First time on this part of the forum.

I have a few knife blades and need to put on handles.

Is 'Ipe' a decent type of wood to work with?

It's used a bunch in making longbows so I figure it must be pretty good. I also know a guy who made his entire deck out of it. I believe it is a type of walnut so it should be pretty stable.

I have used it a lot. It is very tight grained, Hard on drill bits & saw blades. It would make a great knife handle. It is a tropical hardwood , decay and insect resistant. Weathers to a soft gray. does not take stain well.

http://www.woodsthebest.com/ipe_decking/ipe-wood.htm

I worked for the person who originally imported it here. Ballast on ships

I appreciate the info

What type of FINISH/SEALANT would be proper for this type of wood?

I used to use a finish we called the "Massey" finish, named after the late jay Massey as he seemed to be the first to use it on wood arrows and got a lot of guys to do it. It wasn't anything special, just epoxy thinned with acetone and put on in very light coats but it was very durable and watertight, which was good for wood arrows in wet weather.

I have also used spar varnish but I think the epoxy was better for my uses. I used to make wood-handled broadhead files and used the epoxy fot them. Mostly used purpleheart and bocote etc..worked nice! May want to try it out on a test piece and see how you like it. Im sure other guys have other options as well. Good luck!

I appreciate the info BaxterB...

Hope others will chime in too...