Whats your favorite traditional scale material?

Nal0n said:
Based on looks I'd have to day mussels (like Abalone and Paua). I do not own any, yet, but the looks are just stunning and I guess they feel REALLY smooth. Smoothness really does it for me ;)
I also really like to try out some stone scales some time...

From what I aquired so far: Wood > Bone/Ivory > Synthetics.
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GEC's abalone acrylics really are spectacular, I shouldn't have started this thread................. Yet another knife added to the list. This forum is really a bad place for me or really my wallet.
 
It use to be bone, but I've recently been drawn more toward wood. Especially Kauri.
 
I'm a bone man, mostly because it can offer a huge variety. It's actually the easiest to find, for me, and a bit on the cheaper side. I have knives in pearl, stag, and ivory, one of each, and just a few more in wood (maybe 3?). If I could afford it, I'd do stag and pearl almost exclusively, for the beauty.
 
I have always been a sucker for stag. I place it at the top when it is done right. After that I really like bone (Roger's jigged bone is very nice). I never really cared for delrin such as those on the Old Timers, but they have grown on me recently. When I am working, I do not worry if I drop them and crack a peice of the cover off. If I do damage it, I typically replace the delrin with a nice wood such as birds eye maple or what ever I have on hand.
 
My order would be:
Exotic wood
Ivory
Stag
Synthetic (micarta, carbon fiber, etc)
 
I have been carrying my first stag handed pocket for about a week. It's a Case 5327 and i am really very happy with it. So today I will have to say that stag is my favorite .

Jim
 
talking strict traditional here, green bone unfinished, wood, blue bone as it appears on some of the five blade case knives, I also like the smooth blue that comes to life on some old Pacific knives.
 
I like natural materials (wood, bone, horn) but wood scales are my favorite, I have some particular favorite woods but no single one. Mostly I just like the way it looks and feels but also I like how wood works, it seems more forgiving and malleable to me somehow.





 
I like the look of Ebony or blackwood but since I'm pretty new at traditionals, I'm trying out anything with blade shape and size taking priority over scale material.
 
Hmmm....hard question. I enjoy nice jigged or saw cut bone, certainly. For natural material that is tough as nails and looks great for 100 years, ebony is hard to beat. I don't have anything in iron wood burl, but if I could find some scale material I would put it on a pocket fixed blade I've about finished. I've worked with canvas micarta and g10 and they have their place too. I've lusted after a primitive bone GEC for a while, but I don't know which pattern is get it in. I have replaced scales on razors with buffalo horn, which is cool, and plain bone, which works nicely. I replaced a set on a John Barber straight with horn dyed like tortoise, and now I REALLY would like to see real tortoise shell in person. I have some stag, elephant ivory, and mammoth ivory that I'm planning on using soon. I guess I'll have to say.....it depends. How's that for an answer? Lol
 
Probably good wood in general, but I have some jigged & smooth bone that are favorites. And stags.

Today's pocket holds a Blood Red Jigged bone Radio Jack and Snake Wood Pemberton. A favorite 2 5/8" fixed blade (flat grind, 13C26) wearing fiddleback maple is nearby as well. Yeah, wood is my favorite.

See! Knives really are Green! Be Green! Buy knives! ;)
 
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Bone
Stag
Wood
Synthetics

... in that order - though I really synthetics more and more at least during the past few months.
 
Wood scales are probably my favorite with ebony leading right now. Love the richness, warmth, and variety it provides. Having said that I have never owned a stag knife ('14 BF knife will solve that!). Case yellow delrin, despite being mad made is so inviting to me and I find myself really drawn to it. Love bone too. Actually the only material I don't care for is saw cut bone, saw cut delrin, and schrade stagalon.
 
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