Stag - Natural, Burnt or Dyed?

Markesharp

Markesharp

Joined
Mar 8, 2014
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With the last run of 73's and the latest run of 83's I began thinking about the differences between the two. Since my 73 purchase, stag has really began to appeal to me more so than ever. I just ordered an 83 in natural stag and have dyed some stag myself but currently have nothing in Burnt Stag. Many custom knife makers dye their stag and it looks great. Am I missing out on the burnt stag? What are your thoughts and pictures are a plus.

73 Natural Stag

IMG_1540_zpsyhk8p71m.jpg


Top two that I dyed

IMG_1632_zpsmc5l5n0q.jpg
 
I've got a piggyback question about stag. So, if burnt stag is the 2nd cutting of antler which is then torched to look more like natural stag; does burnt stag lighten in color more quickly as the char marks are rubbed away?
 
I'm a big fan of the natural stag. It's probably my second favorite, behind really well grained wood. Personally I'm not too into the dyed or burnt look.
 
Dr-Mabuse said:
I've got a piggyback question about stag. So, if burnt stag is the 2nd cutting of antler which is then torched to look more like natural stag; does burnt stag lighten in color more quickly as the char marks are rubbed away?
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"Burnt Stag" is not generally "Second Cut". Most production knifemakers torch the Sambar Stag to add a little color to the piece. I have a GEC 73 in burnt stag that has been my #1 edc for six years now. There is no appreciable loss of color other than what I consider normal" pocket wear". GEC hand picks the very best of the Stag they have and use it as "Natural Stag" with no further treatments. The rest they use as "Burnt Stag" with a little color added by torch. Don't be confused or alarmed at the tem "Burnt Stag". The toasting of the material is light and more or less highlights the natural color and figure. I would venture to guess that very few Collectors could visually tell the difference between "Natural Stag" and "Burnt Stag" without it being marked as such.
 
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Each piece has its own attraction, so it just depends is my short answer.
In a way, almost all stag is "burned", as most is required to be treated with potassium permanganate (PP) to prevent the transfer of micro-organisms. PP is a strong oxidant which oxidizes (a form of burning!) the antler, darkening it substantially. Probably why natural and "burnt" stag look so similar, except for the toasted edges on burnt, where it was sanded down.
 
rma100 said:
"Burnt Stag" is not generally "Second Cut". Most production knifemakers torch the Sambar Stag to add a little color to the piece. I have a GEC 73 in burnt stag that has been my #1 edc for six years now. There is no appreciable loss of color other than what I consider normal" pocket wear".
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Thanks for this, I'm not a stag connoisseur but I'm trying to learn. The stag bug has bit me pretty bad, specifically I've been looking at stag 73's. Honestly I have a hard time discerning between burnt stag and natural stag, at least from GEC. Both look pretty wonderful to me.

To answer OP's question, from what I've seen dyed stag is the bee's knees but I haven't seen much. Burnt stag and natural stag are a toss up for me, stag is so variable it really depends on the piece. BTW Markesharp I really dig the way your knives turned out, the dye you choose for the stag really seems to enhance rather than overpower the handle material and the overall shape looks like a real pleasure to use.
 
rma100 said:
"Burnt Stag" is not generally "Second Cut". Most production knifemakers torch the Sambar Stag to add a little color to the piece. I have a GEC 73 in burnt stag that has been my #1 edc for six years now. There is no appreciable loss of color other than what I consider normal" pocket wear". GEC hand picks the very best of the Stag they have and use it as "Natural Stag" with no further treatments. The rest they use as "Burnt Stag" with a little color added by torch. Don't be confused or alarmed at the tem "Burnt Stag". The toasting of the material is light and more or less highlights the natural color and figure. I would venture to guess that very few Collectors could visually tell the difference between "Natural Stag" and "Burnt Stag" without it being marked as such.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great info Bob. I always wondered if someone was to show me two knives with burnt and natural if I would be able to tell the difference after the knives had been used.
 
waynorth said:
Each piece has its own attraction, so it just depends is my short answer.
In a way, almost all stag is "burned", as most is required to be treated with potassium permanganate (PP) to prevent the transfer of micro-organisms. PP is a strong oxidant which oxidizes (a form of burning!) the antler, darkening it substantially. Probably why natural and "burnt" stag look so similar, except for the toasted edges on burnt, where it was sanded down.
Click to expand...

You are right Charlie on the PP and I guess it is a matter of preference.

