Camatillo Wood

I've searched several wood databases that cover woods of the world, and nothing at all.

It might be a local slang name for a well known wood, but who knows.:confused:
 
Dalbergia congestiflora, also known as Mexican Kingwood.
A nice rosewood that's pretty, hard, and takes a nice finsh, as do most rosewoods.
 
Sometimes sold as para-kingwood,and Mexican Kingwood.It is a kingwood cousin.The purple color mellows a bit after exposure to light.The pigment is also soluble in things like acetone,so don't panic when cleaning up the handle after sanding.Grind slow,it burns easily.Finish by hand.Polishes nicely,just don't burn it by pushing too hard.
 
Thanks for the replies. I saw some of this for sale and didn't know if it was suitable for scales or not. Since I posted this I found some on a website that sells exotic hardwoods and it seems that it can come in different colors. Some even looked like some of the streaks were yellow and it appeared to be pretty pricey.
 
Para Kingwood makes really beautiful handles. It polishes up to a beautiful high lustre and seems to hold it pretty good.
bladsmth is spot on with the info in his post. I found out most of that the hard way. (we need a kicking oneself in the butt smiley):grumpy:

The stuff I have has several shades of purple in it seperated by blackish streaks. Gorgeous wood. I'd suggest getting some, you won't regret it.
 
and like all very hard woods.............it cracks just when you dont want it too

be careful drilling holes in it, and use a SHARP drill bit!
 
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