# Cocobolo and Water



## ironman123 (Aug 20, 2015)

Does Cocobolo need stabilizing or anything other than CA Finish to protect it from water when being used as a razor handle? Thank you in advance for your replies.
Ray


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## Kevin (Aug 20, 2015)

Coco is dense and full of oil. I can't see it taking much resin and frankly it's very resistant to water already so my guess is it's a waste of time. I see it being sold from time to time but I always view it as a marketing ploy. Kind of like saying you have some plastic for sell that you have coated with Thompson's water seal.

Caveat I have never stabilized cocobolo so if someone has and done a before after weight then I will eat my words, plastic and all if it does in gfact take very much resin.


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## ripjack13 (Aug 20, 2015)

Kevin said:


> Caveat I have never stabilized cocobolo so if someone has and done a before after weight then I will eat my words, plastic and all if it does in gfact take very much resin.


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## ironman123 (Aug 20, 2015)

Thank you Kevin. That was my thought also but doesn"t hurt to ask.


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## NYWoodturner (Aug 20, 2015)

I have tried stabilizing it before. When it comes out of the resin it definitely weighs more than going in, but in cooking it expels it all. The hardness of the treated blank was no better than the piece it was cut from. It was not dry when I started, but then again I have never had a piece of coco read dry on my moisture meter either.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## phinds (Aug 20, 2015)

My experience is that if you sand cocobolo pretty well and buff it, water just rolls right off. It's so oily that you just canNOT used polyurethane as a finish on it unless you put on a base coat or two of dewaxed shellac.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ironman123 (Aug 21, 2015)

Thanks guys.


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## SENC (Aug 22, 2015)

Agree with these guys. Mel @ Wood Dynamics can do it, but he has a heat drying process he uses to pretreat oily woods before stabilizing and I've had him stabilize a few pieces I would have bet impossible to treat. There is a risk and loss rate, though.

On duck calls - subject to lots of water and humidity - I either leave them natural, buffing them as Paul suggest, or work in some pure tung oil slowly (days/weeks). It is such a stable amd oily wood it won't absorb much water and won't move much. However, over time, even coco will dry out - and if left natural some pure tung oil can renew and seal it.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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