Wenge handles. the conundrum. your thoughts?

Reiss Gunson

for the first however long, i can't quite remember, the wenge handles were supplied with a high gloss sealer on them and sanded very smooth

you may recall i made a post perhaps 18 months or so ago, saying we would move to raw, unfinished wenge handles as i felt the sealer that was used left what i felt might be termed an exotic odour (think sandalwood & incense), although no doubt it would diminish with time

the other issue i had was that the sealer seems to prevent any subsequent finish being applied

case in point, i still have an original handle here, one of the very first we made that was finished with the sealer. it is on the bottomless PF that i use on my L1 every day. to this day i am unable to get it to absorb any of the beeswax product that i have also mentioned here previously

here is the problem. whilst i haven't had any direct complaints about the handles being supplied in the raw, i know they do not look nearly as appealing as the handles that were sanded to within an inch of their life and finished with the sealer. so on cosmetic grounds the sanded and sealed handles are streets ahead, no contest. that said i am concerned that this finish seems to preclude the wood being subsequently fed with the beeswax blend that i have found and hold in high regard

i am concerned that customers may find the raw wenge handles unappealing, and a bit unfinished even, but i have only gone down that route in the interests of giving them an opportunity to better care for the wood in the longer term

so i am interested to hear from as many owners as possible on this. did you open the box of your new machine and think urgh! the wood is unfinished. did you apply a protective treatment to the wood straight away? have you not applied anything to the wood, and just left it raw

i guess what i am saying is if the majority report that their early wenge handles that came with the sealer on and sanded super smooth are standing up to the rigours of everyday life well and haven't had anything else added to the wood, then perhaps we should return to that approach and restore a bit more of the wow factor when a new customer opens the box

but, if you are like me and like to nourish the wood with a suitable food safe finish every now and then we can continue with things as they are

fire away

reiss.

Richard Gregory

You might get different answers from home users vs commercial here.

For the L II I bought a disc of beeswax which seems to work fine but it's only been a short time. As long as they are maintained with the wax they should last just fine, right? For a shop where there is weekly and monthly maintenance being done this works IMO. Hopefully the ritual will increase the intimacy with the equipment. I suspect some shop owners would prefer something less needy (like plastic, but I didn't want to say that out loud).

For the home- I still think the rough finish and using wax works here too but I could be wrong. A home user might only have to re-apply every 6 months or so. I would think most home machine owners would enjoy (or at least tolerate) the ritual.

Personally I'm all for anything that makes the user take time and examine the machine and its parts.

I guess it's a PITA to offer both options?

Unknown

The beeswax does work but is a maintenance PITA. As Richard has said, it will get the Barista more in touch with machine, sort of a Zen experience :-)

I make wooden handles (not out of wenge) that are coated/sealed with a Watco Danish Finish Oil which leaves a satin finish. But the more you put on and sand with very fine sandpaper in between coat (1200grit) they start to shine if the wood is hard enough. I only use closed grain hardwoods since the open grained woods(like wenge) never seem to take a seal/set and require constant maintenance.

I have considered taking the new, unused, Londinium Wenge handles and coating them with a rubbed on epoxy coating. Nitrile/latex gloves, a lint free rag and small batches of clear epoxy. Rub it on and it will fill the pores of the wood but it must be done in very thin coats so as to not create drips/runs. This will seal the open pores of the Wenge and provide a durable serviceable surface. I use this method on wooden (cedar, redwood, sitka spruce) kayak paddles that get a lot of abuse and sit ot in the hot sun on boat decks, beaches and docks and plunged into water of all types. The paddles do not look like they have any finish on them but they do.

Frans Goddijn

I'm happy with the way they are now and I have no problem taking out the pot of food safe "Brandon Bespoke Wax Oil Treatment"

Still, if the high finish originals have proven to last and last, I'd go with those.

Anyone can have wildly alternative handles made by craftsmen if one wants to go and replace the fine standard handles with any kind of other form and color.

