Burl

[Dubop]

I bought a knife on the exchange made from Damascus steel with an ebony and impregnated burl handle. By impregnated does the maker mean flaws in the burl were filled with something or was it stabilized. The knife came from Bulgaria and there is a communications prOblem.

 

[davidf99]

If you already have the knife (or when it arrives), examine the handle with a magnifying glass. If there are any flaws you might be able to see them, although the handle in your picture looks absolutely beautiful.

My guess is that the seller in Bulgaria said "impregnated" when he means "stabilized." As I understand the stabilization process, it involves impregnating the wood with some kind of plastic or epoxy-like material, so the two terms are pretty much synonyms.

If the knife is actually pregnant, it should give birth to little knives very soon.

 

[Dubop]

Thanks David99 for the info. This knife maker is quite accomplished, he is also a photographer, jewelery maker, and bonsai grower. His English can be a bit confusing though.

 

[ndoghouse]

Ye I believe what David described is accurate. They do sell stabilized woods that have many pockets and voids that are filled with colored acrylic resin and some can look really sweet! It is an art form in itself but most reputable dealers and stabilizers will tell you what they have done be it color or other enhancements. Do a search on "turning wood" or "pen blanks" etc. and you will see all kinds of stuff. What you got there definitely looks stabilized and possibly dyed but not necessarily? The blues can come naturally from mineralization, spalting or other molds etc. Looks great in my opinion. Enjoy!