Finishing Advice Needed

[John Altberg]

I am going to make some shave kits (razor, brush and stand with wooden stem) out of lignum vitae and cocobolo. I feel that the lignum vitae may be ok without a finish in a wet environment given its maritime uses, but not so sure about the cocobolo. I have made several pens from cocobolo without a finish and really like how the wood takes a patina with use. What say the more experienced finishers in the group?

[Scott Hackler]

Cocobolo is kind of oily and once sanded / polished it should be OK. If in doubt, wipe them down with mineral oil, leave them sit for a few minutes and wipe them dry.

[Jim Burr]

It's common practice in the pen world not to finish cocobolo or many of the woods from the rosewood family. It takes some effort, but CA is a tough wearing finish. I've had great success with WTF and buffing on oily woods. The main detractor from unfinished oily woods is that many people are allergic to them. A serious case of Dermatitis can result from skin contact with the oil from unfinished woods so keep that in mind when thinking about the finish/no finish argument.

[Dale Gillaspy]

I use a cocobolo razor set. Polished with Micro Mesh and left unfinished. I have been using it for over a year now and it is holding up great.

[Prashun Patel]

I would wetsand polish it with an oil. Burnishing with superfine grits will make for a wonderful feel.

[John Beaver]

Sometimes on Cocobolo I will use a couple coats of shellac, sanded way back. I"m really just using the shellac to fill the pores. The final finish is awesome. The shellac won't hold up to everyday use, but you could sand back to bare wood, and just leave a little in the pores.

Prashun, have you used the wetsand oil on Cocobolo? Usually oils don't hold up well on Cocobolo.

[Prashun Patel]

The oil is not to create a film, but to lubricate the paper. It is the burnishi that creates e silky feeling.

[John Altberg]

Thanks, all, for your feedback. I will post some pics when I get the sets completed. I have to finish sanding and staining the deck first, however!

[Lee Koepke]

the lignum vitae will polish up nice on its own. I did a pen with it, and theres a trick to it I read somewhere about burnishing and getting enough heat to bring out the natural oils, once you do that its pretty smooth and looks real nice. The first round I did not get it hot enough and it was dull and sticky.

[Jeremy Hamaker]

I like to leave my lignum vitae with no finish. I'm a big fan of burnishing it 'til it releases its oils. It really comes out of the wood too, so once you've got the heat up, you'll know when the oil is there. Also, lignum vitae can change color with exposure to air. Many pieces I've started with that were yellow and/or brownish turned very pretty green over a couple days. If you must finish the LV, I suggest leaving it alone for a while first to see what kind of color comes up.