handle material preferences?

SDS

SDS

Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
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I'm making up a batch of knives and got to wondering what most people prefer for handles on their knives. These are smaller skinning type knives originally designed for hunting and general use.

If you prefer synthetics (I assume g10/micarta) what color('s)? If wood, what type? If something else please specify.

I'm mostly just curious to see what folks that actually use their knives prefer.

Thanks,
SDS
 
i like wood, and if its given a good finish it can handle alot of weather and abuse. if there are concerns with wood taking on moisture etc, then there is always stabilized.

i still haven't owned a knife with micarta scales, but of the ones i have held they are all nice and i like the texture. they also seem to be bombproof. i like the aesthetics of different colored fabrics layered together, or a blue or dark OD green.

it seems as though most people like canvas micarta alot.
 
If a maker will use it, I will always request Osage Orange. If someone makes something with it, it is very hard for me to refuse it. I just love it. It is tough, looks good, and gets even better looking with age and use.
 
My preference in all things is "as bomb proof as possible" so I prefer Micarta.

Awhile ago I asked the question of which micarta and the concensus seemed to be - canvas for better grip, the others for nicer looks. I have both black canvas and antique ivory although I don't know what kind of micarta the antique ivory is.

I like them both. I also like the tiger stripe G-10 and the black/green micarta.

Having said that, there are some beautiful looking wood handles.

Doc
 
If it is going to be used for hunting purposes, give it a synthetic handle that will give the user lots of grip. I would appreciate a bright color that will stick out if (when) you need to set it down during dressing. Something yellow or orange would be great! :cool:
 
Tony_A said:
I prefer green canvas micarta.
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Same here - "GCM" is my personal favorite but there are batches of "Natural" or "Brown" Canvas Micarta that have a honey or amber color that is another I like a LOT. Not really big on the G10. It's great stuff but the colors don't have the "earthy" appeal of the Canvas Micartas.

If it has to be wood, Curly Maple or, better yet, one of the oily South American Harwoods, Ebony - anything that does not require an applied finish and is tough. I have two ML Knives with Curly Maple and t he inly thing slowing me down on ordering my next one is that I like the look and feel of Matt's wood handles but am thinking about maybe asking him to do one for me in Micarta.

I admire beautiful wood handles - on other peoples' knives. For mine, I would mess them up using them, but I recently handled a Compact Bushcraft in "Soft" Curly Maple (which isn't all that soft) because the board had some dramatic figure and was left over from when my house was built - in 1900. The board was harvested from trees on the property the house is on, in the mill (long gone) on the same property. So, for the sake of sentimentality, I used real wood on one of my knives. The side benefit was that the whole knife weighs 2.6 ounces and I may use some more on others now.

Edit: Incidentally, the wood-handled knife I am talking about is shown in my avatar.
 
For "tactical" types I prefer something dark and synthetic, fan of G-10. Black or green usually, but I've seen some nice maroon and blue scales as well. I think maroon/oxblood looks particularly sexy on a fighter. The nice thing about having a broad color selection is that one can really personalize a special blade.

For more traditional blades, I've had various types of wood, stag, bone and horn. All are nice as long as they've been treated to protect them from the elements, blood or swelling and shrinking.

If I'm out in the mud or up to my elbows in a carcass I want something that I can wash with soap and water without ruining it. Walrus ivory is nice for this, as it comes from a marine animal. It also has the benefit of taking on an almost "tacky" feel when it's wet with blood or sweat. I have mixed feelings about buying it however, since natives up here (AK) sometimes slaughter entire colonies, discard the bodies and take only the heads to sell to tourists and ivory dealers. You can get around this by using fossilized ivory, which retains the afforementioned properties as well as having a nice variety of shades and stains from aging.

I dunno; there are so many options avaiable I guess it just depends on the blade and one's personal taste.
 
i am not too picky myself... i have a little bit of everything..:D though, i do tend to prefer micarta scales on most of my working knives... that stuff takes a beating...

i also really like the natural materials... you really can't beat some of the gorgeous wood scales.. i love osage, curly maple and ironwood...
 
DOC-CANADA said:
My preference in all things is "as bomb proof as possible" so I prefer Micarta.

Awhile ago I asked the question of which micarta and the concensus seemed to be - canvas for better grip, the others for nicer looks. I have both black canvas and antique ivory although I don't know what kind of micarta the antique ivory is.

I like them both. I also like the tiger stripe G-10 and the black/green micarta.

Having said that, there are some beautiful looking wood handles.

Doc
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Doc,
I think that the "Ivory" Micarta has a paper substrate. Looks even classier than the linens but I still like Canvas even for looks because of the "depth" you get when you sand to 600 grit and buff lightly- especially on the "Natural."
 
Jeff H said:
Same here - "GCM" is my personal favorite but there are batches of "Natural" or "Brown" Canvas Micarta that have a honey or amber color that is another I like a LOT.
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I'm in complete agreement about the natural or brown canvas micarta. Great looking stuff.

I do love working with wood and plan to put together some wooden handles on blades from Ragnar in the near future. Some candidates in my wood stash include some curly goncalo alves, ziricote, chechen, wenge, ipe and various rosewoods. Each one is tough stuff and should shrug off the elements without being stabilized. Just some wiping varnish/oil blend should do nicely.
 
I like rubber on anything that is going to get used a lot. It varies a greatly though. I've had some that has been very soft and slimy and I really didn't like that. I was keen on trying some of that Receprine [sp] that Swamp Rat was using. Many of the users on their forum claimed it was far superior for users [Camp Tramp, Bog Dog .etc] than the micarta they switched to, and really lamented the passing.

On small knives that aren't going to get punished I like G10. For a hunting knife I'd think G10.

Still, I've always kinda fancied some of that ivory paper micarta just because it is pretty.
 
Osage orange, ipe, lignum vitae is a new favorite to do.
I mean, with the right finish or stabilising, most anything will work fine- I LIKE osage, and I really enjoy the density and hardness fo the ipe.

I use tan canvas micarta, but for field use I soak it in linseed oil after the handle is done and try to saturate some of the fibers, then buff it out after 3 or 4 days of drying.
 
I like the micartas and G10 for tactical use type knives but for my hunting/outdoors knives I prefer the natural materials. It looks like there is a pretty even split between natural and synthetic.

I see several of my favorites here. Among them are Bois D'arc and Lignum Vitae. The Lignum Vitae doesn't have much figure usually but I really like it for some reason.

I appreciate the replies. I have 10 knives I pulled out of the oven tonight so I may just split them and do half in synthetics and half in woods of some type.

Thanks again for the replies.
SDS
 
if i have the option, i always prefer wood or stag and somtimes even stacked leather ( even though those can have durability issues) but my favorite woods are #1 arctic curly birch #2 osage orange and #3 either walnut or maple. i also like bocote on bark river knive, but i havent actually used it, just seen.
 
Bocote is a really nice wood. It's got all those cool dark lines and is pretty tough stuff, being comparable to some of the rosewoods in density. If you get a flatsawn piece it can have some amazing bullseye figure that looks really unique in the world of wood. Do a google search to see what I mean.
 
I really like micarta, mainly for it's durability. I like the variations in patterns as well, but I really don't care for very colorful slabs.
 
I like wood and my favourite is curly birch ;)

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I hate synthetics :D
 
My two favorite knives have African Blackwood and Osage Orange

Both are pretty bomb proof
 
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