Amber stag question

[jec88]

How does amber stag age/wear, and look over time? Thanks in advance.

 

[CVamberbonehead]

Stag in my experience wears extremely well. It is tough stuff. Probably the toughest natural handle material out there.
Plus, stag tends to look good with age too. Not sure about amber stag though.

 

[hornetguy]

I don't guess I know what amber stag is... I have seen lots of handles listed as stag, with perhaps the most common being Sambar stag.... is that what you are asking about? Other knifemakers use "deer stag" and "elk stag", which, to me seem to be smoother than Sambar. I think ALL the antler/stag type handles wear really well. They seem to be very tough.

edit: I found a site that sells scale material, and they defined their "amber stag" as stag that doesn't have much color to it, so they dye it.
I would guess it would be as tough as any other stag material.

 

[Will Power]

Ye, 'Amber' stag is simply the dye used to colour it, it's not a species of antler. Different methods are used in the colouration, some is burned (torched) some dyed with potash, some left light colour, some is dyed Red etc. In my experience, Stag (notably the Sambar type) ages wonderfully, is very durable (doesn't chip as easily as bone) but it will change colour with time and handling. Look at old Stag knives, some are dark, others a rich buttery colour, ALL grand

 

[JohnDF]

Look at old Stag knives, some are dark, others a rich buttery colour, ALL grand

Except the ones that turn green

 

[Old Engineer]

Except the ones that turn green

Right on Will !!!! Brass liners and Pins and Moisture cause Stag and light colored bone handled knives to turn green from the VERDIGRIS . I always carry Stag in a Slip to reduce it . Other than that , it is my favorite handle material .

Harry

 

[Will Power]

Except the ones that turn green

Only, they're not old the oldies tend to be all steel construction. As Harry points out, you can have too much brass

 

[rockman0]

It fades as you carry and use it. A couple of years and it starts turning toward mostly yellow and brown.

 

[SVTFreak]

I was told by a friend who says Tony bose told him (and I know they are friends, I met tony at his house at a crawfish boil just for him lol) (not name dropping here just saying that the info may be somewhat reliable, but then again we know some old dudes enjoy embellishing stories for fun haha!) that the real amber stag was the stuff that was in the bottom of the barrels that was shipped over. He said the potassium permanganate (sp?) that was sprayed on the stag after it was package in barrels would settle in the bottom during voyage and the stuff on the bottom would change to that color due to it soaking in it. Over time, it would fade, and some makers would dye or use shoe polish to enhance the color some when new but that would also fade as time went on. Please don’t quote me or shoot me if this is false but it sure makes a good story lol.

 

[ea42]

The only amber stag I've seen is amber stag bone, or bone that's jigged to look like stag. Could that be what the OP means? Here's an example:



Eric

 

[Peregrin]

Any Amber Stag that I have has, for the most part, kept it's color just fine.
I recall being given the same explanation that Eric ( ea42 ) described, somewhere along the line. There might be other ways to obtain the coloring.
Here's an example of Amber Stag from Brent Cramer.

 

[Chui]

- the late great Rob Brown knew what he was doing , and here's my buddy's collection of RB knives with the Amber Stag included.

From what I recall, this was proper Stag that had been dyed............I'll try to find out the method Rob used, but he wouldn't have messed around if it was a fickle idea

 

[VCM3]

The amber stag ,like on Gary's Cramer knife ,is pressure dyed ,professionally. In the past I have had a few knives where the dye came off a little but but not much at all ,and it ages very nicely over time. Any other Sambar stag that has taken on " amber " coloring ,that's from age and yes the PP as mentioned above by SVT . That also would change a little I'm sure with pocket time & useage.
The amber like on Gary's knife,sometimes to knife buyers who like stag is less appealing ,in my experience,but it actually costs more for the knife maker to purchase,because of the added expense of the pressure dye process.

I'll add a picture of this same trapper after some pocket time .

New

These just now ,this knife has been carried a bit ,not too much ,but enough to show subtle change ,especially on the backside

I particularly like this amber dyed stag ,I'm not much into jigged bone although I feel it is great looking . The amber stag gives you colors of dyed bone with durability of stag. And with that said ,it allows a knifemaker to use a lower grade of sambar and get good results too.

There's very little " bark" texture on this side of this trapper but it looks fantastic !

 

[joeradza]

I don't know how it will age but these two are starting off beautifully.

 

[Chui]

Yes VCM3 - that’s the message just pinged back to me - the Stag used by Rob Brown was pressure treated, much in the same way wood is stabilised.

From what I recall when I went to collect that knife for my pal, Rob had changed the scales and worked them more than usual.........their through colour was evident, as was the shine he achieved.

Amber Stag is a stunning material for sure

 

[VCM3]

Here's some amber dyed mixed in with not dyed but PP treated as it all is if it was imported

 

[Will Power]

In terms of looks and 'bark' third from left gets my vote-not even amber

 

[Chui]

VCM3 - a line-up of true knife porn

 

[SVTFreak]

I love a nice deeply colored amber stag.

 

[SVTFreak]

Here’s my 3. The Dunlap was deeper but it lightened up when i had to have him clean it up. My wife had dropped it (it was my fault, it was on top of my clothes and she moved them) and it dinged it up. The Warren isn’t very barky but the color is nice. I’d still go deeper if I had a choice but won’t kick either out of the bed. The Warren is one of my favorite carry knives.


Ryu kawamura. Not but a touch of amber color and not deep at all but the stag is incredible. The color that is there is deep almost black and fades to white quickly. But the contrast strikes me without being too rough. Almost the perfect stag, in my opinion, to my taste.


I’m anxiously waiting another Dunlap now that I hope he can make amber stag work with the shield he is doing for me. If not, it’ll probably be amber jigged bone.