Uncle Bjorn's Handle Finish

Uncle Bjorn's Handle Finish    ( UBHF )

Neutral Finish for Light Coloured Woods

A combination of natural resins and shellac that leaves a hard-wearing, glossy handle finish.

Developed for Curly Birch to specifically retain the golden light colour, but works well also on darker woods.

The kit consists of

• Bottle 1: the resin mix
• Bottle 2: lubricant oil
• Fine Sandpaper
• Cotton application pad
  
• Full, easy to follow instructions 

Extract from the Instructions:

• Sand the handle to at least 1200 grit, the higher the better
• First do a couple of layers of Pore Filling, then 5-10 layers of Polishing
• Pore Filling: Only use bottle 1 to fill the pores of the wood.
  • Apply 8-10 drops of the Resin Mix on the cotton fabric
  • Quickly wet the entire handle. Do not rub it out to dry, just make sure the entire handle is wet. Over the exposed tang and bolts are ok, just smear the entire handle from where the wood section starts. It is to gleam in wet resin.
  • Place the cotton fabric in a small zip-lock bag to keep it moist. Wait 30 min
  • Repeat this step so there are 2 or 3 layers of pure Resin mix on the handle
  • LIGHTLY sand with an incredibly light touch the surface of the hard resin mix. This step can easily scratch the handle and any metal parts so be gentle. You just want to remove any bumps that may have formed in the resin mix that was left wet.  
  • Polishing: Use Bottle 1 and Bottle 2 to build a hard-wearing, shiny finish
    • Apply 5-6 drops of Bottle 1 to the cotton fabric piece, then 1 tiny drop from Bottle 2.
    • With light pressure wet the entire handle and polish/rub constantly without stopping for a minute or two. If the pad starts sticking, increase the speed and go lighter. You are now rubbing out the resin mix with the lubricant oil until it dries to a thin, shiny layer.
    • Place the cotton piece back in the zip lock bag and wait 5-10 min.
    • Repeat so you make at least 5 very thin layers. Go light on the resin as you don’t want a thick layer to build which may cause bumps.
    • Leave the knife to dry for 24 hours before using it.