2019 Traditional Forum Knife...The First Poll

[H2O2HI]

It would be hard to argue with all of the other great woods besides Osage orange. I would except any one of them for the forum knife.

 

[lavishmammal]

I'm still a fan of acrylic covers, I've found them to stand up quite well. However, I do understand some people's aversion toward them. Wood covers would be the next best thing. Just to name a few that are incredibly durable yet still look nice. Brazilian bloodwood really stands out, I had a gunstock jack SFO beer scout and it was a real looker.

Purpleheart wood

Kingwood

The blander side of osage orange

and more figuring

Brazilian Bloodwood

 

[H2O2HI]

CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES - CITES
The U. S. is a party by treaty to CITES. Importation is supposedly closely enforced by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Desert Ironwood (known as palo fierro in Spanish) is considered a protected species in Mexico due to overexploitation and diminishing natural habitat.
Cocobolo is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia species—which also includes finished products made of the wood.
Dalbergia is the genus that yields all true rosewoods. As of the beginning of 2017, all species were included on CITES appendix II as endangered species. Some of the species in the Dalbergia genus: African blackwood(Dalbergia melanoxylon) Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
Gaboon Ebony is in CITES Appendix II (for Diospyros species from Madagascar), and is on the IUCN Red List. It is listed as endangered due to a population reduction of over 50% in the past three generations, caused by exploitation.
OSAGE ORANGE - This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

 

[Sabercat]

I'm still a fan of acrylic covers, I've found them to stand up quite well. However, I do understand some people's aversion toward them. Wood covers would be the next best thing. Just to name a few that are incredibly durable yet still look nice. Brazilian bloodwood really stands out, I had a gunstock jack SFO beer scout and it was a real looker.

Purpleheart wood

Kingwood

The blander side of osage orange

and more figuring

Brazilian Bloodwood

I agree that Bloodwood would be a superb option. I'm excited to see what possibilities are provided.

 

[OLd_gUY]

CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES - CITES
The U. S. is a party by treaty to CITES. Importation is supposedly closely enforced by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Desert Ironwood (known as palo fierro in Spanish) is considered a protected species in Mexico due to overexploitation and diminishing natural habitat.

True, but not in the US. In fact, the annual Guardians of the Lambsfoot knife for 2019 is in ironwood...from the US.
From Wikipedia - "The desert ironwood, Olneya, is native to the southwestern United States and extreme northwestern Mexico in the Baja California Peninsula and the Sonoran Desert, and is partially an indicator species of that desert. Within Mexico its range includes the states of Baja California Sur and Baja California, on the Gulf of California side east of the cordillera ranges, and Sonora state west of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, in the south approaching the northern border of northern Sinaloa state. In the southwestern US its range includes the Colorado Desert of southeast Southern California, a part of the Sonoran Desert, and western and southern Arizona."
In Mexico, and in Baja in particular, ironwood carvings of sailfish, marlin, etc. have long been extremely popular with tourists and a source of available income for many.
This is one reason why ironwood that is harvested as downwood only in the US, is available for craftsmen and is not on the list.
OG

 

[meako]

The poll might be open but it was over when GEC cracked the double century.
As for the mods selfishly wanting lives outside the grounds of stately Porchenberg manor...any more talk of that.. from any of you! will result in a 6 month secondment to .....
The Porchenberg Bushfire Brigade!!!! and we don't want that ...do we?
Well I guess thats that.....but I just have one more question...something ain't right ..its buggin me....
With all this noofangled computer technology...tell me....could they have programmed the poll to shut off automatically on Thursday and announce the winner with a mini audio visual firework display?

 

[Wurrwulf]

I do love me some aged Osage.

 

[H2O2HI]

I like ironwood. Just bought a Shatt and Morgan teardrop jack with ironwood. It is beautiful.
If the range of 80% of ironwood growth is a protected species the supply is not healthy.Of course, the other species I listed are legally endangered (I had forgotten to include Kingwood).
An afterthought. Should the forum knife have handles made of an endangered Species?

 

[Heirphoto]

I owned one GEC Osage Orange handled knife and while it looked good at first it quickly dirtied and lost its appeal.

 

[H2O2HI]

It is a conundrum.

 

[BuckShack]

I always liked Hawaiian Koa. It's not endangered but could be pricey.

Put a hula girl shield on it

Everything else mentioned here looks good too.

 

[Elgatodeacero]

we could go without any covers to make a statement about humanity's over-exploitation of planetary resources? and the value of skilled labor being seldom recognized or rewarded?

we could refer to them as "earth justice covers"? these will cost a bit more...

 

[akaMatt]

we could go without any covers to make a statement about humanity's over-exploitation of planetary resources? and the value of skilled labor being seldom recognized or rewarded?

we could refer to them as "earth justice covers"? these will cost a bit more...

LOL!

 

[draggat]

All this talk about endangered woods has me thinking..... what are all the terrible chemicals used in creating a GEC knife? Surely the acrylics and micartas must be out of the running.... I’m sure that there’s a pollutant in the course of their manufacture. No ivory or tooth..... well I guess fossilized mammoth tooth but that exceeds the price limit.

That Osage Orange just looks hideous to me. I suppose I could dye it black, but the dye I have is loaded with VOC’s..... wonder what the dye is like for GEC’s bone?

@Modoc ED had the right idea with the dried jigged buffalo chip! That’s probably even organic!

 

[JTB_5]

Does GEC do checkering? That would be great on any wood or bone!

 

[Railsplitter]

Does GEC do checkering? That would be great on any wood or bone!

Oh yes. I like that idea very much!

 

[btb01]

Does GEC do checkering? That would be great on any wood or bone!

Checkered wood would be awesome. I don’t know that GEC has ever done it before, but they did do that “scratted” bone on Charlie’s first run of Ancient Barlows.

 

[cbr1000]

Scratted smooth Autumn Gold bone or oily Creek bone would be my picks if we went with bone.

 

[H2O2HI]

LOL
My first push was for rust red jig bone. But I guess that won’t work because our leaders are going to eliminate cows because of their flatulence.

 

[Fodderwing]

This osage was cut from the banks of the Red River. It's pretty nice. I will say that over decades it will darken beyond what you might ever imagine.