Osage Orange Covers - Is it me or is it Memorex

Modoc ED

Modoc ED

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Mar 28, 2010
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I currently have two knives covered with Osage Orange. They are both non-locking GEC 735115 non-locking knives. Both arrived with cracked, pile side, covers and are pictured below with the cracks circled in blue.

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I'm not upset with them nor concerned about the cracks. As a matter of fact the second knife's cover has separated at the crack and I've joined it together again with superglue. The cracks are certainly no reason to return them to the dealer or GEC. To me that's just part of buying/selling knives and minor flaws have to be dealt with and repaired as necessary.

Anyway, my question is - Has anyone else had problems with Osage Orange covers pitting, splitting, cracking, etc.? They seem to be a bit more delicate/brittle than say - Ebony, Cocobolo, Mexican Bocate, at least to me. There was some discussion in another thread a short time ago that GEC had cracking and splintering problems with Osage Orange covers when installing thong hole tubes. Bob (rma100) knows something about this I think.

I have carried the second knife pictured almost daily and used it for mundane chores that I run across. I have not used it hard nor dropped it, run over it with my tractor, or any other weird stuff - yet the cover separated at the crack.

Hmmmmm, two knives covered with Osage Orange, cracked covers on both knives straight from the factory. What do you guys/gals have to say about Osage Orange.
 
Is the Osage Orange just not good out of the box which is why you hit it with Iso?
 
No Jake. I only cleaned the second knife with alcohol one time to clean it of grease and polishing compound to see how it aged over time. The alcohol had nothing to do with the crack in that knife - separation, etc.. Both knives came in their wrappers and tubes fresh from the dealer and GEC with cracks in the covers. It was only a matter of time that the corner piece of the pile side cover separate from the rest of the cover. What I'm asking and wish to talk about in this thread is has anyone else experienced cracking, splitting, etc. with Osage Orange covers.
 
I haven't had any experience with cracking Osage covers on the 81 or 82 stock knives. But I never used the 82 and I ended up selling it so I can't really comment on the durability on that one. I still have and use the 81 and the covers look about the same as when I got it. I would agree that Osage Orange isn't really comparable to Ebony.
 
I think the knife maker needs to be more careful buying his Osage. Osage is used to make longbows, and George Washington is said to have had teeth made of Osage. It's a heavy, hard durable wood. I've dug Osage fence posts that have been in the ground for 70 years and worked into the wood, and made awesome longbows, some with rusty nail holes in them. I've done wood working with Ebony and Osage, and have had Ebony crack a year after finishing. Keep wood well sealed and avoid extreme changes in heat and humidity.
 
okbohn said:
I am guessing just an anomaly. Osage Orange is an extremely durable material.
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That could be the case Derrick. Time will tell. I certainly have no complaint about the cracked covers. Just feeling out others for their experience with Osage Orange covers.

supratentorial said:
I haven't had any experience with cracking Osage covers on the 81 or 82 stock knives. But I never used the 82 and I ended up selling it so I can't really comment on the durability on that one. I still have and use the 81 and the covers look about the same as when I got it. I would agree that Osage Orange isn't really comparable to Ebony.
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I think your #81 has front and rear bolsters Jake. These knives I've posted pictrues of are barehead knives. It's been my experience over time that a barehead knife's covers are more prone to cracking/breaking that double bolster knives are.
 
Both cracks on yours are at the bare head. To be frank, I have the impression that you use your knives a lot more than most folks on the forum. It's one of the reasons that I always enjoy reading your posts. So I'm not sure how much you will learn about the durability from the experiences of other folks.
 
One question that came up when these #73 Osage Orange Knives first hit the street was; How will they age? Below are pictures of the same knife. Picture one - bare as a newborn's behind and picture two - carried and used almost daily for about 6/7 months.

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As seen in the second picture, the knife has darkened with use but not to an extreme amount. It has worn well but the corner of the pile side cover did separate from the rest of the cover but in accordance with my motto "Glue it and use it" that's just what I've done.
 
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Interesting to see how this wood ages, and really like the way it's hue is changing.

Sorry, no experience to share on your cracking / durability question. Just here (and your other Osage thread) to learn as I'm considering buying a knife with the Osage Orange handles.

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I ordered a 73 from this run. the first one I got had a much larger crack than yours at the pile side extending to the barehead. A splinter of the wood had also fallen off. I returned that one and got a replacement. I have had no problems with the the replacement. I do not carry it as much because it has a very strong pull compared to my other 73 patterns. The covers are very thin at the the butt end on these knives. I wonder if they would have been better off not contouring covers down the butt end so radically. The best thing you can do is keep it oiled.
I have made a few bows from osage. It is a very strong wood with a very high tensile strength. It also resists moisture very well. That is way it makes good bows. However it does like to chip out when running it through a plane or if you try to carve it with a knife.
 
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Thanks for your input "archertl". Very good input as to the strength of Osage and you made a good point when you said; "However it does like to chip out when running it through a plane or if you try to carve it with a knife."
 
I also wonder if the osage would do better if it had a cap bolster on on the butt. Since both your knives amd my one had a crack in the same spot. I think this is the first year that gec has used osage as a cover material. I really like the idea of using osage because it is one of the few US native woods that make good knive covers and handles. It is also very eye catching. Unlike cocobolo and some of the other exotic species, osage is plentiful and is considered kind of a nuisance in the Midwest. However the grain structure of osage is much less dense than other woods used as knife covers or handles.
 
Having used a lot of Osage in boats, i can say that it is somewhat brittle (although very strong), and very prone to shallow checks when exposed to changes in humidity (usually shortly after being milled down to size). It also does not glue well at all, so i would be worried about a lasting repair. I only use it in applications where it can be very thick and the shallow checks won't affect it's strength.
 
Osage is my favorite wood for knife scales. It has an awesome look when it ages, too. I have two GEC's in Osage and neither have had any splitting or chipping issues. I also have a BK9 with custom made Osage scales and have never had any issues with them either. Hoping your unfortunate experience with Osage is just an anomaly. Hope this is of some help.


 
Likely not fully dried when made into scales. Its very hard but takes a while to cure out. 300
 
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