Here's a pic of a one season shed elk antler(small one), and a 301 elk scale. This represents why you can't be sure Trax's bottom knife is not 1st cut "staglk" , at least when elk is involved.
I like that knife.
Simple yet elegant.
The antler under it reminds me of something I had forgotten - that all antler is not round. When I think of any kind of antler (or tusk, or hoove) I immediately think round...but as you can see, there is ample flat area on that antler...Perfect for knife scales...
There is also a tendency among all of us to hit the sharp, high ridges on a stag scale with our sanders/grinders, to force a flat on a curved surface...
All of which makes it difficult to tell a 2nd cut from the outer bark...
The burning or staining is only part of the process of modifying a 2nd cut to look like the outer bark...There is also the jigging, usually done by hand with a grinder or drill, using a round "ball" burr and making a deliberate eccentric lengthwise wobble to the grooves...
It's all fascinating stuff, and the end result (hopefully!) is an attractive scale...Whether from the 1st cut or the 2nd...
It's interesting that Parker (a Japanese knife company) marks their boxes with "Second Cut Stag Handles"...
Does it really matter whether it is 1st or 2nd cut??? Truth in advertising aside...
