On 31 Mar, 09:10, dafyddw wrote:
HI , I've just cut some handles for a knife, but now I need to
'finish' the wood.

I'd avoid tung oil in favour of a commercial blended oil based on
tung. You really need to use thinners and driers in addition to pure
tung - otherwise it's quite awkward to use. The risk with oil,
especially pure tung, is that you put it on too thick and then it
never dries properly. The trick for any oil finish (and indeed most
finishes) is to only ever use thin coats.

If you did apply it too thick and it refuses to dry beyond sticky,
scrub it clean with white spirit on a rag, then re-apply more thinly.

For plain oil finishes on knife handles with "smart" wood finishes,
then I'd use about four or five coats of Liberon's finishing oil,
buffed out heavily between coats with a 3M or Webrax plastic abrasive
pad in the finest grey colour. I don't make an effort to do this, just
leave it on the table and give it a new coat whenever I walk past.
Leave a good few hours between coats in this weather. When it's done,
leave it a few days somewhere warm and then finally buff it and wax it
with a white pad.

For "workshop" tools I use Danish oil instead, which is a mix of oil
and a little varnish. Tougher, but doesn't look as nice as a plain oil.