Stabilizing Cedar Knife Scales

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Hey folks,
Normally this wouldn't be too big of an issue I'd think...but the scales are already on the knife. And it's a fillet knife so it's gonna get wet sometimes. And cedar is already pretty soft. So I'm thinking the best option is to try to stabilize the scales. I've heard of people just soaking pieces in Minwax wood hardener or something similar but have never tried it, and I don't have the scraps to experiment myself. Has anyone tried this?

Or perhaps any other suggestions for finishing and protecting and water resistance-ing something soft like cedar? I know tung oil can be somewhat water resistant given enough applications but I wonder if it'll be tough enough. Another idea is spar urethane but I like the look and feel of finishes that don't build thick films.

Thanks!

[Joe Kieve]

Just a "wag" but CA glue might work. It's pretty tough and waterproof. I'd use a couple of coats of thin to seal the cedar, then follow with 3 or 4 coats of medium.
Just my 2 cents, but it might work.

[John K Jordan]

How you treat it might also depend on if you can remove the scales from the knife.

One thing - a penetrating finish like oil may turn the cedar quite dark, assuming you are talking about aromatic cedar, eastern red cedar, etc. I have no experience with white cedar, if that's what you have. It would be good to find some scraps to test. It should be easy to find - I just filled a 39 gal can with scraps.

Could possibly vacuum infuse with Cactus Juice or some other resin. Pen turners do this for soft woods. Turns the wood into something that acts like plastic. I have no idea how it would affect scales already mounted.

I've finished cedar turnings with many thin coats of spray lacquer over a sanding sealer. I haven't tried immersing in water though. Again, acquiring some sample scraps to experiment with would be good.

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

It's Cedar of Lebanon, so I cannot say how similar it is to eastern red or the more common types, but according to wood database it's softer (820 lbs vs 900 janka).