pocket wear on wood inlays??

somber said:
It doesn't anger me in the least. Personally, I think this is synonymous with asking what the inside of your dishwasher will look like after five years or how your couch will hold up. It's a knife...
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And to some it's a very important possession. Whether be it the price or the sentiment or for whatever reason they want it to be nice...
 
Wood has been used for pocket knife scales for generations. The wood holds up well, and looks good. Just look around in the slipjoint forum at the old knives and see for yourself how knives 80-120 years old look. And those knives were used a lot, far more than most of us use them.

They used cocobolo and ebony the most on the old knives, but today there is a wide variety of very durable woods available. There are exceptions - snakewood looks really nice, but it tends to crack - but by and large most of the woods hold up quite well.
 
Im just curious how crk wood will last, since it is inlaid and not a thick piece of wood.
 
somber said:
It doesn't anger me in the least. Personally, I think this is synonymous with asking what the inside of your dishwasher will look like after five years or how your couch will hold up. It's a knife...
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I tend to agree. It's a tool and a tool not used is a waste. Scratches and/or pocket wear only add character to a knife.
 
When you're at the point you've used a CRK with wood that it's starting to show wear. It'll most likely be a knife you never want to let go.....;)
 
My Mnandi (madagascer rosewood) get's used every day.
I cut food with it (i.e. apples) and rinse it after use, then dry it with a paper-towel and put in my pocket.
After six months of use it looks like new (except for the edge, which i touched up on a spydie 204).
The wood is still attracive, feels pleasant and warm in the hand.
Perfect user.
hope this helps.
red mag
 
Fooj said:
Your question is a very good one. There are several reasons customers like inlays, including:
  1. Higher friction grip (leather and micarta, primarily)
  2. Greater handle volume (all except for leather)
  3. Aesthetics

Perhaps #3 is not of high value for Somber. ;) For me, #2 is an advantage for for small Sebs, and a disadvantage for large Sebs -- I like the grip of a standard large Seb and value its slimmer carry in the pocket. Here are my observations/assumptions on the various inlays:


  • Moisture resistance: Tolerance to moisture is one of the biggest factors I consider when choosing an inlay for EDC. My first EDC Mnandi was a gorgeous camelthorn. Between carrying it IWB during workouts and accidentally running it through the wash :o, I ruined #3 (and at the same time, inadvertently improved #1 :)) For wood, lignum vitae and cocobolo do really well in moist environments. I've also had great luck with carrying giraffe bone. Micarta is, of course, superb from a moisture resistance perspective.
  • Abrasion resistance: The harder woods are superior for not denting/scratching. I'm assuming that LV is a high performer in this category -- of course, micarta isn't hard, but tough, and is nearly indestructible. My EDC cocobolo has very small dents, but even so, still looks great after several years of EDC. Mammoth ivory is pretty soft, can crack, and I've seen a few that were carried clipped to pocket, and don't look all that great after carry. I carry my MIB Mnandi in the standard slip cases to preserve #3.
  • Fracture or separation of inlay from scale: It could have happened on some knife out there, but I've never seen it, never heard of it. The mounting scheme of sitting in a milled pocket, providing a very small perimeter gap between the inlay and the pocket wall, and attaching with VHB tape is the best mounting scheme on the planet for this sort of stuff. The milled pocket gives the inlay side-to-side stability so the VHB tape's only function is to resist what little vertical tension exists. Between the perimeter gap and the compliant VHB tape, mismatches between the expansion coefficients of the titanium and the inlay material is a non-issue.

I carry my cocobolo small Seb clipped to a pocket. After years of EDC, it has a few very small dents, but still has reasonable gloss. The wood has darkened to a very rich dark-redish brown. It still looks great, IMHO. In the photo, what looks like scratches are the natural figurings in the wood that are reflecting the lights. The few marks that are not parallel to the figuring are the dents of which I spoke.

Sm_Classic_Cocobolo_Seb_Tactical_Backspacer.jpg


I hope that helps.
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Where did you get that back spacer? Loving it.
 
I don't have anything to add about CRK specifically other than I really want an ebony small Sebenza. :)

I just wanted to say that you should get some Formby's Lemon Oil and oil the wood every once in a while, on any wood handled knife. It keeps the wood from drying out and cracking. It will give it a nice rich luster, and it smells good too! :)
 
Based on wood density, hardness and uniformity of natural coloration, probably ebony for me. NB: don't yet own a wood inlaid CRK.
 
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