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Traditional fixed blade materials?
- Thread starter Halfneck
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 47,488
Depends on the knife and the pattern but ivory, ram's horn, oosic, buffalo horn and some types of stone and minerals are some of the many natural materials to consider.
Micarta and other synthetics are fine if they don't detract from the pattern or appearance imho. With the right treatment they can be made to give a very traditional look.
(The reverse is also true, however..)
Micarta and other synthetics are fine if they don't detract from the pattern or appearance imho. With the right treatment they can be made to give a very traditional look.
(The reverse is also true, however..)
I think it depends on the looks of the knife. Of course, to me, leather washers, wood, stag, ara all god materials for a traditonal fixed blade. My old Case Official scout sheath knife was stacked leather washers. But my old Randall 14 was black micarta. The Randall was still a nice looking knife, but it wasn't all that traditional looking though.
I have a old Swedish Frosts mora number 1 with the wood handle. The red paint was sanded off and the birch finished with linseed oil. It looks like something that could have been carried a century ago. On the other hand, my old Buck 102 woodsman has a traditonal profile and looks, but the black micarta handle makes it look modern. Because of the slick finish, I roughed it up with 220 grit sandpaper, and that brought out the cloth pattern in the micarta, making it look a bit more rustic. Over all, the rougher finish on the micarta gave it a more old timy look. If you have to have micarta scales, then let the weave of the material show through. Don't polish it off, leave it rougher.
Carl.
I have a old Swedish Frosts mora number 1 with the wood handle. The red paint was sanded off and the birch finished with linseed oil. It looks like something that could have been carried a century ago. On the other hand, my old Buck 102 woodsman has a traditonal profile and looks, but the black micarta handle makes it look modern. Because of the slick finish, I roughed it up with 220 grit sandpaper, and that brought out the cloth pattern in the micarta, making it look a bit more rustic. Over all, the rougher finish on the micarta gave it a more old timy look. If you have to have micarta scales, then let the weave of the material show through. Don't polish it off, leave it rougher.
Carl.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2008
- Messages
- 3,681
With so many slip joints coming out with micarta and G-10 scales it would only reason to see it as a viable modern traditional fixed blade material.
Leather, for sure.
Modern synthetics? Nah except as near-as-possible replacements for faulty or unavailable older materials, the use of acrylic instead of celluloid for example, or stabilized wood instead of raw wood.
Micarta has been around practically forever, since 1910. But does it have a long tradition of being used as knife handle material? As long as delrin or even phenolic resins? I don't know the answer to that.
Modern synthetics? Nah except as near-as-possible replacements for faulty or unavailable older materials, the use of acrylic instead of celluloid for example, or stabilized wood instead of raw wood.
Micarta has been around practically forever, since 1910. But does it have a long tradition of being used as knife handle material? As long as delrin or even phenolic resins? I don't know the answer to that.