ELK: The Other Stag

[thawk]

A couple of muskratman rehandles. Both 4" knives.

 

[black mamba]

Nice pics, guys, keep 'em coming! Gov, I really like the 309; I bet it's a rare one.

 

[FLymon]

Elliot: That Tomes looks more like Moose than elk. I tried a few in moose...but really moves a lot and curls to the hot side even when kept cool!! Tough to deal with. Are these elk handles sheds ya think? They do all look great.

John, I can't say for certain as I traded into the knife with a forum buddy. But as I recall, the original receipt (which I have somewhere around here) indicates "elk" on it by the maker (though I suppose it's possible that he was in error).

Don't know if either of these give you more to go on...

Irregardless of what it is..its' nice!

I agree, either way those are some nice scales, and either way you can call them Elk and be correct.

From an interview with PJ Tomes:
"Some knife factories scorch antler, which I think is bad. Scorching removes the natural oils and will cause the stag to crack later. I also think it takes away from the natural beauty of the stag.
I do add color to my stag when needed: I use potassium permanganate and also some of the marking pens used for furniture touch-up which won’t wear off."

Maybe Mr. Tomes found Elk to be a little too pale for his liking, and since he evidently doesn't "burn" stag he added some color?

And I don't know if this could have anything to do with it if they really are Moose, but in Europe they call the Moose, an Elk (they don't have what we call Elk in Europe so they don't need a different name for them). Maybe it's a nod to the European Elk for some reason?

 

[Campbellclanman]

Jeff, very, very nice knives there Sir!!...and with everyones pics coming in = awesome!...I really like the Elk as a handle material....I wonder....would this yellow off over the years as Bone, or Stag does?...its a real interesting texture...and I must admit, I dont own even one with Elk....something I must fix!

 

[thejamppa]

I've been postponing of getting American Elk from GEC for while. Maybe I pull trigger in this autumn. Its gorgeous looking and 440C would be nice addition to my GEC currently 1095-only collection.

 

[johnny twoshoes]

 

[biglmbass]

I don't have my Burnt Orange anymore but had a Red Elk to compare to. Unfortunately my stainless Burnt Stag had just as much as the Red Elk. It has nice stag so I can live with it.

Trand,

Did you mean to say red stag? Red elk I'm not familiar with, but with all the odd and different special runs GEC puts out, it wouldn't surprise me if I missed it.

BTW, that sheepsfoot #25 of yours is a peach. That's the kind of elk that I prefer the most. I've got the same pattern in zebra wood that I've been carrying almost exclusively for a month.

 

[biglmbass]

Elk's a lot more delicate to work with than stag as far as the "bark" thickness, buff it too much and you wind up with something that looks more like bone than stag.

Not sure if mine was buffed too much or not (intentionally), but the 2nd half congress I posted has less bark obviously and a much smoother feel to it than the 1st one, though I like it just the same. The feel and look of it reminds me a lot of GECs smooth natural colored bone handles, which I happen to like a great deal.

 

[2Dead]

Trand,

Did you mean to say red stag? Red elk I'm not familiar with, but with all the odd and different special runs GEC puts out, it wouldn't surprise me if I missed it.

BTW, that sheepsfoot #25 of yours is a peach. That's the kind of elk that I prefer the most. I've got the same pattern in zebra wood that I've been carrying almost exclusively for a month.

Thanks Glenn, fixed the typo... I'm not sure what red elk would look like... The sheepsfoot #25 has the fissues/bark giving it texture on the mark side but the pile side is polished smooth. It wasn't what I was expecting since my spear #25 was unpolished on both sides. Its grown on me though.

 

[supratentorial]

I've been on the lookout for some nicely figured elk handled knives from GEC but I seem to miss the ones with the nicely figured stag. Now I know where all the nice ones went! Nice knives, guys!

 

[Blues]

...And I don't know if this could have anything to do with it if they really are Moose, but in Europe they call the Moose, an Elk (they don't have what we call Elk in Europe so they don't need a different name for them). Maybe it's a nod to the European Elk for some reason?

Stu, I actually sent a PM to John Lloyd about that very issue yesterday afternoon (mostly in regard to Scandinavian knives I've come across).
I had been wondering if the scales might have been sourced from a European vendor which may have resulted in the possible issue with nomenclature. Seems we were on the same wavelength. :thumbup:

 

[ptradeco]

Here a couple from the Winston's: