How Should I Treat This Handle

[MrHoss]

I just picked up Peach..a beauty lime and the handle needs something done to it - I am just not sure what.  There is no sign of a protective coat and oil from my hand has left visable marks. There is no way I am gonna cook on this till I seal up the handle.  The amount of black residue from the charcoal would make me insane. Some photos:









From what I have read here I should put a stain on first then use a couple of coats of spar satin finish.  I want a darker handle when this is done but I still want to see the grain of the wood.  I believe the wood has been sanded recently.  Should I be using a dark stain like Walnut, a lighter walnut like say American Walnut or do I step it down to something lighter due to the condition of the wood?  I would not like a orangey shade to it. I know I have to sand the wood to get the oil out but should I do something else before I stain it?  This will be my first time finishing wood of any kind.

[Golly]

No stain
Just clear varnish of your choice

[Harbormaster]

I highly recommend Watco Teak Oil finish for Weber handles. It's a marine grade finish that darkens the wood a little and just looks great.

[SixZeroFour]

Harbourmaster has given some great advice, the teak oil will look both protect and make it look great at the same time. Before applying the oil I would use steel wool and rub it lengthwise across the handle in straight lines to "sand" off the areas that look like they have some discoloration. You can obviously use fine grit sandpaper here as well but more times than not steel wool is just the right grit.

Can't wait to see how that turns out! 

[MaxBobcat]

Here's some handle work I did on a cado...

Sanded it down first, then applied some teak oil and finished it off some glossy polyurethane. 

Original pic.



Sanded...



Oiled first...





Then the polyurethane...



Finished!

[LightningBoldtz]

Funny, at one point this year, I had in my possession both of these grills in this topic.

[GregS]

I want a darker handle when this is done but I still want to see the grain of the wood. 

a light sanding with a very fine grit paper or steel wool should take away the grime.

i have not used teak oil to comment on how it would work out.  but i wanted to point out that it's possible to get a lighter finish than the handle shown above.  depending on what you consider to be "darker".  it is possible to go so dark that the grain isn't very visible. 

using a clear poly from minwax will also show the grain, but the handle will have a more natural color.  both would look good.  a darker finished handle will add contrast and make the kettle's lighter color pop, light will make the handle blend in more overall.  it's really a matter of preference. 

putting just clear over that handle once sanded will have this effect.



but if you want it darker then go the oil route.  i have used poly finishes for some time, and they do hold up to weather very well so i don't think you'd go wrong either way.

good luck and keep us posted!   

[MrHoss]

Okay - I have some MinWax Teak Oil and some paint thinner.  I plan on cleaning the wood with the paint thinner, letting it dry completely, sanding lightly and then 2 coats of Teak Oil.  The woman at the store I went to said to put nothing on top of the Teak Oil....said it would not adhere properly.

Question - Is cleaning the wood first with paint thinner okay?  The woman at the store recommended acetone but I thought the milder paint thinner might be a good idea.  She said there was "no way" paint thinner could harm the wood.  Is this true?

[GregS]

paint thinner is meant for thinning the paint as a mixture for it's use in compressed air sprayers.  regular paint is too thick and would clog the gun so you mix it with thinner to do just that, thin out the paint.  it's also common to use thinner to either remove paint or as a cleaner for cleaning paint brushes or pans.

and there is no paint on the handle so...

for cleaning wood prior to finishing you want to use NAPTHA.  it's basically lighter fluid which is ironic enough on a board that shudders at it's intended us. 

but naptha will clean the wood after it's sanded and remove dust particles that build up in the sanding process.  that's what you want to use.  doing so will allow the oil to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. 

just grab a $8 can of naptha at menards/home depot/ace, or... 

[MrHoss]

but naptha will clean the wood after it's sanded and remove dust particles that build up in the sanding process.  that's what you want to use.  doing so will allow the oil to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. 

just grab a $8 can of naptha at menards/home depot/ace, or...

I looked for that stuff and no naptha is sold in Canada.  Any ideas for a substitute?

[SixZeroFour]

Regular tack cloth from HD should do the trick, just make sure you rub it over all sanded areas and keep folding it so you have a sticky side down.

[GregS]

I looked for that stuff and no naptha is sold in Canada.  Any ideas for a substitute?

zippo lighter fluid. 

the main reason naptha works so well is it evaporates so fast and leaves no greasy residue.  you don't bath the handle in it, just dampen a cloth and wipe the handle off with it.

the added bonus while doing it is you get to see what the wood would look like with a clear finish on it, for just a half minute until the wood dries, which it will do rather quickly.