Ironwood vs. Maple burl

Mongo

Mongo

Joined
Nov 5, 2001
Messages
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Greetings y'all... I am asking a favor of everybody here. I am taking the bite and ordering a Dozier custom. I have been bugging the heck out of Saint Linda Dozier with my questions via email, and have decided to go with the Straight Personal with wood handles. They have informed me they have maple burl and desert ironwood. My questions for you all: 1. is one better than the other in terms of performance, i.e. either one stronger, or require more/less care? 2. Are there huge variations on what you'll get? I have seen several examples of ironwood on this forum, but they all seem to look different. 3. Is maple burl similar to the "stabilized fiddle-back maple" that is the handle material for the camillus/fisk OVB bowie? (I have one on order!)
I am leaning towards the desert ironwood because I will have the OVB bowie in maple. I absolutely want whichever will be the most contrasty/grainy choice of the two.
If anybody else has a wood handled Dozier, please feel free to give your opinion. Thanking you all in advance for your answers, Mongo
 
Mongo,

I have a number of knives in Ironwood and it is my favorite material. However, mine don't have all that much contrast in the grain. It is a good, attractive, heavy wood.
 
Something like this????:D

fe05ab3d.jpg.orig.jpg
 
My ironwood is a little darker (in the lighter parts) than yours and thus has less contrast with the darker parts. I think that is just variations in the particular pieces of wood. Again I love the ironwood but other woods may have more contrast.
 
Howdy There ....!
My vote is IRONWOOD.....! I have a flintlock muzzlerloader with a fiddleback maple stock and it is one beautiful piece of wood. The ironwood has a quality that I think can't be beat especially the burl ironwood. Good luck.....!

Later "Possum":cool:
 
No question Ironwood can be drop dead beautiful, but it doesn't stay that way, especially if you use it. It will darken and eventually become almost black. Maple Burl is a beautiful wood also, maybe not quite as striking as Ironwood, but stays the way it is when first stained. Maple burl, unless it's stabilized, is fairly soft so it won't hold up as well as Ironwood in hard use.

There are pros and cons to everything...
 
Thank you everybody. Mr. Hossum, I have a question for you.... What makes the ironwood darken with age? Is it oils from your hand? Can the wood be stabilized to prevent this? I am assuming that Mr. Dozier would be stabilizing any wood he puts on a handle, so my main criteria is asthetics. I like lots of grain, especially contrasty. I'm not sure what the difference is between fiddle-back maple and maple burl. Different stuff? Again, thank you all for your answers.
 
Ironwood can go from the very bland/mediocre to the amazing. You won't really know what you are going to get unless you find it yourself and send to Dozier.

Fiddleback and curly maple are the same thing, I think. Pics of the Camillus/Fisk piece are curly maple. Burl maple is very different than curly.

That small Dozier that Chip posted a pic of sure looks like ironwood from the colors, but the grain looks like maple burl, so it is probably maple burl. Usually ironwood and maple burl look quite different.

Ironwood has brown grains, but a chatoyant gold or dark orange/reddish swirl often. Ironwood can also be very dark brown and ordinary. It can be mostly gold also. Varied stuff.

Maple burl tends to be more brownish, from light to dark. Rarely goldish, like Chip's pic.

I know that doesn't help much. Looking at a lot of wood grain does. Words fail, trained eyes are better.

Durability? Ironwood is pretty dense and oil laden, usually doesn't need to be stabilized. I've also heard it can't really BE stabilized, since it is so dense it doesn't take up much of the stabilizing polymer. Stable stuff. My ironwood stuff is all 5 years old or less, so I can't comment on longevity like Hossum can. With reasonable care, it shouldn't warp.

I don't think maple can be said to be as stable as ironwood, unless stabilized. It can definitely warp and curl... I had one knife do that, had to send it back.
 
Light seems to be the culprit with Ironwood, specifically UV I think. Oils from your hands and dirt will of course darken it. It isn't stabilized because it is very dense and oily and resins just don't penetrate it. I understand Rennaisance Wax, and probably other UV blocking waxes will help reduce the darkening. Here's one I did awhile back. It really is pretty stuff.

Maple should be stabilized and enhanced with dyes IMO.
 
I cannot speak for burlwood, but I absolutely love ironwood. I have tow knives with ironwood handles and I think that it is very stunning. With age it darkens, giving it a very rich look. I hope one day, I can get some more blades with ironwood handles.
 
I cannot speak for burlwood, but I absolutely love ironwood. I have tow knives with ironwood handles and I think that it is very stunning. With age it darkens, giving it a very rich look. I hope one day, I can get some more blades with ironwood handles.

By the way, the ironwood on that awesome looks awesome.
 
I have both, Stabilized Maple Burl on my newest Blackwood, amd Ironwood on my Scott Cooks. Both woods are very nice, and haven't used either enuff to worry about longevity of either wood.

I would take either. :)
 
I find desert ironwood to be an especially beautiful wood. It, along with snakewood are probably my two favorites.


Edited so that it would make sense.
 
Wow, what happened? this is my second try... the computer ate up the first. Well, I'd like to thank everybody for their help and opinions. I'd especially like to thank Chip for his answers to my emailed questions. You all should check out his photo collection of his knives. He has some beautiful stuff.
I finally made my choice and ordered this morning. I ordered the straight personal with ironwood. Now I have the torture of waiting 4 MONTHS!:eek: :eek: :eek: I don't know how I'll survive! :D


Regards, Mongo
 
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