Wood for a modern Scottish dirk grip

[Dan D'Silva]

Hello again,

I've got a project plan for a regimental dirk, the kind with a black grip with fine basketweave carving and silver studs. I'm wondering what choices of wood there are that can take very fine carving and either are black or can be made black. My first choice would be American walnut, since it's easy to shape and forgiving, and I've made a nice black grip by ebonizing and staining it, but it seems to me a little too soft for detail carving. I've never worked with ebony and I've read it's more likely to crack than most woods if you're not skilled at working it.

The other thought that springs to mind is Crazy Crow's maple blocks -- I've used one before and it seemed pretty hard and fine-grained, but I'm not sure if it's good enough for this level of carving or if it'd stain to a uniform black.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I use African Blackwood.
Ebony tends to craze and crack too much.

 

[Dan D'Silva]

Looks great! I'll look into it.

How do you go about putting the studs in without damaging the carving?

 

[A.McPherson]

How do you go about putting the studs in without damaging the carving?

Small hammer and a nail set or punch.

I agree with Stacy, African blackwood is the way to go.

 

[Alex Topfer]

You might have some luck ebonising some woods from near you. I've found jarrah ebonises nicely, although probably not a good candidate for that sort of carving

 

[Michael Black]

Yup, I used African Blackwood on the couple I made too.

 

[Dan D'Silva]

What I'm reading about African blackwood is giving me second thoughts. I'm just a hobbyist with cheap tools that probably aren't up to shaping a super-hard material, and the reputation of rosewoods as sensitizers is intimidating. I'll keep it in mind if I don't see a less challenging option that still gives good results.

I'm thinking of maybe applying tannin to maple and ebonizing it. I tried the old trick of leather dye on maple but the result, while uniform, somehow had the look of a pale wood that had been dyed instead of looking naturally dark.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

African blackwood isn't a problem unless you are sensitive to pretty much any rosewood and most things in general. Wear rubber gloves if you are a worrier type. Clean up and wash well. That will probably avoid any problems. Blackwood is not super hard. It polished well and sands/files/carves/etc. easily.

Most every oil, chemical, wood, and polish sed in knifemaking can cause sensitivity. That does not mean it will, though. 99.99% of people have no problem. If you are in the .01% of hyperallergic people, then you already know this and should consider a hobby like knitting or sewing.

 

[Richard338]

IMO It's by far the best choice for this application. I've made many pieces using basic hand tools. It carves, files, and sands well. It often has more of a brown appearance until you take it to a high grit polish and apply some paste wax. I've gotten dust and shavings all over me without irritation (I do wear a mask).

 

[Hengelo_77]

Wait untill you micro mesh blackwood up to 12000. You'll be stunned!
You can use normal hand tools