My first buckeye burl

LongBaller71 · #1 06-13-2012, 08:53 AM

Finally got in some buckeye this week and could not wait to knock out a pair. First time working with and around so many inclusions, but wasn't bad once I filled and stabilized them. I absolutely love the look of these and really look forward to getting more sets together. The patterns that pop in book matched slabs can be mesmerizing. Here's the finished product on my Armscor ...

Bazzle · #2 06-13-2012, 11:04 AM

They look good. Whats your filler equation look like?

LongBaller71 · #3 06-13-2012, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazzle

They look good. Whats your filler equation look like?

Thanks!

I had one fill to do on the lower screw hole on one grip because it blew out a small chunk of an inclusion I didn't see. I used burl dust mixed at a 5:1 ratio in epoxy with a few drops of dark walnut Danish oil. It does show more than I care for, but it's super solid and better than trashing it. I used straight epoxy to film over the small inclusions before and after shaping to make certain they would never release. Once sanded and finished you can't tell they were stabilized by looks.

Peter B · #4 06-13-2012, 03:42 PM

When you have them professionally stabilized, they seem more plastic then wood and tend to be brittle. It is best to drill your holes when they are flat before you form the curves or you might crack them. It is great material and the grey with yellow also looks great on stainless and chromed guns. Luv wood!
Pete

wamphyri13 · #5 06-13-2012, 04:42 PM

Pardon me, I wasn't paying attention. Did someone say Buckeye Burl?

Ryan

GT40DOC · #6 06-13-2012, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wamphyri13

Pardon me, I wasn't paying attention. Did someone say Buckeye Burl?

Ryan

I REALLY like those 1911 grips. That is what I am looking for to use on a stainless Colt Defender.

Warwickben · #7 06-13-2012, 05:42 PM

I love useing burl wood on bass/guitar tops .made one bass with it, never been able to find a good slab for a bass for my self

that was cheap enough that wasn't all holes.

Tenringx2 · #8 06-13-2012, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBaller71

Finally got in some buckeye this week and could not wait to knock out a pair. First time working with and around so many inclusions, but wasn't bad once I filled and stabilized them. I absolutely love the look of these and really look forward to getting more sets together. The patterns that pop in book matched slabs can be mesmerizing. Here's the finished product on my Armscor ...

Those are beautiful.

LongBaller71 · #9 06-13-2012, 10:35 PM

Thanks for the feedback fellas!

Thanks for the tip, Peter. Nice to have a grip guru help out the rookie. I haven't yet worked with professionally stabilized wood yet. Definitely tempted with all the great looking dyed burls out there though. A lot of woods out there I've yet to try, and other materials as well. Just made some clear "sweetheart" grips today. Too many options and not enough time in the day.

Peter B · #10 06-14-2012, 01:34 AM

Knife & Gun Supply in Arizona get the big thumbs up from me for stabilizing. Some others have big names but have not kept up with technology and are not now as good. Their exact addy can be googled. Figure about $10/pound finished weight. They also can dye for you. They are very quick.

Some high oil content woods cannot be treated. This includes cocobola and desert ironwood in the high usage woods. However, these take such a great buffing polish, it doesn't matter. Buckeye is a light wood that takes on an amazing amount of weight when plasticized/stabilized. This makes it basically plastic and with burl pattern, it is weak. I broke a few before I started drilling them when they were still flat. Oops, technique learned by error.

My main suggestion is BE SAFE! Always use the best respirator you can afford and always grind/sand outside. Some woods are insidious and the plastics used in stabilization cannot be good for you either.

You can get diseases from bone and ivory. Mother of Pearl is the most dangerous of anything.

Oh, some woods break out in the back when you drill them. Glue a thin piece of wood over the hole, drill, then grind off later. This is especially important doing rock (jade, jasper, pet wood, etc).

Olympus · #11 06-14-2012, 06:47 AM

Buckeye burl is definitely tricky to work with. I've done quite a bit in the past and it's usually hit or miss as to whether you'll end up with something good or not. I ultimately stopped buying buckeye because I could get the same coloring with dyed box elder and it's a lot easier to work with.

coiler666 · #12 06-14-2012, 07:20 AM

Super nice job Dave! Hats off to ya sir.And wamphyri...that S&W is just friggin seXXXy! Mike

LongBaller71 · #13 06-14-2012, 09:55 AM

Wow. Thanks again, gentlemen! I really appreciate all the input.

I will check out the knife & gun supply soon. I've got several of my spalted logs and burls to cut up. I'll have to try out their stabilization and dye job. I'm also scouting out several felled trees we propped up last year and the year before. Should produce some cool stuff.

