need help putting a finish on wood handle

[bear123]

Need help on putting a nice finish on my knive wood handle? I've tryed tung oil and it did'nt work,I've tryed different buffing compounds with little help.Any advice would be very helpful from you great knive builder out there. I'm using cocobola purple heart and osage,and horn material.

[Leftieshot]

Try Birchwood Casey stock filler and sealer.  It will leave kinda glossy finish but you can dull it with OOO steel wool.  When you apply the finish let it sit outside all day in the open circulating air.

[Mechslasher]

the finish sometimes depends on the wood.  cocobola dislikes most finishes because it's so oily.  i think i use watco finish on cocobola, not sure but i'll check.  purple heart and osage loves tru oil.  for horn or antler i'll stabilize with superglue or use a massey finish.  it buffs out beautifully.

[skullworks]

You might want to try rubbing the wood down real good with acetone to take some of the oil out of the wood first. I have to do this with cocobola and then only put thin coats of TruOil on it.

[theunluckyhunter]

how would you finish up pronghorn???

[OconeeDan]

Cocobolo looks good just buffed.  Osage does not, as the buffing compound loads up in the grain.  It needs to be sealed first.  
Pronghorn, I have never used it but being a horn, it should just buff out nicely.
Dan

[elk ninja]

Super glue is my catch all for finishes.  dab some on and then with a rubber glove on smooth it out.  you can then cal it good and leave it shiny, buff it out with 0000 steel wool and leave it matte or apply finish of whatever persuasion you want.
Mike