Damascus and bone knife wierd odor

[GrantRyan]

Im no knife expert, or really that much of an enthusiast so go as basic as youd like with answers.

My neighbor gifted me a really cool damascus and bone handle knife before we moved away. Only downer is it gives off an odor that is offputting and gets on your hands. Hard to put my finger on, but id compare it to a dirty wet dog.

Its definately coming from the handle. Ive tried scrubbing it with dawn dish soap and hot water with no success. Should i clean it with something specific? Is there something i can seal it with that would lock in that smell so it doesnt emanate?

Its a beautiful knife and has a ton of sentimental value so i hate to leave it sitting in the drawer, but i cant stand the way it makes my hands smell.

 

[john april]

try lemon juice. if that doesnt work maybe try soaking it in a baking soda/water paste for a few hours.

 

[Mark Knapp]

I would not soak a bone handle. Some would be fine but some bone will swell and crack at pin holes, pop off the handle etc. The word "bone" covers an array of materials including antler. If it's antler it would most certainly swell if soaked.

A picture would help.

If nothing else, just cover it in dry baking soda.

Generally, dry bone doesn't give off much odor at all. Wet bone does, and dry bone does while you are working it. It sounds as if something else is going on here.

 

[GrantRyan]

In all the research i was doing about this i found that handle making doesnt require any unique skills or tools and the supplies are more readily available than i expected.

So i broke off the bone handle and cleaned off the metal. There were large gaps in the epoxy where what looked like mold was forming. I think thats an issue i would have chased.

Handle scales, pins, and etching chemical are on there way. I scuffed some spots that will be exposed and lost the chemical etch there. Should be easy.

 

[brownshoe]

In all the research i was doing about this i found that handle making doesnt require any unique skills or tools and the supplies are more readily available than i expected.

So i broke off the bone handle and cleaned off the metal. There were large gaps in the epoxy where what looked like mold was forming. I think thats an issue i would have chased.

Handle scales, pins, and etching chemical are on there way. I scuffed some spots that will be exposed and lost the chemical etch there. Should be easy.

I've seen a lot of poorly hafted knives, so it must take some level of skill to get a passable handle.

To me, one of the things that makes a Master Smith knife special is the shape of the handle...flared, contoured, swell-shaped, etc. It takes skill to do it and knowledge of what works for cutlery.

Two slabs will work too, but I've seen a friend's "custom" knife handle literally just fall off, no pins and bad epoxy...$150 go out the door and he was the laughing stock of "Men's Fishing Weekend."

Good Luck, go slow, clean surfaces well before epoxy.

 

[GrantRyan]

I hope i didnt come off as belittling custom knife making. I totally believe its an art that takes a ton of practice to get perfection.

I meant it more like, ill give it a shot and see what happens cause i have the tools and amazon sells the parts. Anything is better than a knife that never gets used cause it makes your hand smell like butt every time you use it. Ill be happy as long as its functional. Nice thing is, if it turns out poorly i can always clean it up and try again.