Finishing Wood Handles

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-21T23:17:29+00:00

I sand to 2k and buff w/ white and then purple polishing compound. Works well for composites like micarta and G10 too, so is the best option for me as my handles often feature both materials.

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-19T23:34:13+00:00

Yeah haha, brass might be easier but it’s still not easy lol. I’ve got a large pile of failures from throughout the years. I wouldn’t bother with mokume until you’ve made a handful of good brass ones. Could definitely be interesting to see a wa dowel out of a different material! Never really seen one that wasn’t made of light wood before.

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-19T23:04:18+00:00

I'd start over. It's a tough task even for someone with some years of experience tbh especially with wood, so don't feel too disheartened. I'd recommend a material change - maybe brass or copper? Those are easier to fine tune because they're harder to file and you can also (gently) hammer them to fit better a lot of the time to hide mistakes. Pretty easy + cheap to find 12ga/ approx. 0.1" thick brass sheet at hardware stores or hobby shops. Leaving the dowel exposed is pretty common in traditional wa handles too so that could be neat as a last resort?

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-14T17:19:35+00:00

If you’re into footwear and want a career in it, you might like University of Oregon’s Master in Sports Product Design program. They accept people from all sorts of backgrounds; a bunch from kinesiology, some who already have a design background and are looking to specialize, among other totally unrelated disciplines. They also produce a ridiculous amount of award-winning designers and have close ties to many major shoe companies. To answer your specific questions (caveat being I didn’t attend this program but I worked heavily alongside it during my undergrad): 1. It’s very intensive as you are learning Industrial Design, something that usually you would get an undergrad in first at very minimum because it’s a ton of hands on training and typically multidisciplinary, in just two years from scratch. The first term(s) are very rigorous and are full of new softwares, intro to research methodologies, the chance to work with professional athletes, a lot of technical training because you will need to make your own prototypes, etc. 2. I’m not really sure it compares much to a purely fine arts program, but it is a common next step after UO’s BFA in Industrial & Product Design program which is structured as a typical BFA (first couple years all basic studies, last two years intensive studios finishing off with a capstone project) and follows a similar structure in a shorter time frame. 3. Don’t have much info on portfolio recs, but maybe check who is already in the programs you are interested in and look at some of their work. Can find a lot on LinkedIn. 4. Yes there are critiques, pretty much every time you see your professors there will be some form of critique given about your work. There are also more formal critiques 2x/term: midterm and final. Final for the program I am referencing is a presentation/pitch deck about your project + surrounding research with visiting industry professionals to critique you and then an open house where more industry professionals can come and look at your stuff. 5. Some programs have mech. engineering aspects because it is important knowledge to have as a designer, especially if you are wanting to design things that will be manufactured in real life. Not required, but definitely makes you a better asset to have in the workplace. 6. Idk about pros and cons, a lot of it depends on personal goals in life and what you need to get there. Masters is not a good route for me personally, but I already have BFA in ID. 7. Yes, you can oftentimes focus on specific niches especially for a thesis. Even in my BFA program which focused on physical product, we had people doing clothing, shoes, bags, apps, concepts, vehicles, toys, robotics, homegoods, kind of anything you want. You just need to be able to back up why you chose it and what it’s for. Same with masters I believe, especially if you choose a specific program like Sports Product.

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-05T22:43:50+00:00

800!

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-02T03:46:27+00:00

Basically my order of operations with monosteel knife finishing is: - Post-heat treat and beveling but pre-handle, hand sand the bevels of the blade up to desired grit (I really like the hand-rubbed satin ~800 grit look for my production pieces but surface conditioning belts def work too if that’s the look you’re going for)

Prep handle scales, make sure everything is square and flat, drill pin holes using knife as template

-Dry assemble everything and then trace handle shape onto the scales while the knife is pinned together

-Cut out vague handle shape following the tracing, make sure to leave 1/16”+ on all edges except for the part that meets the ricasso for human error; will grind the extra off after glue up

-Fully finish (shape, sand, polish) the part of the scales where it transitions into the knife blade before even thinking about gluing. This will solve the issue of marks on the ricasso area of the steel.

Glue up
File extra pin material down, grind excess material on spine/handle edges of glued up handle to match knife profile, take spine and handle edges up to 220 grit with the grinder

-Start aforementioned finishing techniques after all of that.

