Ironwood -- tough as it sounds?

KarlMaldensNose

KarlMaldensNose

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Feb 3, 2009
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I was just fortunate enough to score a Monster Nessie off the exchange. This in conjunction with a fabulous Bow Legged Chopper I also just obtained has me spinning and grinning. :D... see? Thing is, the Monster has desert ironwood handles, and I was hoping for micarta. I plan on using it, and using it hard -- chopping, batoning, etc. I'm wondering how wood handles, desert ironwood specifically, hold up to this kind of thrashing. I'm mostly concerned about the effects of the shock to the wood from this kind of pounding. Will it affect adhesion? Will the integrity of the wood's structure itself be safe from splitting, cracking, etc. How about just general wear and tear of camp life... how tough is the wood and finish against being dropped on rock or being out in the elements all day for days at a time? Conjecture is as welcome as experienced accounts. Thanks.
 
Having every-day-carried wood-handled knives vor about 3 years now I can tell you that they do indeed hold up very well to constant use. There are 2 things to keep in mind, though. Exposure to the air/sun over time darkens the wood. And if you drop yours on a hard surface, be prepared for a chip or ding. Other than that, the handle is held on with corby screws. It's not coming apart. Ironwood may develop small cracks over time if it encounters humidity extremes (ie. 90% to 10% and back again)...but it rarely splits.

Sometimes you'll see wood handles with splits in them and they usually happen for one or more of these reasons:

non-stable wood, never oiled/maintained
wood is not fully dried, as it dries it shrinks
no finish on the knife to protect from moisture getting in
knifemaker glued it up unevenly causing tension in the handle


Ironwood is naturally oily and stable
I buy it directly from the source and it is guaranteed to be dry
I finish all handles with Briwax and encourage owners to coat with mineral oil
Handle slabs are individually checked for flatness to each other and to the tang



The reason I use Ironwood is because I can trust it nearly as much as I can trust micarta. Cocobolo is a budget-sensitive alternative to Ironwood, but really there is nothing out there that matches the performance of these two.

Dan
 
You must take and post pics of whatever you do with your Monster! Love those things!
 
FWIW, African Blackwood is a favorite of mine. It might not be Arizona Ironwood, but it's always been good to me. A plus is it is not oily and therefore glues-up well and takes a nice polish.
 
Yeah, I can't believe my luck regarding how long it hung around on the exchange. That's how I know we were meant to be together.

Pics... I will find a way. I blew up my cam with li-ion cells recently and used the money to replace it on a pile of new knives instead. Funny how that works, huh?... priorities and all that.

But on topic, I've never had anything other than G10 and micarta scales, as I'm a recent fixed blade convert moving farther and farther away from folders. While I'm still fond of micarta (okay, and of some folders), plastic-y G10 is starting to lose its appeal, so I'm looking forward to trying out some interesting woods. Wood has so much more warmth and character. It did used to be alive, afterall.
 
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Agreed.

G10 is cold to the touch whereas micarta and any wood is warm to the touch, even if the steel is cold.


I won't say that I don't have any maintenance with my G10 knives....I do still touch them up now and then. But I definitely have spent more time refinishing my wood handled ones. I like to refresh the finish now and then...really brings life back into it...restores the character.

Dang...now I'm going to have to find a way to keep an Ironwood EDC from the next production run...LOL

Dan
 
Oh, man, once you go to quality custom fixed blades with wood handles, the old stainless and G10 stuff just doesn't do it anymore. It needs to be leather and wood, be able to darken, age, take on a patina, have forged flats, and slight imperfections that scream CUSTOM and CHARACTER! Love it. :)
 
Daniel Koster said:
...I definitely have spent more time refinishing my wood handled ones. I like to refresh the finish now and then...really brings life back into it...restores the character.

Dan
Click to expand...

I picked up a Gransfors Bruks SFA and Wetterlings Wildlife Hatchet this summer, and while their hickory wood hafts were decent--clean, smooth, okay to the touch--I revelled in refinishing them. It being my first attempt at such things, I must've put in a combined total of five or six hours for the lot (double that if you count research)... sanding, creating my own mixes for finishes, application, buffing, drying, repeat, repeat, repeat... and I loved every minute of it. It was totally worth it, they turned out beautiful. During that project I came to see woodworking as spending time with an old friend. Guess I'm getting old and sappy.:o
 
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