And thanks for the great comments. The textured thing is definitely not new. I got the idea from doing jigged bone handles on traditional pattern knives. This is just a modification. Also Rob Simonich has got a really good one on his "Gunner Grip" on his Raven combat knife. I've also seena version from TOPS knives. The problem witn smooth materials is that the nicer you get it to look the more slippery and polished it gets (also sometimes with prolonged use.
Talking about a sure grip - thats why I like promoting the Japanese-styled wrapped handle.
I use an oil quench, in regular kitchen grade vegetable oil. It pretty fast, and I can get curves and the like in the blades, but not too fast that I get problems with cracking etc. I've tried water and couldn't get it consistent enough a quench technique. Also, my clay-backed technique is, lets say, "different" from the traditional methods so it WILL work in an oil quench, as opposed to the traditional version which NEEDS a water quench to work well.
Cheers.
