Classic wood inlays

G

Garonne

BOUNCED EMAIL: I need to update my email address in my profile!
Joined
Aug 22, 2005
Messages
205
I found in the CRK site all the wooden inlays avalaible, i would like to know their hardness or a ranking, it is for a daily use, a mate in an other section showed me this site http://www.wflooring.com/Technical_Info/Species_Tech_Info/species_hardness.htm but i can't cope with it, names are different.
Longtime i ignored and disregarded wood handles, today i've got a different view although i waffle between a wood inlay (desert ironwood) and ivory for my next purchase. :D
Sorry if this topic has been discussed before
 
The woods used are stabilized and in my experience hold up well for daily use. I'm not sure of the hardness per se. Even the ivory holds up well.:p
 
Of all the inlays offered, I would guess the Lignum Vitae would hold up the longest. With that said, I think any of the offerings would hold up well to everyday use for a long time. If you have a favorite, you should go for it.
 
My favourtie wood sites when researching on the CRK inlay options:
http://www.onlinewoods.com/onlinewoods/species.php?woodtype=15
http://www.colonialtonewoods.com/pages/woods.html

Something on iron wood:
http://woodenuknow.com/desertironwood.html

Not a wood expert, but I look for treating problems, hardness (dry/wet), oiliness & glueing ability (since the inlays were glued on) and general comments. FYI rosewood and cocobolo are oily and hard to glue. African Blackwood is better than Ebony for moisture resistance, etc.

Also, if you have not already seen it, Plaza Cutlery just soldout on their exclusive ironwood presentation burl Mnandi.

If I have to go ironwood, which is my favourite, I'd go for burl, not into straight grains.
 
GoodGuy said:
Of all the inlays offered, I would guess the Lignum Vitae would hold up the longest. With that said, I think any of the offerings would hold up well to everyday use for a long time. If you have a favorite, you should go for it.
Click to expand...

Given the hard use applications for lignum vitae (propeller shaft bearings for watercraft), I would surmise that GoodGuy is correct. Personally, I'm a bit abusive on wood inlays. I've had a camelthorn inlay that I really liked - surface was as smooth as glass, and the grain pattern was out of this world! Well, I was carrying it in my pocket a couple summers ago, got in a water balloon fight (nasty 5th grade daughter and her friends, picking on the poor old man . . .), and the wet cloth sat against the wood for many hours. Probably didn't help the fact that previously I had clipped the knife on workout clothing and drenched it with sweat several times, and sent it through the wash on an occasion . . . Well, to make a long story longer, the camelthorn got pretty roughed up. I lost a bit of the soft part of the grain, and the hard part of the grain remained. Since then, I've not been carrying knives with wood inlays.

I'm guessing that the majority of users are not as abusive as I am.
 
Fooj said:
Since then, I've not been carrying knives with wood inlays.

I'm guessing that the majority of users are not as abusive as I am.
Click to expand...

Curious, how is the horn holding up ? any chips/cracks ?

I would expect a knife to hold up to some rough useage.
I would consider you to be a good product tester candidate.

Thanks for sharing your stories.:)
 
KCkc said:
Curious, how is the horn holding up ? any chips/cracks ?

I would expect a knife to hold up to some rough useage.
I would consider you to be a good product tester candidate.

Thanks for sharing your stories.:)
Click to expand...
KCkc,

My mnandi EDC has bone inlays. The performance been amazing -- the knife's seen a fair amount of water, sweat, and changing humidity. Of course, I've never been concerned for the mnandi's inlay/Ti expansion coefficient mismatches because of the way cool adhesive membranes that CRK uses (has everyone seen the DVD?), but it's great to have verification that it's a robust solution. Relative to the the bone material itself, the glossy surface finish looks like the day I bought it, and there's been no fracturing of any kind.

I've alway wondered about the other materials as well. Has anyone got experience using ivory mammoth, or any other non-wood inlay somewhat abusively?
 
Thank you all for your comments and advices, so i ordered an iron wood inlayed directly from CRK and received it today, flawless as usual, nothing new to add, you know these products better than me, for the moment i "ll go with my micarta inlays and i will see later for using this one, it is not urgent, time to give a break and save money for the next news promised at the end of the year :D
 
both micarta and ironwood are great choices.

I would love to have a presentation grade ironwood burl on mine, oh well...they are hard to come by...

FYI, the African Blackwood will buff up nice and shiny after a medium pressure rub with a soft furniture cloth. Found that out from my letter opener. So my next mnandi will be African Blackwood. = ) Hopefully before Christmas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top