Bazzle · #14 06-14-2012, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBaller71

Wow. Thanks again, gentlemen! I really appreciate all the input.

I will check out the knife & gun supply soon. I've got several of my spalted logs and burls to cut up. I'll have to try out their stabilization and dye job. I'm also scouting out several felled trees we propped up last year and the year before. Should produce some cool stuff.

I've gotten some stuff stabilized by them and its been nothing but high quality.

Warwickben · #15 06-14-2012, 11:25 AM

I forget what's it called but some places impregnate wood with a plastic. They put it in a vacume or under pressure and it's drawn in to the wood. It's a bitch to work with tho . They also do the same thing with dyes one or more colors. It's cool cause when u carve it. It looks tie dyed .

Burl can be a hit or miss. I was carving a bass body with a burl top.
Next thing I know a huge chunk came off when I was rubbing it with steel wool and bees wax..... I really didn't

I need to learn to do checking so I can make grips ...

wamphyri13 · #16 06-14-2012, 01:34 PM

The only woodworking I'm capable of doing is pen turning. And when it comes to the dyed and stabilized burls, I've had nothing but good results. Non-stabilized burls are what needs checking. I've had a couple of blow outs because of hidden holes.
Buckeye Burl is my favorite, but so hard to find a good sized block that's not full of inclusions and such. I was finally able to locate a good sized chunk on ebay that was really clean. Cut it to the necessary sizes and sent it out to be stabilized. Got the S&W grips out of it, plus enough to make 2 sets of 1911 grips and 2 blocks for bottle stoppers. Love those burl woods!
Ryan

Olympus · #17 06-14-2012, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warwickben

I forget what's it called but some places impregnate wood with a plastic. They put it in a vacume or under pressure and it's drawn in to the wood. It's a bitch to work with tho . They also do the same thing with dyes one or more colors. It's cool cause when u carve it. It looks tie dyed .

Burl can be a hit or miss. I was carving a bass body with a burl top.
Next thing I know a huge chunk came off when I was rubbing it with steel wool and bees wax..... I really didn't

I need to learn to do checking so I can make grips ...

You mean something like these?

And here are some that very closely mimic buckeye burl.

Bazzle · #18 06-14-2012, 02:16 PM

I have really mixed feelings about the dyed stuff. I mean part of the reason I like the exotic woods so much is because they are so naturally beautiful right out of the ground. When you start adding those crazy dye jobs it makes it harder to tell what exactly they are. Thats just my personal opinion, whats that line... "some people like their cucumbers pickled?" haha.

I think checkering goes in same department. On the super nice, highly figured wood the checkering just takes away from wood. I don't think this is opinion, I'd argue this in a court of law...

Olympus · #19 06-14-2012, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazzle

I have really mixed feelings about the dyed stuff. I mean part of the reason I like the exotic woods so much is because they are so naturally beautiful right out of the ground. When you start adding those crazy dye jobs it makes it harder to tell what exactly they are. Thats just my personal opinion, whats that line... "some people like their cucumbers pickled?" haha.

I think checkering goes in same department. On the super nice, highly figured wood the checkering just takes away from wood. I don't think this is opinion, I'd argue this in a court of law...

I know what you mean. Different strokes for different folks. Grips seem to go in waves for me. I will have a wave of requested for the wild dyed woods for a while then I will have a wave of ironwood, then a wave of amboyna, then a wave of fiddleback. The last few months seems like ironwood has been the flavor of the week. None of my own personal guns have any of the wild colored grips right now, but I admit they have in the past.

Peter B · #20 06-14-2012, 03:16 PM

The stabilizing process uses plastic polymers of kinds preferred by the individual processor. The polymers may differ with the type of wood used. They are used with both vacuum and high pressure along with high temperature.

Box elder is one of the great gun grip woods. It can be double dyed and still have areas that keep the original light colors. It usually has less voids than buckeye.

Another great grip wood is the lowly maple. It can be single dyed. It also has many patterns of burl, fiddle, feather, tortoise shell and great spalted patterns on top of everything else.

razor_blade · #21 06-14-2012, 03:33 PM

I LOVE working with Box Elder. Some of the most interesting grips to come out of our shop have been plasticized Box Elder. This set I am having bobtailed and put on my V-Bob.

I picked up some Stabilized Buckeye scales from my supplier that I am super excited to try out. Your coloring is awesome in that piece.

LongBaller71 · #22 06-14-2012, 06:42 PM

Those box elders are awesome looking. I'm a big fan of using a wood's natural beauty. The man upstairs has some little masterpieces in almost every piece. That being said, the dyed grips are sometimes just too dang cool!

Another crazy wood I just worked up was some cross cut spalted ash. These things are oozing coolness. Really wish I had more of those blanks.