best sealer for wood handle?

[bnalley]

Hi all,
I Am about restore one of my older brushes. It has a nice wooden handle, cocobolo. after I remove the old badger knot and sand the handle, what is the best sealer to use on it. I was thinking helmsman spar urethane, but if someone knows something better I'm all ears.
thanks,

Brett

[nff]

if you use urethane use polyurethane

[huck1680]

I agree, I use a water based polyurethane and have not had any problems whatsoever. Having said that the spar urethane will work well also. I just like easier cleanups and sanding after 3 coats.

[bnalley]

Thanks, Will post picks of the resto. in progress on another thread. I'm starting the wood handle and an Ever-Ready 200T as my first venture into brush restoration. should be fun

[Predict]

I would think try oil would be good as it is used on gun stocks which are subjected to rain. Maybe some others can chime in on this

[Tescot]

I keep all my wood shaving items with a regular coating of mineral oil (once every 1-3 months, as needed)

[Timo]

As an old painter, I would either use a linseed based oil and reoil it every other week OR use an exterior varnish or polyurethane. I have used Man o War for years and love it....helmsman is good too. Just know an oil based product will yellow in time.

[Predict]

I would think try oil would be good as it is used on gun stocks which are subjected to rain. Maybe some others can chime in on this

i meant tru oil. darn auto correct. i used tru oil on bamboo backed bows and it turned out good. i just wipe it on in about 20 really thin coats

[nff]

the only thing about oil is it dosent have that mirror polishablility that a urethane or other clear hard sealers.

[Tescot]

the only thing about oil is it dosent have that mirror polishablility that a urethane or other clear hard sealers.

My shaving bowls (which are oiled) keep a nice shine to them! But they are only a few months in my possession.

[nff]

My shaving bowls (which are oiled) keep a nice shine to them! But they are only a few months in my possession.

you'd have to have a near perfect surface on the wood in order to get the shine of one coat of a clear coat with oil. also another plus is any surface covered in a hardend layer of poly will be completely waterproof (given all surfaces are covered) you'd have to actually break through the coating into un treated wood to do water damage. and with a good smooth surface poly is capable with a few coats of creating a perfectly even glass like coating (given proper prep) rougher finishes can acheave this also with enough coats sanding and polishing. oil gets absorbed into the wood where as poly a small amount soaks into the wood wile the rest forms a hard protective workable surface that encases the wood. causing it to be nearly impermeable also scratches can be sanded and polished out or filled in with a extra coat of poly.
this still needs some finishing touches to get a perfectly smooth surface but the surface is curently capable of somewhat detailed reflections.

[bald1]

I keep all my wood shaving items with a regular coating of mineral oil (once every 1-3 months, as needed)

I use a mix of mineral oil and bees wax for my wood handled 2002 vintage Shavemac brush. Been doing it now for the decade I've owned it :)

[jkingrph]

Cocobolo is a very oily wood, so a finish that coats and drys will probably work for a while, but will not hold for the long term.

I would probably use a mixture of linseed or tung oil with some carnuba wax. It polishes well although not like the varnishes or lacquers and can easily be reapplied as needed.

For my gunstocks I use a mixture of linseed oil, turpentine, carnuba wax, and venicitian turpentine( found in tackle shops for horses hoofs to add shine) It takes a lot of coats and a bit of rubbing but the finish is worth it.

[bhtoad]

+1 what jkingrph said. Be careful when sanding the wood, though. Cocobolo dust is toxic. For some other ideas, try checking out some wood working sites. I think the forums on wood turning would be especially helpful.

[AverageJoe]

Cocobolo is a very oily wood, so a finish that coats and drys will probably work for a while, but will not hold for the long term.

I would probably use a mixture of linseed or tung oil with some carnuba wax. It polishes well although not like the varnishes or lacquers and can easily be reapplied as needed.

For my gunstocks I use a mixture of linseed oil, turpentine, carnuba wax, and venicitian turpentine( found in tackle shops for horses hoofs to add shine) It takes a lot of coats and a bit of rubbing but the finish is worth it.

+1. This is exactly right. Use a penetrating oil rather than a film-forming finish or it'll be flaking off very soon!! Cocobolo is naturally oily already. If there is an existing varnish, sand it down to bare wood first as well.

[JCinPA]

I would think try oil would be good as it is used on gun stocks which are subjected to rain. Maybe some others can chime in on this

I am if not an expert on this, at least a journeyman, as one of my hobbies is refinishing old gunstocks.

I would not do this. Oiling the wood made them water repellant, but not impervious to water. And soldiers would often reapply oil to stocks over the years, or other concoctions like beeswax, turpentine and oil. I think the urethanes are the best idea here for this purpose.

[JCinPA]

Well, I posted that by quoting as soon as I saw Predict's post. Now I read that some of you have done this successfully, so maybe I am wrong. I agree you should use a penetrating oil, I thin mine when starting on a wood gunstock and use several progressively less-thinned coats to get it penetrate, finishing with hand-rubbed straight oil, like Linseed.

At the end, I usually use this stuff, and use it over time for touching up.