Reiss Gunson

thank you for all the replies to date, keep them coming

i am particularly interested to here from owners with the very first L1s that had wenge fitted and if they have not applied any subsequent polish to those handles, how are they aging?

as it stands i basically have zero feedback on the wenge, which i assume to be a good thing

what i would like to do is get the guy who makes them to use the beeswax product that i have found to be ok, but these requests can be tricky to manage over the long term, which i why i thought it best to simply ship them raw

one thing i have proven is as soon as you feel the grain coming up in the wood it is overdue for some more beeswax treatment - as long as it is applied at that point the grain will then go back down again

personally i like how the history of your ownership is recorded in the handles as they acquire a patina over time. for owners who like to keep them magazine glossy there is always the opportunity to sand them back super smooth and re-apply a new sealant

i guess I'm concerned that owners will think I've cut corners in shipping the machine with mirror smooth wooden grips, but there is no cost differential involved

i was just concerned when my original finish wenge handles began to age that they would not readily allow the beeswax mix to soak into the wood

Mark Pitchford

I've got the original handles on my machine. They still look great!

Stephen Jenner

Mark Pitchford post=9956 wrote: I've got the original handles on my machine. They still look great!

Hi Mark... Do you mean the plastic "bakelite style" handles?

I have three of these, a single, a double and a nekkid...

I also acquired from Eric C, a former customer, a nekkid with a wenge handle...

I have used it, perhaps four times... It has zero attraction for me, nadder, nout...

However, I do kind of covet the wenge handles on the water and steam taps, but that is maybe unjustified, but their fatter appearance have a sort of je ne sais quoi about them, which I suppose could be effected in plastic too.

The beauty of the plastic handles is that there is zero maintenance involved, and they make the machine look more "Italian" to my mind.

But anyway, I never did have any taste...

Unknown

I like the zero maintenance concept too Stephen.

I put put the surround on the cup warmer in the red acrylic and I am considering putting machine lever handle in red acrylic because of the zero maintenance.

I currently have LaMarzocco PF handles and will probably get the LaMarzocco steam and water toggles since they are plastic and rubber.

Doug Brick

I'm perfectly fine with the unfinished wood. Rubbing a bit of beeswax butcher block finish into them occasionally is not a big deal to me.

Cheers

Gino Magnotta

Like Doug I was fine with the untreated wenge and applied the beeswax as suggested by Reiss which was outstanding. Not a big deal. Indeed I was expecting under the guise of "good quality wood = care needed" and when you see and feel the wenge it does shout out that some attention is needed.

I dont mind applying this as part of routine maintenance. That is part of the gig when you invest in machines such as these in a domestic setting.

That said, if it had arrived with the wenge all treated and done I would have been perhaps a tiny smidgeon happier on first impression.

Michael Wolfson

My first L1 had plastic handles. I didn't mind the steam lever handle, but I greatly disliked the plastic PF handle -- very slippery when my hands were damp. My current L1 has the unfinished Wenge handles which are very nice. I've waxed/oiled them a 3 or 4 times. This takes about 2 minutes. I very much like the tactile feel of the waxed wood. Not slippery at all, good grip, also nice looking. I've never seen any glossy Wenge ones, so I can't compare. I'm quite happy with the current raw Wenge.

Dan Streight

Ok...so I'll hit one to left field Reiss: The original plastic bake-a-light or whatever material they were was no bueno...too slippery and zero tactile feel.

The beautiful custom wood handles Steven made for me are just wonderful but one does need to properly maintain them otherwise the wood dries out.

Although a step back in aesthetics I would like and appreciate La Marzocco, et al, durable rubberized type PF handle as well as toggle handles for their best in class (IMHO) tactile feel and zero maintenance. And they're unfazed by hot water/steam .

