Really?! You could fool me! That's awlready
Well, here's the problem.....
As advised by many people I sealed the wood with CA glue, that needs to be sanded a bit and then the whole handle polished.
Problem is I'd end up with dark discolorations on the wood, not sure if the CA glue was burning or somehow being impregnated by polish
Same wood with micarta bolster on a slightly earlier knife got the same treatment and came out lovely......one difference... It's a full-tang knife and I etched the blade to show the hamon, so I briefly dipped the handle in the FeCl to etch the tang the same colour as the blade.
Only logical conclusion is the FeCl positively affected the CA glue somehow.......just nervous to test on this knife.