Handle inserts

sniperboy

sniperboy

Joined
Oct 19, 1999
Messages
2,836
THoght I'd start a string.

Wood is pretty subjective. a classic material and is a matter of taste as to which you woudl get. but it seems that the badboy is "snakewood". One question.. why don't makers offer 'Kamagong' b yfar the toughest assest arnis available in the Philippines. That bad boy can turn you into jelly. (liek narra, kamagong is illegal to log right? *I chucckle*)

Then there is micarta. i am aware of rag micarta.. (fuzzy)... canvas and ivory micarta.
tough material. Unlike ivory which will probably crack or warp due to abuse and environment.

I have yet to see a mother of pearl though. What is mother of pearl?? How does it compare to micarta?

okay just added some threads since it seems to slow down here. get some nice opinion in reference to balisongs as opposed to searching blade discussion as the influence of dynamic handles might have a different effect.


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<A HREF="http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html
</A> If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]


 
Mother of pearl is oyster shell.Its a beautiful handle material. At one time the balisongcollector site had one displayed with black mop handles-a special edition balisong made by for the Blade Show in the early eighties.

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Tim

 
While my BM Custom with Snakewood inserts certainly has turned some heads, I'd like to remind people that there are reasons you don't see much use of Snakewood. First, very few pieces have the exceptional character of mine. Second, it is perhaps the most difficult wood to work with. It splits and cracks very easily. Many makers refuse to touch it. Finally, the owner of a piece such as mine must forever live with the knowledge that his treasure will, if not scrupulously maintained, crack and split and be destroyed. It can be extraordinarily decorative, but it is not overly practical.

Mother of pearl, a personal favorite of mine, and I have featured several pieces on my site with MOP inserts, is a wonderful natural material with great depth, character, and luster. You can read a lot about it at the wonderful website maintained by The Mother Of Pearl Company. This link has long been on my links page. So, Sniperboy, apparently you're not keeping up with your mandatory surfing.

While Micarta is certainly practical, most of it lacks great character.

There certainly are other insert materials available. I have many examples that I will be featuring eventually.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
AH! Yes i forgot about that link on yoru site, Chuck.. yes, Jim I am truly getting old
smile.gif


so CHuck, like.. how DO You take care of your Snakewood?

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<A HREF="http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html
</A> If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]


 
I use snake(wood) oil, of cours.

Would you like to buy some?

Chuck
snakeoil vendor
 
Sniperboy... Like Chuck says snakewood is hard to work with. It is heavy, hard, dense (same thing?) oily, splits, cracks and is the most beautiful wood if you get exibition grade.. I can send you some pics of recent snakewood knives I have done. Chuck,, what's in that snake oil you sellin there?! Hermit
 
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