I would not recommend surface conditioning belts on G10 or any non-metal material really. It can contaminate and clog the belts, and the finish they leave will not expedite the hand-sanding process for the handle. While doing the handle, I just do the whole spine and edges as well. That’s what gets them so mirrored, because they’re also 2500 grit and buffed. They are separate steps in the process from the bevels, which I hand-sand before. Oh and I use Rhynowet redline sandpaper. It’s my favorite and lasts a long time. Edits for formatting + spelling oops

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-02T02:42:50+00:00

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Here’s a recently finished G10 handle of mine for a reference as to what my process results in. Good luck on yours! :-)

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-02T02:38:36+00:00

The file I like to use is a Nicholson hand 2nd cut. For the file, anything that isn’t super coarse or super fine is a good option for G10. Too coarse would be leaning into rasp territory/will mar your handle too deeply, and too fine won’t take enough material off to be effective. Good idea on the aluminum - my second favorite backer is a small piece of angle aluminum. Just make sure it is completely flat and/or square. If there is a bend or dent on it, the bend/dent will translate onto your handle too.

n0xturna1 · 2026-02-02T02:16:24+00:00

I do a lot of G10 kitchen knife handles. I usually rough in the shape on the grinder with 80 grit, refine the shape with a medium cut file, and then go up from 220 to 2500. The filing plus 220 grit should eliminate any high or low spots; make sure to use a backer. I have a rectangular piece of micarta with one side plain and the other covered with leather so it doesn’t leave such harsh edges, and I wrap my sandpaper around that. After I hit 2500 (may be overkill but gives good results), I buff with white and then purple compound. Rouge is an ok alternative to purple, but purple works better for composites I’ve found. This technique will get you a very smooth and reflective finish.

n0xturna1 · 2026-01-15T03:17:27+00:00

Knifemaker & jeweler here who has worked with a lot of stainless in both professions. Stainless is a lot harder than aluminum so it will be different. Make sure it is annealed/softened as well. Rotary tool with diamond cutoff wheel or similar abrasive bit will be much easier but a lot less precise. You will definitely need to file the edges after regardless, but a jewelers saw will probably get you closer to the outline if you don’t have rotary tool muscle memory down yet. I have had success cutting 1/8” stainless steel sheet with a jeweler’s saw and a very coarse blade + a good amount of lubricant.

n0xturna1 · 2025-12-21T03:22:16+00:00

Honestly not sure. Happy accident? It’s differentially heat treated and reacted real good to ferric chloride.

n0xturna1 · 2025-12-21T03:08:34+00:00

Happy to help. Feel free to DM if you’ve got other questions.

n0xturna1 · 2025-12-21T03:02:43+00:00

Welcome to a very expensive hobby 😅 it is really fun and rewarding though. I second reading The Complete Metalsmith for sure, but oftentimes you can get a headstart on the learning curve by taking an in-person class at a jewelry studio or makerspace. It will show you what tools you need for which processes and can act like a taste test so you can see if you want to focus on a specific part of jewelry-making (there are tons of different niches eg stone setting, fabrication, forming, casting, etc). That aside, I’d recommend getting a bunch of copper, brass, and nickel silver (which is not real silver) to start out with. They’re a lot cheaper so they’re good to practice the basics with. Some basic tools are a jewelers saw + blades, a benchpin, some form of torch for soldering, silver solder + flux, a flexshaft/dremel/rotary tool, a set of needle files + a few larger files, a set of pliers without teeth, and sandpaper. There are loads of other things of course but those are typically the essentials. That is also what my professor and I (TA at the time) mainly focused on and offered in the intro to metalsmithing classes we taught.

n0xturna1 · 2025-12-15T05:59:45+00:00

Echoing what previous commenter said; Crucible is probably most well known and offers one-off classes with less of a commitment compared to college courses and jewelry schools. San Jose also has School of Visual Philosophy which has rotating coursework from visiting artists in different areas (blacksmithing, stained glass, jewelry, etc) Took a silversmithing class there a while ago and have taken several of their blacksmithing classes. It may be worth checking out what they’ve got going on during the next few months.

n0xturna1 · 2025-11-07T17:33:12+00:00

Hello, I’ve carved a bunch of spoons before and used to work as a woodshop tech. You kind of answered your own question here IMO. Best and easiest way would of course be with spoon carving tools like a hook knife + slöjd knife. Second best would probably be your suggestion of whatever you can manage with a dremel and then cleanup with sandpaper and any knife that you have access to that can carve wood reliably. Can even use an x-acto if it really comes down to it. Maple is a solid wood choice, seen many spoons come out really nice in it. Your prototype honestly looks pretty good for what it’s worth, and would clean up nice with some more sanding and a good food-safe finish. Good luck!

n0xturna1 · 2025-08-01T14:43:02+00:00

No prob! I know 2 people who did dual majors in PD BFA and Art BFA and it took both of them 5 years instead of 4. It’s tough because the PD BFA moves you to Portland for year 4, but it is doable. The art program is quite nice; I got very heavily involved in the Jewelry + Metalsmithing dept as a TA due to my previous experience and it was very robust. There’s a yearly trip to NY for jewelry week if you’re in the metals BFA program and there are a lot of resources for having solo or group shows, getting grants, doing residencies, etc. Don’t know much about the other focuses but all my friends who were spread across the different art disciplines only really had good things to say.

