Natural and Synthetic handle scales

Hurrul

Hurrul

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2017
Messages
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Fortunate to own and use numerous knives in my time; after discovering Fiddleback a couple of years ago, I now own a few....and have lost interest in most other makers or brands.

In part, my focus on FF has grown due to their great functional aspects in the field. Also, this online community is very open and generous and I value such connections, even if for me they remain conversations in email or forum posts.

FF knives as of late, have challenged an old prejudice of mine - I inherently distrust wood handle material as I believe such material to be unstable. Granted, with proper care swelling, shrinking, cracking and/or changes can be mitigated. While I have yet to experience my doubt with wood scaled knives already in my possession, my reluctance in owning such blades has persisted.

Though the doubt continues... I have over this summer taken some small steps and obtained a Patch with dyed green maple burl from the Flea market, and a just this week from the FF faceback group I snatched up a beautiful KE Bushie, also in dyed green maple burl.

As many of you know, a dyed burl handle adds an uniqueness to an already unique piece - same with the other woods the FF puts on blades. I sense my change will continue to be expressed in admiration of beautiful handle combinations and perhaps, the purchase of a blade dressed in natural scales of some sort.

In my research, I stumbled across this website: http://www.wood-database.com/ and it makes for very interesting and informative reading, as well as being quick reference to various natural wood materials.

Thank you Fiddleback, for holding my hand through this 1st world conundrum of mine. I still prefer synthetic material for overall longevity and ease of care, as well as durability during use, but I am learning some new tricks it wood seem.

Thanks for reading.
 
Wood handles if cared for will last a lifetime or more.

I have several wood handled Fiddlebacks, the oldest is about 4 years old. While it has not seen very hard use it has been used and cared for and after a bit of T&C looks as good as the day it was made.

A lot depends on the type of wood as well. Hard oily woods are more stable and will last longer with minimal maintenance. Stabilised woods are also not that prone to the effects of water and environment.

My suggestion would be to buy and enjoy the various gorgeous variations of wood handles offered by the Forge.

I love wood handled Fiddlebacks and hope to pass on some of my favourites to my son.
 
Interesting.

My main attraction to FBF knives is the wood handles. Don't own one that isn't wood. I might try a Shadetree at some point but my limited experience with it hasn't been outstanding. I've been convinced that Andy's finishing method is great so I will try one at some point.

But without a doubt wood is my preference. Stable and hard as possible. Osage, Ironwood, Rosewood etc.
 
Fiddleback said:
IMO, you should give Ironwood a try. If you want stable, thats the ticket.
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Scotcha mentioned stabilized wood - do you use much of this type of processed wood?

Ironwood does seem sturdy from what I have read here on BF and elsewhere on the net.

Thanks all for your thoughts.
 
I really like the ironwood handled knives from Fiddleback that I own. They look great and so far have performed well.

I will say though my most used Fiddleback knife with wood handles is my 3/32" hiking buddy with blackwood. It has been on every camping trip I have been on since buying it. Lots and lots of rain (I live in the Pacific Northwest) and no issues.

I do try to keep the handles of my wood knives coated with Ren wax as well. I think it helps protect them and adds a little extra shine:thumbsup:
 
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Renaissance wax - thanks for the suggestion. It has a long history.

Anyone have experience with just strait mineral oil as a handle conditioner?...it's touted for butcher blocks and wooden cookware and seems safe enough for any handle liner material (and skin) as it does not have petroleum distillates.
 
Hurrul said:
Renaissance wax - thanks for the suggestion. It has a long history.

Anyone have experience with just strait mineral oil as a handle conditioner?...it's touted for butcher blocks and wooden cookware and seems safe enough for any handle liner material (and skin) as it does not have petroleum distillates.
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I use mineral oil on the blade steel all the time with good effect. The knives I use in the kitchen that have wooden handles will often get mineral oil wiped onto the handles when I am applying it onto the blade. It seems to work well.
 
Hurrul said:
Renaissance wax - thanks for the suggestion. It has a long history.

Anyone have experience with just strait mineral oil as a handle conditioner?...it's touted for butcher blocks and wooden cookware and seems safe enough for any handle liner material (and skin) as it does not have petroleum distillates.
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Give Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP a try. I like to use it in conjunction with mineral oil as a final coat. Smells great, works on all your handles materials and steel, plus leather. Maybe Ren wax for long term storage
 
Hurrul said:
Renaissance wax - thanks for the suggestion. It has a long history.

Anyone have experience with just strait mineral oil as a handle conditioner?...it's touted for butcher blocks and wooden cookware and seems safe enough for any handle liner material (and skin) as it does not have petroleum distillates.
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I use a board blend. On some knives in specific applications, believe it or not Chapstick. Chapstick is food safe and can be applied very thinly to blades and handles.

On FBFs recently I've tried the Howard's stuff based on Phillips recommendation but before that I have used half a dozen products from bees wax and mineral oil blends when you want to moisturize without darkening, to Obenaufs when you do want to darken. All have worked well when used correctly. I have Ren wax and can't stand it.
 
Obenaufs - a great product that I have used to treat all things leather for a number of years, but did not think of if for conditioning wood.

Clearly, plenty of products to experiment with.

Thanks all for adding to this thread - I appreciate the information.
 
Through observation and various application, I've discovered that there does seem to be a fair amount of shared ground regarding what's good for both leather and wood.

The primary caution throughout is to not overtreat leather-- heavier products (or too much of the lighter ones) can oversaturate the leather, filling its pores, softening where some stiffness is still best, etc.

Add Howard's Feed n' Wax to the "great for wood!" list, for sure. It puts a nice sheen [back] on micarta as well. ;)

~ P.
 
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