An introduction to exotic handle materials

The article is a good effort, but a couple things struck me as not quite spot on. For example: "Keep in mind, that MOP only comes as scales, so no hidden tang knife blade can be fitted with it."

This is incorrect. incorporated within a frame handle, pearl scales can absolutely be used on a hidden tang knife.

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some nice info and should be of value for both new and experienced collectors. If you look at my Fototime site, you will see examples of most of the items you have mentioned.
 
A frame handle still uses scales, but Mark Knapp showed an original example of hidden tang MOP handle :)
 
RogerP, you're actually right but frame handles are amizingly rare. I, for one, haven't seen a single one. So let's just say that I cut a corner with that statement :).
Stezann, can you show me that knife? It would be really interesting and the first time that I see such an item.
Murray, I may ask a few pictures from you for a future article. If you're interested, we can talk abour the details. And thank you all for the comments, I really appreciate it!
 
George_T said:
RogerP, you're actually right but frame handles are amizingly rare. I, for one, haven't seen a single one. So let's just say that I cut a corner with that statement :).
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Frame handle construction is actually fairly common. Anyway nice document, should be especially beneficial to newer collectors.
 
George -- I have a few frame handled knives -- a Cowboy Bowie, English Bowie, Chute knife that I can think of off hand and there are quite a few makers doing those. My email address is in my sig on my posts so contact me anytime. As many know, I love to talk about knives and have for past 35 years almost non-stop lol.
 
George_T said:
RogerP, you're actually right but frame handles are amizingly rare. I, for one, haven't seen a single one. So let's just say that I cut a corner with that statement :).
Stezann, can you show me that knife? It would be really interesting and the first time that I see such an item.
Murray, I may ask a few pictures from you for a future article. If you're interested, we can talk abour the details. And thank you all for the comments, I really appreciate it!
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http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...nal-pictures-for-now?highlight=abalone+handle
here is the thread :)
 
thanks for the nice read. seasoned knife makers will probably already know this, but folks like me who only chuck together a knife from a premade blade and some handle material will surely appreciate it. i certainly do.
 
Burl isn't just fantastically grained wood, I think it is actually a wood "cancer".
 
Murray, thank you for the offer, I will ceratinly get back to you some time! Seeing a solid abalone handle is something, it really surpirsed me. Anyway, the origin of burl is a tricky one. I didn't think about it that way before, but you may be rith, ron_m80.
 
Jean-Jacques Perret said:
In the second chapter an enumeration of all the substances used to make (sleeves), The horn of different animals, wood cancers (burl?), the tortoise shell, whale, wood, ivory, mother of pearl,& he indicates that the choice of these substances should be following different circumstances.
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All the way back from 1771.
 
A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus.
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Via Wikipedia. Needless to say, I'm not an expert in this matter :)
 
Did you omit antler (stag), or is it what you refered to as "stable" in
the Horn section...? Antler and horn are quite dissimilar.
 
Russ, I omitted antler because it's fairly common on production knives. I'm not against the material, I just don't find it exotic.
 
George_T said:
Via Wikipedia. Needless to say, I'm not an expert in this matter :)
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A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus.
wrong!!!!!!
One of my grandaughter's teachers automatically flunks a paper if it uses wikipedia as a source.
So much research is useless in my opinion when it is just quoting what someone else says.
1st hand experience really changed my perspective on a lot.

I will bite my tongue on the antler comment.
 
plants continue to grow their entire life, first up and than out. So you got Apical meristem for primary growth in height and you got secondary growth as in lateral meristem or vascular cambium.
Meristematic tissue continues to rapidly divide producing undifferentiated cells which may eventually differentiate to form living parts we understand and can predict. Some times not. Plants don't really have a pre-programmed body plan like we do.

Gary
 
GaryFlorida said:
Plants don't really have a pre-programmed body plan like we do.

Gary
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They seek (grow) balance to support the root base, and they seek water/ nutrients, many of them flower, produce fruit, or generate many many seeds. For a plant that's quite a bit isn't it? Just curious.
 
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