BTW - Glad to see your computer problems are fixed. :)
 
I really like good natural stag, Some Dyed stag is very nice. I am NOT a fan of Burnt or torched Stag, To me it seems the burning has a detrimental effect on a lot of the stag and tends to give it a somewhat chalky look if the torch burns too deeply.
 
rma100 said:
The toasting of the material is light and more or less highlights the natural color and figure. I would venture to guess that very few Collectors could visually tell the difference between "Natural Stag" and "Burnt Stag" without it being marked as such.
Click to expand...

Agreed! These old untrained eyes often have a difficult time discerning the difference between "Natural Stag" and "Burnt Stag." I just know that I love 'em both.

Burnt Stag:


Natural Stag:
 
Fresh Burnt Stag (not much pocket time) has a more amber brown tone on the high spots where the torch "toasts" the smooth surfaces.
089be7e2-6b30-4540-9f65-d583babbb3dd_zps4c169b55.jpg~original


Here is Burnt Stag that has seen a lot of use. The color evens out to a more yellowish overall tone.
81060381-5634-40bb-bc94-2afea298e937_zps28e01d33.jpg~original


Smooth 2nd Cut stag is lightly torched.
2ndCutSmoothBone.jpg~original


Here is a Northfield Natural Stag WT. The high smooth spots stay cream colored without the toasting of the torch.
NatStagMark_zps7d1b1a2b.jpg~original


GEC's Elk Stag is likewise untorched, with more black and white tones.
ElkCuban.jpg~original


GEC's Genuine Stag is their best stag, untorched but usually showing a lot of color and character.
11GenStagOpen_zps3455adde.jpg~original


07GenStagComposite_zpsb2dff680.jpg~original


Comparing bone gives a good idea of the differences between dying and burning. Dyed is usually darker in the middle of the covers, while burnt is usually more evident toward the bolsters.

Dyed bone
GrHbOpen_zpsdvhvwfou.jpg~original


Burnt bone
Dam47OpenLong_zpsae9ce11e.jpg~original
 
Whatever looks good. Seriously. I've encountered some really nice examples of "lesser" quality stag, while some of what I've seen of the genuine article made me think that there really is no accounting for taste. Stag is so individual that you have to judge each piece on its merits.

Here are a couple of stag knives, one PP'd and the other burnt. I think the burnt one has nothing to be ashamed of.

 
Markesharp said:
You are right Charlie on the PP and I guess it is a matter of preference.

BTW - Glad to see your computer problems are fixed. :)
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I wish they were fixed, Mark!
This is a borrowed computer. I think mine is terminal - I am shopping for another.
 
Black mamba, great post. Love the elk stag.

Here is another one of my bullwhips that I've never posted before. I purchased it as a display knife but when I got it I discovered that the blade is 1/8" shorter than original, so now it's EDC. Scales don't match at all, but are both beautiful.

EUEkX00bnHcCsIHQrqQGLOqYYUu5zLQ7MUdd4cmQWD-k=w1440-h812-no

MuzZbOWzMBtrGGyDkfpCpqnM6Hyed0JXnDl6NF6fEbpM=w1440-h812-no

w3eiT9l6XMZAxd-LI58MyzzrtRtFiVi7UfeIHszeehIE=w1440-h812-no
 
Good timing on this thread, I just ordered my first stag today. Those 83's were just too nice to pass up.
 
There are many very nice handle materials out there but the majority of them are only available in a pretty high price range. I believe the exception to that is Stag. I prefer Stag with deep valleys or popcorn. I have found it more difficult to find the texture that I prefer in Natural Stag than I have in Burnt Stag. The fact that Burnt Stag is always a little less expensive is a bonus. I believe that whoever does the Burnt Stag for GEC does a pretty good job . I also prefer knives that only have one bolster so that there is only one transition from the Stag to a bolster. As for as dyed stag goes , it is okay , but not as nice as Burnt or Natural. The last run of the 73's in Stag was exceptional and I hope that it is not the last one like it.

Harry
 
Old Engineer said:
There are many very nice handle materials out there but the majority of them are only available in a pretty high price range. I believe the exception to that is Stag. I prefer Stag with deep valleys or popcorn. I have found it more difficult to find the texture that I prefer in Natural Stag than I have in Burnt Stag. The fact that Burnt Stag is always a little less expensive is a bonus. I believe that whoever does the Burnt Stag for GEC does a pretty good job . I also prefer knives that only have one bolster so that there is only one transition from the Stag to a bolster. As for as dyed stag goes , it is okay , but not as nice as Burnt or Natural. The last run of the 73's in Stag was exceptional and I hope that it is not the last one like it.

Harry
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Harry :thumbup: I like bare end stag knives. It's tough enough to haft stag with the two bolsters let alone four. I do like colored stag if done right and GEC has done some nice dyed stag. I hope they do some on the 73 real soon.
 
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