Handle Material

T

The Savage Rabbit

Joined
Nov 30, 2006
Messages
351
I'm new to "really nice" knives. My wife bought me a copy of the Knives 2007 book/catalog. I had no idea that makers were using so many different materials for handles.

I ordered my first custom knife this week. I found the hardest thing about the whole process was deciding on the handle material. Choosing ladder damascus was easy. The knife will be a 3 3/4" folder with a 3" drop point blade. I went with blue mammoth ivory because I thought the colors would nicely compliment the damascus.

Do any of you have a favorite handle material (customers and makers)?
 
You have good taste, ladder and ivory is a nice combination. I think ivory is my favorite but almost equally love muskox. It seems rare but can be found if you ask around.
 
My favorite is amber stag, however I like lvory. Mammoth and Walrus with as much color as possible is my preference.
 
I'm usually a sucker for good burl woods in the light brown/orange brown/yellow color ranges, like amboyna, quince, and maple. Seeing some of those handles got me into customs more than the blades themselves. After getting my fill of woods, I started to like good stag (whereas I was indifferent about it before). And after handling some sheep horn handles and slabs I'm now thinking that I'll try to order at least one knife in sheep horn at some point.
 
I think that even so-so ivory has a nice depth & shine. I agree that amber stag can be very, very pretty, but only if it is a premium example. Because they're partly artificial (coloring), they don't have the mystique that a nicely colored fossil ivory holds for me.

For smallish knives, I really like antique tortoise shell, backed with gold leaf.
 
:D :D :D :D
WoolyMammothIvory.jpg
 
I love ivory. Walrus is my favorite, followed by bark mammoth (I prefer the blacks and browns to the blues and greens). I really like bark elephant ivory as well, but because of the hassle importing it, even if it is pre-ban, I would have to be getting the knife from a Canadian maker. Another great looking ivory is narwhal. It looks fluted without having to do anything to it; beautiful stuff.
 
I thought the black and brown in bark ivory might look too much like stag. I recently purchased a Buck 110 from the Custom Shop with ATS-34 and Sambar Stag.
 
Joss said:
I think that even so-so ivory has a nice depth & shine. I agree that amber stag can be very, very pretty, but only if it is a premium example. Because they're partly artificial (coloring), they don't have the mystique that a nicely colored fossil ivory holds for me.
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I would certainly agree with that.

You have to take care of the ivory though.
 
I will say that I am not a real fan of ivory horn bone or anything natural. Living in Alaska wich is a desert in term of humidity and traveling to washington where the humidity is high has turned me off to these forever. MOP is an exception since I have never had any shrink. My favorite handle materials at the moment are G-10 for users, horse stall mat rubber for choppers and for customs nonuser work fluted damascus, makume or MOP inlaid into a damascus handle.
 
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