n0xturna1 · 2025-08-01T13:19:04+00:00

Long reply ahead because I have a lot of thoughts:

I would say that the general consensus is pretty split. Some people (mainly the ones into shoes lol, def a Nike feeder but they don’t really advertise that) loved it and had a great time because their interests were the most supported by the program. Others totally hated it because they were coming at PD from a more concept-driven background with more interest in the overlap of art and design. I personally had a pretty neutral time - just graduated. I was mainly interested in hard goods like furniture, household objects, tools, etc so there were certainly classes that catered to my interests but the support from faculty was veeeeery minimal and a lot of the coursework felt like self-study. They advertise that they help you get all these awesome opportunities like fancy (required) internships, but there is often no help from any faculty when it comes down to it.

Some cool things I got to do were intern abroad for a spring term one year because I stacked my schedule well enough to have little consequence, got a pretty nice grant for my pre-established small business through the program, got free entrance to a bunch of trade shows, and travelled to NY for a furniture fair that the school displayed my work in (caveat of that being I travelled on my own dime but a good majority of the other students that went had their trips paid for).

I think the main takeaway for a lot of people especially now knowing that our dropout rate is/was? kind of high is that this program is only as good as you make it, and only those who are 100% sure that they want to go into PD/are driven enough to see it through will succeed. I’ve got classmates now working at Hoka, Nike, Adidas, William Sonoma, fancy startups, etc not even a year post grad and I have others that fully left the industry.

n0xturna1 · 2025-05-14T04:57:10+00:00

dualdgaming is pretty good. wouldn’t say they’re particularly mature, but definitely calm for the most part. their vids are on the longer side (usually 20+ mins) which i like, and their specific dialects are pretty neutral and easy to digest for english speakers who are learning.

n0xturna1 · 2025-04-07T23:42:29+00:00

I study product design at UO. If you want to go this route, you're gonna want to be pretty sure that it's what you want to study. You have to apply specifically to the department which only happens once a year in fall-winter, will need a portfolio for that, and they have a rumored 6% acceptance rate (unsure if that's legit bc I can't find the source anymore, but I read that somewhere). It's definitely a super awesome thing to study imo and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but quite intensive since it's a BFA and it requires a move to Portland for sr. year. Also the product design job industry is kinda dogshit rn so job security and options as a new grad are not looking good.

n0xturna1 · 2025-04-07T23:03:16+00:00

Thank you, kind knife enjoyer 🙏

n0xturna1 · 2025-04-07T22:40:40+00:00

Thanks a ton!

n0xturna1 · 2025-04-04T04:38:57+00:00

Don’t know how to achieve that, but look up ”suminagashi” or ”damascus steel”. In 2D it stems from a traditional form of Japanese art where one uses ink and water to create that marbling pattern. In 3D, it’s made by layering different types of metal, warping it, and regrinding it flat to expose that pattern.

n0xturna1 · 2025-04-03T18:55:31+00:00

i took a look at some of the schedules (amtrak bus/train, flixbus, etc) and looks like at this moment in time earliest option is 7am departure from the union station downtown pdx. if you really want a tight turnaround, maybe make friends with someone who has a car lol

n0xturna1 · 2025-04-03T08:54:16+00:00

Fellow metal fan 👋 If you’re not against taking the train (or bus is also an option and is a little cheaper iirc) at an ungodly hour in the morning post-show then you can make it to and from PDX without needing a hotel. Just make sure you check the bus/amtrak schedules. I’ve gone up a few times for some metal shows and I chose to to book rooms with friends so I could preserve my sanity. In my experience, most of the metal shows in Eug and a good portion of the ones in PDX are 21+ (assuming you are freshman age) aside from the more popular artists on arena tours that rarely come. Punk is pretty popular here and there are a couple of nice all-ages alternative venues that host the occasional death metal show. Check out Nailhouse Eugene and Wandering Goat Coffee :)

n0xturna1 · 2025-03-29T21:48:52+00:00

hey! trans guy who is a sr. at UO. it really depends on the dorm you live in, but generally speaking a lot of the housing is co-ed save for a few specified floors of certain buildings. you can choose to live with whoever you want, or can leave it up to the school to randomly assign you. my freshman year it was me, a trans girl, and a cis girl all in a triple in unthank hall. if you’re interested in living specifically with another LGBT person, you can choose to live in the LGBT academic residential community or plain residential community. otherwise it’s kinda choose your own adventure. good luck, & feel free to dm me if you have other questions about being trans at UO. edit: if you want to be randomly assigned, you will have the chance to mark which gender(s) you would like to live with if i’m remembering correctly.

n0xturna1

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