re: Finish for knife handles

You may already know all this, but…Not knowing exactly how they were stabilized, my best efforts to get true gloss require insuring the pores are all filled and leveled. That can be with a pore filler or a film forming finish, but you gotta fill and sand back until it’s totally smooth. Then apply enough coats of a film finish to be able to buff it back as well. 

Dull finishes, in my experience, is either a finish with high solids (which can be buffed super smooth but has a hard time looking glossy), or because of pores not being fully filled and leveled. Others with more experience will surely chime in, but that’s been my experience.