Staglon vs Stag?

cpirtle

cpirtle

Leathercrafter
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Mar 28, 2001
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I figured I'd post this here since you guys have probably worked with this stuff the most.

I have an old custom knife that I got a few months back from a guy who told me it had Staglon scales. He was not the original owner of the knife.

Once I received the knife I noticed that the scales didn't match very well and when compared directly to several known stag pieces I can't tell a difference. The end grain looks right, the color depth looks right, texture feels right and I figured if they were fake stag the scales would match up well.

Short of cutting/drilling/sanding the stuff to figure it out, any idea on how to tell?
 
Staglon is what Schrade used on their Uncle Henry knives. It's actually plastic. It should be easy to tell the difference between real stag and staglon. If you have any Uncle Henry's you could compare the two. Maybe tapping the staglon and stag lightly with something hard may have a sound difference. Not sure of any other way to tell.
Scott
 
Heat up a sewing needle red hot. Burn a pinhole in an unobtrusive area like down in one of the cuts. Smell it. You'll now know which it is. :)
 
Or, post a pic or two. Heck, I'd like to think I know the difference between real stag and plastic. :)
 
Well, Staglon was the term he (the seller) used. If staglon is what Schrade uses then this definitely isn't staglon because I'm familiar with that stuff and Helen Keller would know it wasn't stag ;)

I thought about the sewing needle but this knife is so tight and nice I hate to risk damaging the scales.

If it helps any it was made in 1979, were there even decent imitation stags on the market then :confused:

Here's a picture, the knife was made by Vernon Hicks.

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Here's a couple of extreme closeups of the spine to show the depth of the material.



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I would strongly say they are real. Looks like sambar stag to me. Could be wrong but I doubt it.
 
From the looks of the close up, I would say it's sambar stag. If it was made in 79, then stag would have been plentiful. IMO, I can't see a custom maker putting anything less then a good stag on it.
Scott
 
Danbo said:
Nice knife, by the way. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Dan, the long sleek blade makes it a great cutter too.

Glad you guys agree with me, I've always felt they were too "good" to be fake.
 
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