I was recommended to go here by the HI crew.

Gorog

Gorog

Joined
Mar 4, 2011
Messages
515
Beware, I am notoriously unusual and ramble on and on. But, nonetheless, my curiosity has finally bested my fear of being rejected or insulted, so here I am, and here is my question(s): I just bought a piece of lignum vitae wood 1.5x1.5x12", from Woodcrafters of Wilmington, a reputable place, right? Someone in the Cantina said, 'beware of fakes' so my first question is, how do you know when you see a fake lignum vitae specimen? Do you skin a piece off and check the underlying grain, or see if it floats or sinks in water, as lignum vitae tends to sink, does it not, or check its specific gravity and weight and such like? I don't know, that's why I am here, asking gifted experts in the art of making knife scales and handles. Also, I want to use hand tools to craft a kind of spirit knife out of the wood, and would only resort to some sort of lathe if I absolutely had to, so, does anyone have any recommendations for me on the tools I should use, or acquire? Any advice on the subject would be appreciated. Thank you for your time, and in advance for any advice I may get. Nice to meet you all, by the by, I really am a fan of most everyone's work on the forum. And...peace everyone.
 
GuaiacumSanctum is the form of Lignum vitae that has been "approved or certified" for commercial use as bearing material or for stuffing boxes in the marine industry & for other industrial hard wearing use such as for pulley or sheave blocks used in block & tackles & for bowling balls. The 2nd heaviest
wood, so heavy that it sinks in the water. You cannot drive a nail through it. The "fakes" are probably Bulnesia Sarmientoi, (Argentine Lignum Vitae) or its relative Bulnesia Arborea (Verawood). These two species are really not "fakes" but just relatives of the GuaiacumSanctum that have not been proven to have the wear characteristics that have been required for industry. I think they would certainly be appropriate as beautiful knife scales & I myself would not get all bogged down in proving the specific genus. As for the how to part of your question I'll leave that to others to discuss. Have fun with it is all...
 
Shop Talk would be a better forum for this than Custom & Handmade, so I am going to move it there.
 
You will need SHARP tools to work it and if you do use a lathe, turn it slow and again keep the knives sharp. If you have patience you should be ok.
 
Then its a relative, because it says clear as day on the tag, Lignum Vitae, Argen. That is most disappointing, and that means that the person there who sold it to me lied to me, because he said that type of Lignum Vitae was guaranteed to be the genuine, bona fide, used-in-ships-and-bearings ironwood. That, or he made an honest mistake due to a number of variables, including his advanced age, perhaps? Not to rank on old people or anything, I have the utmost respect for my elders. But yeah, anyway, I've got some needle files, a flexcut detail knife, a CRKT Guppie multitool with a wicked sharp edge, and more. Oh, I have a question, again. I am fascinated by things that are the best in their league, like, say, the biggest, heaviest pumpkin on Earth, or the strongest person on the planet, or the fastest person on the planet, and other such record breaking things similar to that. So if 'real' Lignum Vitae is second, what is the heaviest, strongest, densest wood out there, and can I get it relatively cheap? I would love to own something that is definably the top in class in some way, even if it is just a billet or blank of wood. I hope that does not make me seem selfish, because I try not to be selfish.... Oh, I looked up the hardest wood, and apparently, you can't have everything in a wood, (or in life, for that matter...) because while it (name=Schinopsis brasiliensis/glabra) is capable of withstanding 21+ Kn of force, or 4800 lbf, its specific gravity is substantially less than say, ironwood's. Thank you all for looking and contributing to lighting the darkness of my wood ignorance. Peace.
 
Last edited:
LOL a google search give a lot of different answers to worlds heaviest wood including Lignum Vitae

Guinness has this to say

Olea laurifolia (Black Ironwood) is a species from the olive family Oleaceae native to KwaZulu-Natal Province (South Africa). The Guinness Book of World Records lists this tree as the world's heaviest wood, with a specific gravity of 1.49. The timber has a high abrasion resistance and is very strong, being an excellent turnery wood employed for a wide range of decorative items.
 
The turning blocks sold at Woodcraft are Argentinian Lignum Vitae. I have a bunch of it ,and it makes great handles. It is lighter and a different color from the marine grade and mallet use type. It is used extensively by the pen turner community, which is why Woodcraft has boxes of it. The swirly grain and unique greenish-gray color plus the toughness make it good for other things, like tool and file handles. It works fairly easily, and has none of the problems of the harder and denser type. Sand to a fine grit , seal the grain ( I use CA), repeat the sand-seal until it is smooth and ready to buff, then buff gently with matchless white rouge.
 
Thanks bladsmth for the info, I'll keep my Argentine Lignum Vitae if it turns out, in my inexperienced hands, even half as good as it sounds like it does in yours. But I think I might, and this is a big might, get a 3x3x12" turning blank of Quebracho wood, just because I think it would be awesome to have the strongest darn wood around, plus 'axebreaker' in Spanish sounds very cool to me. Any suggestions about who I should buy this special wood from? Or is it, in truth, not all it is cracked up to be? If it is, please let me know, because I would get it either for collectibility or for the challenge of working it (which sounds a lot like the frustration of working it, more like). If this question of mine is unknown to you all, also, please let me know, or at least point me in a good direction. Thank you for your time spent reading this, thank you to those who contributed, and goodbye for now. Peace.
 
Spend some time looking through "antique" or flea market type venues that offer old marine hardware. You might find some old LV sheaves that are not much use except that the cheeks could be recycled for knife scales. That would be very cool - hmm, I've just inspired myself :)
 
I don't know about the lignum vitae from there, but a lot of turning woods available from woodcraft are "green" and require seasoning before using on knives. Wood that is still curing can shift and give you gaps, bumps or cracks. Just an FYI.
 
I have a rather hefty piece of what I believe (and have had confirmed) to be "real" Lignum vitae. I posted a thread showing pictures of it. So far I have only made one handle out of it. It is hard to cut, but not that hard to sand. Smells funny, though. A VERY oily wood. I really like the handle that came from it, but it doesn't want to be "finished" like normal wood. That oil repels pretty much anything I apply to it in spots. Rather like trying to polish waxy surfaces.

- Greg
 
Nice idea RayseM, I actually looked through some antiques online, and, let me tell you, I saw some beastly projects in my minds eye for those seasoned cedars and nice oaks. I am thinking of making a type of kubaton/dan bong stick out of my argentine lignum vitae, because, unfortunately, I am apparently not trustworthy enough with knives to get one of my own, seeing as I still live with my parents, nor could I buy a sharpened blank and make knife scales out of it. So, anyway, I was just thinking of doing that with it. But thanks for the FYI anyway, it is well appreciated. And good for you Greg, every man needs a good hunk of strong, hard wood in their lives, along with a woman, money, and some equally good steel. Its just the bare necessities, sometimes, you know? Anyway, yeah, I found a site called Feimlumber or something like that, that sells Quebracho wood, but they don't go into details about it, which I find very fishy. I am not going to jump on it unless I get some cold hard facts that yes the latin matches up perfectly, and so does the English, you know what I mean? Yeah, so, that's all I got for now. I appreciate the responses I have gotten, and have learned much since I started out. Thanks, and peace.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top