BG-42, Cape Buffalo.. Custom Shop help

M

Master Series Wannabe

Joined
Jun 18, 1999
Messages
21
I was wondering about this. Like, what all can it do and how much would it cost. would it cost much more than normal knives?.. id assume so but a lot more or not much?
i just want a 110 model knife blade with BG-42 steel i think that is the best i could find anywhere especailly for the price. what do you all think?

i think if it had Cape Buffalo horn scales on it id be willing to pay atleast 100 dollars for one. and id have to get myself atleast 3 of them.

any info you have on the custom shop is greatly welcomed.

or maybe 200 dollars. man that would be a sweet knife.
 
Wannabee,

I would contact a South African knifemaker. They might be able to locate Cape Buffalo Horn for knife handles.

Good Luck,

Larry

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Cape Buffalo horn is totally black. If you use the boss ( the piece that sits on top of the head like a helmet), which can be up to 3/4" thick, you can get a very nice surface pattern, somewhere between rough bark and antler.
I have some in stock, and have another thirty pairs or so waiting to be cleared through the border between RSA and Zimbabwe...
To use you sometimes need to flatten it. Immerse in hot oil (cooking or linseed)and test every now and then with a plier to see if is bendable. Horn is thermoplastic. Remove from the oil and clamp between a piece of soft wood and a piece of flat steel.
When it is cold it will retain the flatness.

I completed a set of hunting knives consisting of a kukri, skinner, hunter, folder and caping knife last month using cape buffalo horn boss, all in a display case with a buffalo carved on the lid. I try to keep horn handled knives for a month or so before delivery as the stuff likes to shrink.

Hope this helped.

Tiaan Burger
Burger Custom Knives
Messina
South Africa

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Tiaan,

Thanks for the information!

Do you ever run into trouble shipping knives with exotic materials through U.S. Customs? It seems there are a lot of good materials available in your part of the world that cannot be imported into the U.S.A. due to various laws against importation of endangered woods and animals.

Thanks!
Sid
 
Hi Sid

As you say, it can get tricky. US Fish and wildlife have some quite legitimate concerns about the import of RAW materials. Untreated buffalo horn IS contaminated with foot and mouth disease, bovine tuberculosis and a few other nasties. One can even pick up Congo fever ( as bad as Ebola) if there is a tick hiding in a crack and it bites you! For this reason all trophies shot and stuffed needs to lie in quaranteen for a few months as there is fur and bone involved where some nasties may hide. Therefore I boil all the horn I use on my knives in oil, even if flattening is unnecessary. To export completed knives is not a problem. Registred and insured airmail, takes two to three weeks. I usually put some noncommittal label on the package: Cutting tool, decorative kitchen utensil, or letter opener.

As to rare materials: There is a CITES ban on some: Baboon, leopard, elephant, lion cheetah, rhino, of which only rhino and elephant are of concern. I have secured a source for elephant leather in Zimbabwe, we will have to see what customs say about that. Elephant are NOT a endangered species despite what the bunny huggers like to say. There are less than 600 Cape Hunting dogs left in the world, and nobody screams when some misguided farmer shoots one or two. Elephant are the most destructive of all animals. Sorry, you got me onto my pet hate here...

The amount of wood that knifemakers use is paltry to the waste caused by the local curio industry. Parts of Malawi is becoming deforested as the wood is carved into third grade statues of the big five. Which is why the customs people do not even look at that small piece on a knife handle. Besides, most of them can't tell African Blackwood (very scarce)from Ebony (scarce) or Red Bushwillow (common as green grass).

Regards

Tiaan


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