Stabalising handle easily ??

[Jd33]

Right .... Just made a new handle for a knife that has been round the world with me and want yo now want to "bushcraft " with it ...... Is there an easy way to stabalise it ..... Any comments good or daft appreciated cheers

[CanadianMike]

What type of wood? Might not need to. If something spalted, and in dire need of it, I use wood hardener, specifically Minwax wood hardener, it's acetone with plastic disolved in it. I literally only just soak the scales in it for a few hours and let it dry. Never found the need to create a vacuum in the jar though, and I've made a lot of spalted maple handles.

[Jd33]

Cherry , a tree I cut down from garden , been outside in all weathers since last summer

[MadZ]

seen various ways of it being done but never attempted it myself, may i suggest trawling you tube for some ideas.

as above you could just soak it in the minwax, or there is a way that does take an hour or two with a vacuum, or a pretty similar way that can take a few days/weeks that involves a jar with lid filled with the minwax heated in a pot of water to create the vacuum without the need for some pretty serious kit, heat the jar of minwax in water so that small bubbles form insert the scales and seal as it cools will create a vacuum pulling the minwax into the wood

another way is with a brake bleeding kit to make the vacuum this does not require heating and could be done on the kitchen table.

seriously check you tube though.

has the inside of the cherry been compromised??(thats what i call it probably wrong terminology) as surely the outside would be in worse condition than the inside if its been out side, ill see if i can get a few pics of some cherry that i have to show you some of the compromised bits, there about 4 inches in diameter and were left outside for an unknown period of time and i cut them up from a tree that had been felled just to see if it was useable unfortunately they are to far gone for the purpose i intended them for so are sat in a box

[CanadianMike]

Is the wood rotted? Can you pick it apart with your fingernail?

[MadZ]

on the pieces i have the outside has started too rot under the bark witch has now dried out and fallen off, leaving it very porous, you can dig a nail in like balsa wood is the best way to explain it

[CanadianMike]

Yup, needs to be stabilized!

[Jd33]

The piece I have used is fine nice and solid inside took forever to drill out , knife is a stick tang . A cold steel master hunter that I took existing rubber handler off .....