# Refinishing a Bokken



## Obliquity (May 16, 2007)

I dug out my old bokken from several years ago and am refinishing it. It did not see much use, but after several years of being in storage through summers and winters, it was looking a little rough.

I have sanded it to remove the old finish of the reddish varnish sort and am thinking it looks like oak, although I really have no idea. 

My question is, to those who have done similarly, what have you used for a finish? I have a finish I use for furniture consisting of equal parts boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and spar urethane. I used this on an occasional table I made and it is a very durable, natural finish.

Any other suggestions from you fine woodworking types?

Thanks!


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## Kreth (May 17, 2007)

When I refinish my training weapons, I just use boiled linseed oil in a plastic gutter section. I use increasingly finer grit sand paper over a period of a couple days, then let it soak in the oil each night, and finish with steel wool.


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## Grenadier (May 17, 2007)

Obliquity said:


> I have sanded it to remove the old finish of the reddish varnish sort and am thinking it looks like oak, although I really have no idea.


 
How porous is the wood?  Most red oak bokken have wood that's so porous, that the manufacturers of such end up using wood fillers to smooth it out.  If it's loose grained red oak, then you may be simply better off chucking it.  If, on the other hand, you have a nice bokken made out of jatoba, purpleheart, hickory, etc., then read further.  




> Any other suggestions from you fine woodworking types?
> 
> Thanks!


 
Heh, well, I'm not exactly a fine woodworking type, but I do have enough knowledge to do some work.  

Basically, I use a coating of tung oil, and after it has cured, I'll put another coating on there, and sand it down with very fine sandpaper.  This way, I get a hard coating that's also smooth.  I also use this procedure for my bo that go through a regular beating.


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## Brian R. VanCise (May 17, 2007)

Grenadier said:


> How porous is the wood? Most red oak bokken have wood that's so porous, that the manufacturers of such end up using wood fillers to smooth it out. If it's loose grained red oak, then you may be simply better off chucking it. If, on the other hand, you have a nice bokken made out of jatoba, purpleheart, hickory, etc., then read further.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

This is all excellent advise.  Especially if the booken is red oak. (just chuck it)


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## Grenadier (May 18, 2007)

Kreth said:


> When I refinish my training weapons, I just use boiled linseed oil in a plastic gutter section. I use increasingly finer grit sand paper over a period of a couple days, then let it soak in the oil each night, and finish with steel wool.


 
Boiled linseed oil works very well.  I still prefer tung oil, since it's a bit more consistent, and doesn't change the color of the wood as it ages.  

Just a couple of warnings to those unfamiliar with the boiled linseed oil:

1) Don't use regular linseed oil.  It cures so slowly, that you'll die of old age before getting a hardened coat.  

2) Once you're done with the boiled linseed oil, wash the rags as soon as you can, or if you can't wash them, put the rags in a pile, and burn them.  As boiled linseed oil oxidizes, it generates a *lot* of heat, and rags provide a large surface area.  Yes, there have even been times when rags that were soaked with boiled linseed oil were piled up, and spontaneously ignited.


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## Langenschwert (May 18, 2007)

Grenadier said:


> 1) Don't use regular linseed oil. It cures so slowly, that you'll die of old age before getting a hardened coat.
> 
> 2) Once you're done with the boiled linseed oil, wash the rags as soon as you can, or if you can't wash them, put the rags in a pile, and burn them. As boiled linseed oil oxidizes, it generates a *lot* of heat, and rags provide a large surface area. Yes, there have even been times when rags that were soaked with boiled linseed oil were piled up, and spontaneously ignited.


 
Also, don't buy regular linseed oil and boil it.  "Boiled" linseed oil uses a chemical process rather than actual boiling achieve its qualities.  Actually boiling linseed oil on your stovetop will result in unpleasant eventualities, to say the least.

And yes, be careful of the rags.  Fire bad.

And BTW Grenadier, your avatar freaks me out. 

Best regards,

-Mark


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## Obliquity (May 18, 2007)

Thanks for the help! I'll give my options a thought and post what I end up doing.

As far as the overall condition of the bokken, it was never used for contact, so no real dings or chips, but it it did get pretty dry. Since it is my only one, I want to make it look decent and will probably make a display stand for it. In the case that I ever end up needing one for contact, I will get a new one to minimize concerns of breakage and splintering.


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## Obliquity (May 18, 2007)

Well, that didn't take long. 

I decided to use tung oil for the purpose of using an oil without a sealant such as I would have had with my furniture finish formula. I have also not previously used tung oil and wanted to give it a try. First coat is on and really soaking in. 

Thanks again for all of the suggestions!


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## Kreth (May 18, 2007)

Obliquity said:


> Well, that didn't take long.
> 
> I decided to use tung oil for the purpose of using an oil without a sealant such as I would have had with my furniture finish formula. I have also not previously used tung oil and wanted to give it a try. First coat is on and really soaking in.
> 
> Thanks again for all of the suggestions!


Yeah, if it's really dried out, then it will soak up a lot of oil. That's why I soak my weapons overnight when I'm finishing them. That way they get fully saturated with oil.


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