Bill,Bill DeShivs wrote:Wax seals the SURFACE of the stag. Apply it with a soft brush-to get in all the cracks, and use a shoe brush to polish it off.
Certainly, a little bit of oil won't hurt handles. But, I can bet that anyone here who works on knives has seen stag that has been softened and discolored by excess oil. It's impossible to oil a knife and not get some oil on the handles, but over-oiling or actually soaking in oil is bad for handles.
A light coat of oil is always good for steel parts.
Thanks much for the detailed response as to my inquiry/question. I will have to try that and maybe a light lemon oil treatment on some separate knives and compare results. I have a few really expensive stags that I prefer to find out on lesser value knives first.
Regards, Jerry