buying handle material....

[godspeed]

I recently bought some "stabilized" spalted maple scales at a knife show and under very little stress one of them snapped in half. grrr. The scales I bought were bowed slightly but i figured i could sand them flat, but i didn't envision it breaking on me when i was tapping the pins in ever so gingerly. Also the wood in the center of the broken scale didn't appear to be stabilized at all, and The scales were sawn across the grain. Is this normal?

Anyone have any tips for buying wood from individuals?

 

[jll346]

Your grain should by ALL means be running length wise!!

 

[Mark Knapp]

Sometimes, handle material dealers cut wood accross the grain in spalted, straight grain material because that is where the most exciting figure appears. (I do it all the time, as do other suppliers) It's not a problem when attached to a full tang knife, strength can be an issue on hidden tang knives.

It's unfortunate you had a problem with your's, many of the dealers that help support this site would take the material back for a refund or trade (they like to keep the people here happy). You can glue your piece back together with very little if any visable crack showing.

Sometimes stabilizing medium is not able to penetrate all the way through a block, it depends on how thick it is and it's density.

In the spirit of full disclosure I do not sell wood handle materials on Blade Forums and do not stabilize commercially.

 

[godspeed]

Ok... i just broke another set. The grain runs diagonally in this one.
Is spalted maple really delicate or am I a bull in a china shop?
I'm making some knives for Christmas presents and i'm officially out of
handle material. So i guess i'm going to have to cut some scales from an Oak 4x4.
bummer. I'll attempt to glue the first one i broke back together but i'm not gonna count on it.

 

[Mark Knapp]

Ok... i just broke another set. The grain runs diagonally in this one.
Is spalted maple really delicate or am I a bull in a china shop?
I'm making some knives for Christmas presents and i'm officially out of
handle material. So i guess i'm going to have to cut some scales from an Oak 4x4.
bummer. I'll attempt to glue the first one i broke back together but i'm not gonna count on it.

I am sorry to hear that. You are sure having a run of bad luck. I have never found them to be that brittle. Is your tang and the inside surface of your scales flat? Also, in my experience it is better to have a slide fit for your pins, room for glue. The only other thing I can add is, on material that might be brittle, a liner material glued to the scale might help hold it together during further assembly. I hope it works out well for you.

 

[Shaughnessy]

Ok... i just broke another set. The grain runs diagonally in this one.
Is spalted maple really delicate or am I a bull in a china shop?
I'm making some knives for Christmas presents and i'm officially out of
handle material. So i guess i'm going to have to cut some scales from an Oak 4x4.
bummer. I'll attempt to glue the first one i broke back together but i'm not gonna count on it.

If your pin holes are drilled straight, your pins should slide in the holes with a little resistance and your thumb, and not require "tapping" with a tool. I think I would spend some time getting the fit right and using a chainsaw file or needle file to take off just the slightest bit (widening the pin hole) and then test the pin again, until you get a snug fit. Sometimes it takes time and patience to get it just right. The grain cut should not make a difference if the wood was professionally stabilized.

Larry