Handle Material - color change over time

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This discussion is making me rethink my #1 highly figured wood choices! It’s just so appealing when new…hard to resist. But this also kind of reinforces my love of micarta. And none of that to say that change is negative necessarily, but it is sad to lose that awesome ironwood contrast.

 

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Two Cheburkovs in Ironwood. The right one has been used quite a bit, the left one remains unused (because I'm not the biggest fan of recurves). Handles looked identical in the beginning (2 years ago ?).

I wasn’t even aware that Cheb made fixed blades Roland. Pretty cool!

 

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Cocobolo new, unused

View attachment 2396131

Carried, used

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Cocobolo darkens a lot over time. Here are pictures of the knife new and then after a few years of regular carry:

I’ve seen similar examples of Cocbolo. That is pretty dramatic.

My 78 was a user for a time. Maybe I just didn’t carry it enough, but 5 years later it still shows contrast though it has darkened some.

New:

Now:

 

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Another ironwood example. It is hard to replicate the lighting for comparison. This one seems more dramatic to me than pictures reflect. Quite a bit of mellowing at the least.

Ben Seward Reflex, new:

Now:

 

[Just Tom.]

That has improved with age.

I wish the same could be said about me .

 

[Barbababa]

Ironwood does darken. I've made a few kitchen knives with Ironwood, and some of them are so dark from use I can't tell what wood it is

On the kitchen knives I have made with Ironwood, I have given them a CA treatment. The only thing I have found to be lasting.
On many dark woods one can bring some life back if giving the wood a light rub with acetone with oil

 

[CelloDan]

My Grohman # 2 developed a green coloration over time, a film like substance spread in the stag grooves.
I am not sure what to attribute this to.

A thorough wash with an old toothbrush and soapy water removed it.
The dark/black accents of the stag which I liked are gone now.

A pic I took a few days ago after cleaning the handle

 

[Hengelo_77]

Even phenol based micarta's darken over time. That's what gives the dark-light colour effect when you contour and shape old vintage micarta.
It gets a rich colour over time that I personaly like.

I believe it is mostly UV light that causes it

 

[Hengelo_77]

Here is a quick pick of a pair of handle scales cut off a large block of old industrial phenolic "micarta"
The dark side is from the outside, the light side is freshly cut.
Shaping a handle out of scales like that gives an interesting colour change from the thicker middle to the thinner edges of the handle.

 

[Horsewright]

Don't think I have any pics but I have seen a pink boned handled knife I made for a neighbor change. The part that was ticking out of the sheath went back to white. The part that was in the sheath stayed pink.