Wondering how do they process stag scales...

S

scud99

Joined
Jan 13, 2014
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43
Hi,folks.

I have a small collection of classic knives with stag scales.

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They were produced by Case ,Boker Tree and 2 mysterious Chinese manufactures(Actually I am from China,I collect Chinese knives just because they are really cheap and of decent quality) Case and Boker Tree are at top of the line,I think.

I do love the feel and texture of stag scales, and I noticed some difference among stag from brands

Boker Tree stag seems usually with heavy "scorch",and the scales can provide high friction for a firm grip, besides, I can smell something on them, maybe they were smoked to cover the stinky odour of natural stag?

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And the Case.The scales always feels very soothing when played with , always polished with elaboration, what's more, the colour already grown yellow a bit, looks like well aged.
I noticed Case used the word "burnt" to describe the stag scales.Do they really place stag inside a furnace or crucible, and heat it with something else together(e.g. lime)?

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Finally,Chinese knives...I think they didn't do much, just cleaning and drying.Perhaps I need to work a bit from time to time for the maintenance. Hopefully oiling, cleaning and polishing(with wax,cloth and hand) would do.

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Anyone know something about processing stag? Could you tell me?:D
 
I believe "burnt" stag is literally torched, just the outside surface, to give it some darker color and contrast.
 
black mamba said:
I believe "burnt" stag is literally torched, just the outside surface, to give it some darker color and contrast.
Click to expand...

Maybe Boker Tree just torch the outside surface for the dark scorch and remove water. Still wondering what did Case do to "age" stag scales.
 
It would be interesting to know. Case's stag always seemed both smoother and more "buttery" in color, with much fewer really dark, scorched looking areas.
 
Jeff's right, burnt stag is simply scorched, usually with a handheld propane torch in most shops. A few passes through the flame is all you need to add color. You can also get that brown color on the hafted areas from a scotchbrite wheel (it'll build up a LOT of heat VERY quickly).
The smoother, buttery look and feel of the Case knives is just a result of spending more time on the buffer.

Eric
 
ea42 said:
Jeff's right, burnt stag is simply scorched, usually with a handheld propane torch in most shops. A few passes through the flame is all you need to add color. You can also get that brown color on the hafted areas from a scotchbrite wheel (it'll build up a LOT of heat VERY quickly).
The smoother, buttery look and feel of the Case knives is just a result of spending more time on the buffer.

Eric
Click to expand...

So, do you mean Boker Tree and Case both burn stag by using a handheld propane torch and making a few passes,for the scorched surface?

And Case does a little more finishing on a buffer,for polishing and removing heavily scorched surface ,revealing the slightly burnt inside with yellow buttery look ?

If handheld propane torches are not used, polishing on scotchbrite wheels can also add brown colour?
 
Scud, I'm not saying they all do it that way, it's just the way I've seen it done in several shops. For all I know some of the bigger guys might have an automated way of doing it by now. You can't heavily scorch the surfaces, you just want to lightly toast them so to speak. If it's too heavily scorched no amount of buffing will remove the burn as it will have scorched too far into the stag. In our shop the scorching is done after the knife is buffed to preserve as much of that golden color as possible.

Scotchbrite will add color, but I'm not sure any shops actually use it for that purpose, just a little trick I use at the shop to blend colors without actually torching the stag.

Eric
 
ea42....question, sir. Do you use stag once dried as is? Or is there pulp and stuff to remove, and do you need a hardener of some sort? I have quite a bit of stag that I picked up in several trips to Alaska, and also have some great moose beam that would make great grips...if I can use it as is. I realize that I just saw off the outer 1/8" or so, and the moose beam has plenty of thickness.
Appreciate it...been wanting to do this for a long time.
Sonnydaze
 
Sonnydaze,

You can just use antler as is, no hardener necessary. The amount of pulp is dependent on the species, the reason sambar stag is so sought after is because of its general straightness and because the outer hard layer is quite thick, whereas on whitetail the pulp is very close to the surface unless you're close to the crown. Elk is good (thin bark though, you really don't want to do much if any buffing on it or you'll wind up with mostly white antler :thumbdn:), muley is good but quite curvy. If you've got bolsters and caps it's generally no problem to hide the pulpy area between them. Watch out for moose, it warps very easily, especially when heated. Of all the antler this is the one I'd recommend that you have stabilized if possible. You can straighten it by heating on a hot plate and then pressing till it's very cool, just make sure it's pinned well once on the knife. I'd use epoxy as well as pinning for extra insurance.

Eric
 
Something was mentioned recently about it being soaked in potassium permanganate to kill bugs -and that lends colour.
 
meako said:
Something was mentioned recently about it being soaked in potassium permanganate to kill bugs -and that lends colour.
Click to expand...

This is for killing bacteria and white bleaching,I suppose. For adding colour, smoking/burning or dye still needed.
 
I am also interested in these processes. I'm in Tx. The Axis deer(chital from India) were imported to the big exotic hunting ranches. The Axis antler are relatively straight and has a thick bark. I am experimenting with the potassium permanganate for nice brown color and would like to try for the black also. If you can find the freshly shed antlers they need nothing to look great. I am trying to make the old bleached out antler look better. I am going to try to char some to look like the stag. If you guys can find some Axis, I highly recommend it.
 
IIRC the dark color in sambar stag is obtained by chemical treatment. It's not natural. There was a thread on the subject in the custom forum.
 
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