Reiss Gunson

i can't speak for wooden handles supplied by third parties, but i've got to say I'm absolutely amazed by how durable the wood we use has been

i've not had one owner come back to me and say they are unhappy with how their handles are standing up, or that they require a regular attention to keep in tip top condition

for most owners i expect some butchers block wax once a year would be enough

im struggling to see that as burdensome

there is absolutely no chance the handles are changing, i would regard them as a unqualified success

everyone said wood would be a disaster on an espresso machine, and guess what?

now the big boys are plastering wenge all over their machines... i like to think they may have been inspired by LONDINIUM

Unknown

Wenge is pretty tough wood and in fact I have seen it used on patio decking because it is so tough. I have Mahogany for decking on my patio decking and I can say that Wenge is tougher.

The Wenge is pretty easy to maintain, but it is wood and it does take maintenance. No worse than wiping the outside case of the machine to keep the shine rather than let the coffee and water and other kitchen food related splatters collect on the case of that nice shiny box.

Unknown

Dan Streight post=9989 wrote: Ok...so I'll hit one to left field Reiss: The original plastic bake-a-light or whatever material they were was no bueno...too slippery and zero tactile feel.

The beautiful custom wood handles Steven made for me are just wonderful but one does need to properly maintain them otherwise the wood dries out.

Although a step back in aesthetics I would like and appreciate La Marzocco, et al, durable rubberized type PF handle as well as toggle handles for their best in class (IMHO) tactile feel and zero maintenance. And they're unfazed by hot water/steam .

The LM handles are what I like (and use except for the Lever) and I can make handles out of anything. If I could come up with a way to insulate the handles properly I would make the handles out of aluminum or stainless, but insulation would be essential to keep from burning the hands/fingers.

The Wenge works if the shape is to your liking.

Mark Pitchford

Sorry,

I should have clarified, I've got wedge handles and haven't done a thing to them.

I got one of the early mk II machines, to put it into context!


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Reiss Gunson

Hi Mark

Thanks for contributing

Reiss.

John Maesaka

I like that they are unfinished. So far, I've left them that way. I like the texture. I haven't decided whether to finish them but I like the option.

Remi Andre Bjørnstad

I also like the texture of the wenge handles and that they are unfinished. Smooth without being slippery, perfect feel to them in my view. They have held up incredibly well and look as good as new on my almost 1 year old machine (standing right in front of a window with another one on the side, so there is plenty of light).

I did not put anything on straight away. Used a tiny bit of oil 6 months ago to give the handles some shine and protection. Doing it again soon. I actually used olive oil which probably isn't the recommended way to go (?). Guessing it can leave an odor and might not be as good for protection as a proper wax. I don't know enough about wood treatment and the other oils I had at the time all had color in them (f.ex. benar oil) so I didn't want to use those and risk discoloring.

Seems to me a little clean-up and some wax/oil a couple of times a year is all it takes to keep these wenge handles in good condition.

Reiss Gunson

hi remi

thanks for posting

yeah, olive oil will go rancid in time

butcher's block oil seems to be the thing, which seems to be a blend of beeswax and some oils that they like to keep to themselves

it is food safe and easy to apply

reiss.

Michael Coccia

I've been using coconut butter/oil. The Pacific Islanders use it on their wood carvings and the wife uses it to cook.

kongweng Tham

I have done nothing to any of the handles. I have had my L1 for 4 months now and to be honest I quite like the slight patina that's developing on the lever handle. Maybe it's due to my "oily" hands

Simon Y

+1 for the unfinished handles. after a number of applications of beeswax/oil blend, i'm finding the handles to require less frequent applications. i haven't seen the early sealed handles in person, but the maintenance effort is finite and pays off handsomely.

Reiss Gunson

That's consistent with my experience too Simon.

John Maesaka

I decided to apply the butcher block oil because I don't want the handles to get ruined. I chose that route because it doesn't change the tactile sensation which I really like, but gives them protection so they will last.

Ben B

I didn't mind my 2015 handles unfinished. I found they became worn in and glossy-ish in time with use. Not unlike how your interior driver's door handle gets a glossy finish due to the "polishing" of use.