horn or wood for martial arts blade?

[rjacobs]

I don't care about little cracks that super glue can fix up. Would horn or wood be stronger? I might add that I would use 400 grit paper to rough up the handle material surface. thanks

 

[Wolf_1989]

When I first discovered H.I., I asked Ms Yangdu if horn or wood would be stronger and she told me wood is stronger.

IIRC saatisal is a species of himalayan oak. Most of my khukuris have saatisal handles and they've held up just fine.

My favorite khukuri is a 21.5" Chitlangi however and it has a horn handle. It also has held up well but from what I've read, horn can become brittle in cold weather.

 

[rjacobs]

Thanks Wolf. I kinda thought some of them Nepal rosewoods would be tough and better than horn. I have seen some photos in my searches and the polished wood looks beautiful. I'm not too concerned about the handles looks, but even if I oiled after sanding the wood, the handle would be nice looking and stick nicely to my hand. I wish I could visit the factory to try em all out on rolled up tatamis! The shape of the khuk lends itself to the type of cutting I do.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

I think the key to keeping horn from cracking and such is don't let it get bone <cough, cough> dry. I'm sure there's guys that have a lot more experience with horn than I do, but I'm pretty sure there's something you can put on it to keep it nice.

FWIW, I prefer wood, the satisal being a favorite.

 

[seaice]

Mineral or linseed oil will soak into horn and help stop it drying out, but I've tried Keratex (the stuff for horse hoofs) on horn, and think it might be better.
(needs a thorough degreasing first - so soak that in, and then later on apply some oil as well)