Help choosing exotic wood!

T

tjiscooler

Joined
Mar 17, 2008
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Hey guys, im making a pair of scales for this and I cant choose which material to use. Which do you think fits best? The knife is positioned roughly where id cut the blank.

Ive got it narrowed to these three..

100_0429.jpg

100_0431.jpg


Also, how do you guys decide what material to use when your out in your shop?
 
All 3 are very nice, I like the top one though.

The 2nd one is beautiful, but I think you would have to do some tricky cutting to get good spalting in the handle. The 3rd is nice as well, but I happen to like the top one.
 
Thanks for the input. It is a spyderco mule. Haven't made my own blades yet, hopefully soon though. I think ill just buy more blades and use all of them haha.

TJ
 
I like the spalted 2nd one, if you can manage to line the spalting out so it flows with the line of the handle.
I love spalted wood :)
BTW exotic is quite subjective, what is exotic to you might be plain to me and the other way around
 
They all look great but I favor the one on top. Kind of looks like the wood I have on mine.


Mulefinished.jpg
 
If the top one is Amboyna burl, I would suggest using it.
The spalted woods tend to be a bit soft to use unless you plan on getting it stabilized first.
BTW: Beautiful wood, all 3 of them.
 
Use the Amboyna Burl. It's gorgeous stuff, and smells good, too! (not that you should be breathing that stuff, but it does smell quite good) ;) :)
 
Thanks guys! Ill go with the ambonya burl. The middle is spalted tamarind. Burl source is right, it feels a little soft for a handle. I Totally forgot what the bottom was!

Nice mules guys!
 
You can do a minor stabilization of that burl to make it stronger if it's a bit too soft. Get a bottle of the ultra thin super glue (hobby lobby has it) and flood the scales with the glue allowing it to soak in. Once dry, do it again till it seems that they won't absorb anymore glue. Then let them dry completely. When you fashion them into scales, and finish them out, do a final coat of super glue and sand to a very high grit and buff.
 
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