A tale of two different sides, a pic thread.

[rockgolfer]

Enjoying the show, great pics all! Interesting to see wood has yet to be posted.

 

[bakerg2g]

Here's a Case (6207) curved jack with darker red bone on the pile side. But I dig the way it looks and I can spot it
in a pile of knives...lol.

Jason

 

[ptradeco]

I will have to join the minority on this topic. Mismatched covers of any kind are a turn off for me. Perfect matches not required but as close as possible. I have alway thought this was just an economy with producers. The craftsmen just reach into the box and take the next two basically for not wanting to end up with a pile of scrap or take extra time. I have had the opportunity several times to open up 5 or more new boxes of the same pattern and it is totally random. Usually you find a match. You do not see it that often on older knives. Most of the examples I have seen on older knives is when they spent years on a display.

 

[jc57]

Case Amber Bone Small Texas Jack.

 

[VCM3]

You would be surprised,how easy it is to be duped by stag sometimes. The set of scales I chose to go on this Russell Green River blade,did show a slight discolor ,sanding the back/flat side. But after contouring the bark side of the scales,as I call it,the color mismatch became more intense. The stag is amber colored from pertassium permagrinate (or however the heck you say or spell it),that's my guess.So my thickness was good,texture pretty good but color was a two view knife.
Besides adding this to this cool thread I'd like to add one other thing,and that is,after dabbling with this knifemaker stuff it really opens the door to a whole new view of appreciation to the knifemakers skil,and the problems or challenges he faces,however you want to look at that.
The guy who has this in Texas loves it.

Top of tang

bottom of tang

 

[Doug Add]

Enjoying the show, great pics all! Interesting to see wood has yet to be posted.

I don't know if these would necessarily be identified as mismatched, but you can definitely detect a difference in the grain and hue of the two pieces of propwood on this Schrade Walden 832 stockman.

 

[FW JSB]

Case Amber Bone Small Texas Jack.

Interesting. My just-purchased Texas Jack is very similar to yours. No biggie as it is a great pocket knife.

 

[shrapne1]

Id say id be perfectly happy with every single one posted on here...Check this one out; GEC #89 whittler:

and to top it off:

gUrrrr did this make me mad

 

[jon_slider]

Here is a thread that is all about stag covers, which often don't match. There is a tendency for popcorn to be on the mark side, and deep canyon on the pile side, definitely not always
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/949622

 

[black mamba]

A few that are nicely matched.

 

[C Ben Susrool]

Id say id be perfectly happy with every single one posted on here...Check this one out; GEC #89 whittler:

and to top it off:

gUrrrr did this make me mad

I would be irate. GEC needs this one back.

 

[smiling-knife]

"Like having two different knives". I agree.

 

[puukkoman]

gUrrrr did this make me mad

Looks fine to me. Natural materials like stag and bone are very rarely perfectly matched; that's the nature of the beast.

 

[smiling-knife]

I think it was common in days of yor to purposively vary the shape and thickness of the scales so as to provide a better fit for the hand.

 

[jon_slider]

gUrrrr did this make me mad

is the liner gap something to worry about?:

I think it was common in days of yor to purposively vary the shape and thickness of the scales so as to provide a better fit for the hand.

I don't care for mismatched thickness of scales

here are some oldies that do not exhibit that trait

Backsprings;

here are some mismatched quince burl.. this was a replacement knife, the first one had a scale that was chipped at the tang. the mismatch of the covers on the replacement, pissed me off enough never to do business with the vendor again

 

[richstag]

I like my stag to match as well as possible. I feel for a custom maker this should be the rule, no excuse, if it doesn't match, start over. Production, handpicked to find that "one" and I expect less than I would from a custom maker.

Now, as far as this one I know I talked with you about it Jeff and I am glad you like it!

 

[Jack Black]

Personally, I think matching the covers is part and parcel of the knife-maker's skill. The effort put in clearly diminishes as the price of the knife does, with more expected of a custom-made knife than a relatively inexpensive factory-made knife. Most of the examples shown here I'd find acceptable, the original GEC knife I wouldn't. Each to his or her own, but I don't think that knife should have found its way past QC.

 

[Will Power]

Usually, I don't mind mismatch provided both sides are interesting and decent. With stag, it's almost inevitable that they will be different but the original GEC does show a side that looks more like smooth bone....

 

[jwren]

Here's one that's not too bad, but mismatched nonetheless
Moore Maker 5 blade Stockman

 

[Doug Add]

Mismatched or not, I love the bone on that Moore Maker!