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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Real Antique Westinghouse Ivory Paper Micarta scales.
- Thread starter javand
- Start date
It's just vintage material that was made differently than what's available today. It's got a different look, feel, and consistency compared to the modern stuff, and it changes color over time to a light butterscotch, which varies by depth. Giving it characteristics that can't be duplicated. Plus, it's rare, and exclusive.
So people want the micarta that changes from very light butterscotch to darker shades over time?
Does it perform differently or anything? Or is it really more about the rarity of it? Please excuse my ignorance. It's hard to find a reason via google searches why it's so much more expensive than modern micarta.
Does it perform differently or anything? Or is it really more about the rarity of it? Please excuse my ignorance. It's hard to find a reason via google searches why it's so much more expensive than modern micarta.
It doesn't perform any differently, although many people consider the old stuff to be more uniform in character. As with all things, natural or unnatural, it's about aesthetics, and rarity. From a "performance" standpoint, it's just paper micarta.
As far as the color change, it goes from an ivory color (look at the end shot of the insides of the scales) and eventually turns a light butterscotch color. If you're careful with shaping, you can maintain some of that color when you shape the handles, at which point you'll end up with a bit of a "sunset" effect, that'll deepen over time.
FWIW, much real ivory has the same effect, yellowing over time. Some older collectors that have been around since the days that this material was plentiful, still consider anything micarta to be junk, and don't find the color change endearing. From my perspective as a maker, I enjoy the complexities of it, the idea that I can consider those changes as the ultimate vision of my work's aesthetic. Does it make a better knife? No, very little if any embellishment does.
It's up to each of us to decide whether changes in the character of a piece over time adds, or detracts from value. For me, the answer is simple.
As far as the color change, it goes from an ivory color (look at the end shot of the insides of the scales) and eventually turns a light butterscotch color. If you're careful with shaping, you can maintain some of that color when you shape the handles, at which point you'll end up with a bit of a "sunset" effect, that'll deepen over time.
FWIW, much real ivory has the same effect, yellowing over time. Some older collectors that have been around since the days that this material was plentiful, still consider anything micarta to be junk, and don't find the color change endearing. From my perspective as a maker, I enjoy the complexities of it, the idea that I can consider those changes as the ultimate vision of my work's aesthetic. Does it make a better knife? No, very little if any embellishment does.
It's up to each of us to decide whether changes in the character of a piece over time adds, or detracts from value. For me, the answer is simple.
No I didn't post any of this material there afaik. I did post about some "supposed" westinghouse ivory micarta I got from an ebay seller that was bunk, and was just new generic "ivory" micarta.
I acquired this from a completely different source, and it's legit. Feel free to participate in that thread, lots of good stuff going on there.
Edit: Actually, I see there where I mentioned I got some of this material previously, that I thought was from Alpha, but was in fact from Culpepper. Yes that material was also legitimate, although that source has long since dried up.
I acquired this from a completely different source, and it's legit. Feel free to participate in that thread, lots of good stuff going on there.
Edit: Actually, I see there where I mentioned I got some of this material previously, that I thought was from Alpha, but was in fact from Culpepper. Yes that material was also legitimate, although that source has long since dried up.