Rhinoceros horn!?!

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
Messages
6,138
Here's a handle material you don't see very often. Matter of fact, in my 25 years of following custom knives, it's the first time that I recall ever seeing rhinoceros horn used by a known knifemaker.

RonLakeF2451.jpg


Ron Lake

2 7/8" ATS-34 blade, 6 5/8" overall, SS bolster, Rhinoceros horn scales, 14K gold pins and spacer. Leather sheath by Ron. Super knife!!

$4000.00
 
This sort of thing by knifemakers sends the wrong message, despite legal status which may apply.

I have No respect for anyone who would profit from marketing rhino horn.
 
no rhino horn for me. matter of fact, no elephant ivory either.
 
It would be interesting to know how Lake acquired the material or how the knife came to be. Needless to say, I hope the horn was customer supplied by a hunter who paid thousands of dollars for a license to shoot the rhino, which like it or not, is still legal in some African countries.
 
We need to know how the horn was harvested or came to be before we cast judgements. Who knows, it could be from some long dead trophy someone had sitting around.

As far as Rhino horn as a handle material, it's still used a tiny,tiny bit by Asian knifemakers, and quite a bit by Arab makers for Jambiya handles, etc.....
 
spyken said:
no rhino horn for me. matter of fact, no elephant ivory either.
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Just curious :confused: Are the rest of you who are so against using Rhino horn also against using elephant ivory?

And TAH, also curious why you listed $4000 in your post. Are you trying to sell it here?
 
He is not the only known maker who used rhino horn. D'Holder used it in the past, on rare occasions, long ago. I sure wouldn't fault him for it's use long ago, but rather feel that his lack of use today sends the right signal.
 
Yes, D'Holder has used it in the past, primarily as spacers. In fact, I have several D'Holders with Rhino spacers.

Del
 
Ben B said:
Elephant ivory belongs on elephants.
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True, but it's on alot of Warenskis, too. I'm not about to give up collecting Warenskis because ebony and ivory happened to be his favorite handle materials.

Don't think I will give up buffalo burgers, either. Or water buffalo scales. Or leather shoes.
 
betzner said:
True, but it's on alot of Warenskis, too. I'm not about to give up collecting Warenskis because ebony and ivory happened to be his favorite handle materials.

Don't think I will give up buffalo burgers, either. Or water buffalo scales. Or leather shoes.
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I should have added a big IMHO to my post. I'm not judging other people's choices. But if a new collector is starting out, they might want to thing about the ethics and sustainability of their knife materials. There isn't a lot of Desert Ironwood out there either for that matter (and I certainly have some of that).
 
Ben B said:
I should have added a big IMHO to my post. I'm not judging other people's choices. But if a new collector is starting out, they might want to thing about the ethics and sustainability of their knife materials. There isn't a lot of Desert Ironwood out there either for that matter (and I certainly have some of that).
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I think we are on the same page. I personally think there's enough elephant ivory on the market in the form of much more than knife scales, and no more should be harvested.
 
Ben B said:
Elephant ivory belongs on elephants.
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I'm not crazy about using it myself. Have owned/do own one piece with antique elephant ivory.

My curiosity was more as to elephant ivory seems to be fairly well accepted as a handle material however Rhino horn seems not to be.
 
Maybe because you don't see people grinding up elephant "horn" for it's affect as an aphrodisiac, as happens with rhino horn??
 
What's wrong with a government confiscating and reselling confiscated poached horns and ivory to help them continue the fight against poachers?
I thought that's how these materials were often acquired.
Besides, we're talking about RON LAKE here, a very well known and respected knifemaker who wouldn't throw his career by using materials that weren't completely legal.
 
I can only speak from myself, but elephant ivory doesn't bother me because there is so much around in the form of old stock, recycled antique sources, etc... that if one is careful in their choosing, nothing will be affected.

Rhino horn was never a big material in any product, past or present, so you'd have to be much careful in selection. I'd hate to see any current animals die for their horns.
 
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