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durability of natural handle materials
- Thread starter martin j
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2000
- Messages
- 266
Howdy There....!
For my two cents worth, I would going with the stag. It should be the must durable of the three, all three will change with the move a little with the amount of moisture. There is only one hardwood that I would use and that Desert Ironwood, it is rough as rock and pretty. my two cents, go woth stag, ironwood and bone last.
Good luck choosing.
Later "Possum"
For my two cents worth, I would going with the stag. It should be the must durable of the three, all three will change with the move a little with the amount of moisture. There is only one hardwood that I would use and that Desert Ironwood, it is rough as rock and pretty. my two cents, go woth stag, ironwood and bone last.
Good luck choosing.
Later "Possum"
- Joined
- May 9, 2000
- Messages
- 29,205
I love sambar stag. Damn stuff is getting hard to find and very expensive, but as far as I am concerned it is worth the money. It can move and crack and needs to be cared for, but with a little effort it will last longer than you will.
Another material I love is sheep horn. This one does not seem to crack as easily, but can move as it dries, and if you live in a very humid area it can actually pull apart.
I love some of the hardwoods and many burls. These should be stabilized, even the hardwoods, and yes you can stabilize Ironwood and Snakewood. The burls must be stabilized as they would not stand up well to use otherwise.
Bone is OK, but not a favorite of mine. I find it boring. It can be dyed and when done the way Bruce Evans does his it looks quite a bit like mammoth ivory. He really does a great job. Jigged bone can be nice on the right folder, but stag is much nicer in my opinion.
Another material I love is sheep horn. This one does not seem to crack as easily, but can move as it dries, and if you live in a very humid area it can actually pull apart.
I love some of the hardwoods and many burls. These should be stabilized, even the hardwoods, and yes you can stabilize Ironwood and Snakewood. The burls must be stabilized as they would not stand up well to use otherwise.
Bone is OK, but not a favorite of mine. I find it boring. It can be dyed and when done the way Bruce Evans does his it looks quite a bit like mammoth ivory. He really does a great job. Jigged bone can be nice on the right folder, but stag is much nicer in my opinion.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2000
- Messages
- 871
Of the different types of bone available, I prefer stabilized giraffe. It's naturally denser than cattle bone and is available in a wide variety of colors - some patterns simulating bark elephant ivory or mammoth ivory. Of course, it is fairly expensive.
Wow, thank you for quick and good advice! I always enjoy threads where you have opinions of experienced users, collectors AND custom makers- it is what makes this place very special! Stag is very expensive, it seems many people (makers) are turning to different kinds of bone to simulate "stag effect" or new look altogether. But I do wonder about its fragility in relation to stag or stablized woods.
Again, thank you-
Martin
Again, thank you-
Martin