Rough feeling scales on 101

M

Midnight Rider

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I fished this little beauty out of the bay, and it just arrived. Overall I'm pleased with it (of course it is essentially a 110, which is my favorite Buck knife). And I've been wanting some ebony scales that had stripes, this fits the bill. However, when I rub my finger across the wood, i can feel rough ridges where every single stripe is, on both sides. I assume this isn't normal, although all of my other ebony knives are solid dark wood and feel smooth as glass. The sides of this 101 appear flat, to the eye. Would sanding help? Did this knife possibly get wet, and the wood grain swelled? I can live with it (after I polish the brass - I like mine shiny) but if there's a way I can make it smoother, I'm all ears. Thanks for reading!
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GPyro said:
Did it come from a humid environment?
Maybe it was exposed to some humidity during shipping...?

I'd leave it be for awhile and see what it does.
Wood can do strange things when moved.
Click to expand...
It shipped from Great Falls, MT. Not a very humid place, but who knows where it was before that. Could have changed hands many times. It is strange, I've never seen wood change this way before. And i've lived in the southeast, and in southeast Texas my whole life (very humid here).
 
After carrying/handling this 101 for a couple days, I've got mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the rough texture isn't totally a bad thing. It certainly makes it grippier. On the other hand, I've never had any trouble gripping any of my Buck knives that have smooth scales. And it just doesn't feel like it's supposed to. Feels like touching an old wood bench or deck board that's been in the sun too long. I'm going to give it some time, see if it changes any on its own. Might study up on re-scaling at some point, and give er a go. Thanks for the replies, gents. I'm still open to suggestions.
 
After reading this again I remember having another 112 with a odd texture like yours. During my investigation (15-20 years ago?) The consensus was It was caused by a clogged or worn out sanding belt. It passed visual inspection but had a odd feel and look. That's why I bought it because that is what I collect. It was absolutely NIB but was 'different'. One little Buck factoid about early Ebony knives is for a brief time Buck had a employee who's job was to try and match grain and color of Ebony scales as part of quality control. I like deep black oily looking Ebony the best but some perfer streaked.
 
Update:
So I decided to contact Matt at Buck, and he said send it on in. This being my first 101, i wanted to see what it felt like as new. If I had another one I probably would have left this one as is. It's going to be a user anyway. But I really wanted to start with a clean slate so that the wear marks will be mine.

Anyway, Buck really hit it out of the park! The scales feel great, brass looks new, and they put a nice edge on it for me.
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