil it from time to time, but there's huge differences between timbers..
"Life is fragile - we should take better care of each other, and ourselves - every day!"
//Eva Mott 1941 - 2019. R.I.P.
//Eva Mott 1941 - 2019. R.I.P.
Re: Does wood need stabilized?
I'd never heard of it either. I think I'm going to have to order some and play with it.
Now I just need more time...
Now I just need more time...