What is your Favorite Handle Material!

[Rene E. Roy]

I am just interested on what is your favorite handle material? That is currently available! My Real favorite is India Stag,not happening so My next choice is Tiger/Curly Maple.

 

[ddavelarsen]

Rene that's a tough one... Depends on the knife. For traditional knives like Bowies, I'd prefer ebony or buffalo horn - something dark and natural. For field and kitchen knives Micarta is my only choice. In fact, I probably use Micarta more than anything else though I can't say it's my "favorite." Ebony is my favorite handle material I guess, though any tight-grained hardwood would be as good I think.

Dave

 

[Charlie Mike]

G10

 

[allan lanigan]

Mastadon bark ivory is my favorite,stag second,maple burl stabalized third,and Micarta for hard use knives

 

[pizzini.at]

G10
Cocobolowood
Micarta
Real mother of pearl

Depends on the knife.

 

[Will52100]

Horn for anything short of a chemicle evironment
Antler of any kind, when I can find pieces that will work
Bone when I can find pieces big enough for the style knife
Mycarta or G10 for extream environments or when the mod strikes me
Dymonde wood, I don't have anything against this material and the solid color pieces don't look half bad but everyone around here thinks it looks like Pakastan knives.

I'll use almost anything, but my personal favorite is cow/buffalow horn. Never had the opertunity to use Sheep horn, would like to try it sometime though. What I like about horn is that even with a high polish it is still grippy, and it has a soft warm feel in the heat of summer or the ice of winter.

 

[ragnoor]

For working knives, canvas micarta or Australian woods. Era pieces should have aged horn of some kind or jigged bone. Really depends on the type of knife and purpose it will be used for.
Ken (wwjd)

 

[Bruce Evans]

Me...Ivory-Ebony-Bone-and horn mostly.But I like allot of different handle materials and they all have there place and purpose.
Bruce

 

[Bruce Bump]

In this order: Ivory, iVorY, IvoRY, ivORy, ivorie, iverie, and sambarstag and bone

 

[Mike Hull]

There are many favorites, depending on use. But for looks, Sambar Stag(popcorn), Black Lip MOP, Paua shell.

 

[LHKnives]

Burl, any type of burl as long as it has wicked figure.

 

[peter nap]

Like dave and the others said, it depends on the knife.

As to the one I enjoy working with the most, Bruce Bump took the words out of my mouth:

Ivory, iVorY, IvoRY, ivORy, ivorie

 

[Possum]

Howdy There.....!
My farvorite material has got to be dersert ironwood, stag , bone of any kind and so course IVORY.& Mother of Pearl. These or the true natural handle materials to use. They alway seem to fit on a knife handle, as nature intended for them to.

Later "Possum"

 

[Sylvester]

What ever works for that knife I`m making at that time

 

[burke531]

Are you guys saying that there is something besides SHEEPHORH to use for knife handles? I had a dream once or twice that I had used something called Elk? horn but It was during a time when I was dilusional (sp ?) and didn't think that it was real.

 

[RHINOKNIVES]

like others have said. i do really love the stab, cal buckeye, asian padauk, snakewood, ironwood, the one piece of giraffe bone was neat, like to try more.

 

[Reg ELLERY]

I like to use desert timbers from Western Australia. Beef wood, snake wood, myal, burls from gum trees. Most Australian and I would assume
other desert woods are very dense hard woods with fine grain. Not inclined to shrink.

Birds eye river gum is a light brown very nice.

 

[Rene E. Roy]

So Bruce is your favorite handle material ivory?

Originally posted by Bruce Bump
In this order: Ivory, iVorY, IvoRY, ivORy, ivorie, iverie, and sambarstag and bone

 

[P.K.Hansen]

Amboina burl (all burl woods but amboina tops), stag and ivory. I love working with ivory, but since I give away most knives and keep the rest, it's too expensive to be used often. Micarta for working blades, but I don't like it much -I'm into natural handles.

 

[indian george]

ironwood starburst