[Steve Culver]

The Topic of the Month for July, 2011 is Favorite Handle Materials.

What is your favorite handle material (certain wood species, stag or antler, bone) and how do you work and finish this material?

Do you have any special techniques for working specific materials?

What do you finish your handles with (stains, top finishes, wax)?

[Billy Helton]

I like working with most woods. As I try to further my knife making knowledge I have found that what looks really cool doesn't always make a good handle. I have been paying alot of attention to the wood its self. Some of these really neat burls I have dropped and to my surprise the whole block can break. That kinds makes me a little concerned.
As for the tricks part ,the best one I like is to turn my belts around backwards or inside out. Steve culver show me this once and it really helped me . I can see what I am doing when finishing the handle.

Lator Gators
Billy Helton

[Lowell_Walker]

I am particularly fond of using Cocabolo and other very dense hardwoods. You can finish them with fine grit paper and leave them with no finish for field knives. For presentation blades I acetone the scale surfaces to remove some of the natual resins and then coat them with clear Danish Oil. I sand with 0000 steel wool between coats and buff with a soft cloth. When I get the finish glassy looking which is normally three coats, I follwo up with hard carnuba wax buffed in with a power buffer - two coats then hand buff to a glowing luster. It looks like a coating of glass was placed over the wood.

[BrionTomberlin]

I prefer natural materials, wood, stag, Ivory, etc.

In wood I really prefer ironwood burl, then stabilized burls, and of course tiger maple. I usually hand rub them to 1000 grit then 0000 steel wool, then a white scotchbrite pad. The white scotchbrite is equivalent to 2500 to 3000 grit. These can be found at body shop supply stores. I then will use a paste wax and buff with a clean buff. Of course the maple is a different story with the dyeing. Every time you use a dye it can raise the grain, which then must be taken down. I use the 0000 steel wool to do this. I will then use danish oil and let it soak in. This step is repeated over three days until the handle gets the look I want. Then the paste wax and buff again. One note, ironwood dust is HAZARDOUS to your health, as are most of the things we work with. Be sure to wear a respirator for all grinding, wether it be metal or handle materials.

I prefer sambar stag for my stag. It is more dense than whitetail or mule deer and seems to have more character. It also has a higher price, but you get what you pay for. Stag is easier to work in some ways, as you want to leave as much of the natural texture as possible. So I usually just lightly go over the tops up to 1000 grit, the wax and buff lightly. Stag also imparts a wonderful smell to your shop, so ventilation is necessary.

Mammoth and fossil walrus are my favorite ivories. Yes they are expensive, but they really set off a knife. I finish them the same way as wood with hand sanding up to 1000 grit, then the steel wool and scotchbrite. Followed by a good paste wax. One thing about ivory is do not over heat it. This will cause cracking and/or burning. Go slow and take your time.

I am sure I will think of other things, but that is a start.

Brion

[JD Smith]

Those are some great suggestions and tips guys. I personally like African blackwood, as I favor a darker look to most of my work. This wood is a favorite due to it's many desirable qualities. It carves well,is VERY hard without being brittle and finishes well with it's large amount of natural oils. I also like the fact it has very little vasculature or veins running through the wood, so it's very tight and smooth and resists taking up moisture that will cause the material to expand and shrink while on the knife.
Love the fossil stuff too. The only thing I would add is a trick I learned from the late Jim Schmidt. He advised taking your raw fossil ivory and slabbing it then immersing the pieces in mineral oil(I like olive oil) for at least 6 months before using it. I find taking this step stabilizes the material quite nicely,displacing all moisture while filling voids with oil. This has proven a good step to take if one can just take the time to cure it properly in that manner.

[Dave Ellis]

Hello all, Dave Ellis here, this is a great topic.

As a Maker I prefer natural materials, in particular Stag. Some of my preferred hardwoods are Afzalia Burl, Amboyna Burl and Desert Ironwood Burl.Most of the Fossil Ivories are winners and sell quite well.

Now let me take off my Mastersmith hat and put on my purveyor cap. As a Dealer of higher end Custom Knive's I try to keep up with my customers want's and needs.
Folders typically are handled in Pearl or Ivories, not a whole lot of hardwood fans in collectible folders. On the Tactical front, Lightening Strike Carbon Fibre is hot as are most G-10's.
Titanium has always been favored. If we are talking about higher end pieces I have always loved solid Gold frames and Tortoise is my standout scale material.

What do you all think?

Dave Ellis,ABS,M.S.

http://www.mastersmith.com
http://www.exquisiteknives.com

[John White]

For wooden handled knives, African Blackwood and Desert Ironwood are my favorites, and seem to be those of my clients as well. Each has it's beauty; both finish well, are very stable for natural wood, and have a natural oil which requires little additional finish.

For these woods, my practice is to sand to 2500 grit, using 3M imperial grit paper, then finish with 1200,4000, and 6000 3M polishing sheets. A wipe with Watco Danish oil will replenish the surface oil, and the wood's own oils, along with whatever gun oil the owner prefers for knife maintenance will give a lasting and natural looking finish.

For most of my higher end pieces, Mammoth, ancient Walrus, Pre-Ban Elephant, and Sambar stag are my choices.

For each of the ivories, the same sanding sequence as with wood is followed, through 6000g polishing paper. A long soak in mineral oil, and wet sanding with mineral or peanut oil, and the 6000g polishing paper, give a glow to the ivory.

Although the ivories are normally subject to absorbing oil and dirt from handling, especially when sanded to lower grits, when smoothly finished out by the 6000 grit, and having had the surface filled by soaking with a clear oil such as mineral oil, they are remarkably stain resistant.

Problems with "movement" of ivories resulting from moisture exchange, are almost a subject in in themselves. These problems can be minimized as JD Smith noted, by buying the ivory well ahead of use, cutting to near final thickness, storing in a home environment for as long as possible, and then the prolonged soaking in mineral oil JD describes.

John White

[BrionTomberlin]

Great selection of materials and tips. Thank you all. J.D. and John thanks for bringing up the blackwood. I forgot to mention that and it is one of my favorites. I like the way it works and also the way it does not check or crack like ebony.

I have to admit that I do like some giraffe bone. Not the unaturally died colors, but it is a good stable material that does well when balancing a bigger blade.

Has any of you tried the axis deer stag? Just curious as to how it works, compared to sambar.

Also welcome Dave, it is great to see you post here. From your point of view, where does giraffe bone stand?

Brion

[Steve Culver]

Thanks to everyone for all of the great posts on this thread!!!

I’ve heard of soaking ivory in oil before. I think it’s probably a good idea, and makes sense, but I haven’t tried it yet.

I am curious if soaking ivory in oil might make it difficult to scrim? A couple of my customers have had the knives that I made for them scrimshawed later. I’m concerned that the oil in/on the ivory would make it difficult to get the ivory to take ink? Does anyone have any information on this???

[Don Hanson]

Highly figured American Black Walnut is my favorite wood. The Flaming Crotch is good stuff. I finish with tung oil or Watco danish oil, let dry, use 0000 steel wool and oil again, 3 or 4 times. And a good past wax after.

Sambar Stag and fossil ivories are used for the higher end pieces. These get a high grit sanding and a trip to the buffer. I keep ivory at least one year (usually 2+ years) before I use it, got to make sure it's Dry.

Folders get ivory, black lip pearl, or micarta on the rare occasion.

[Don Hanson]

Steve Culver, on 03 July 2011 - 06:36 AM, said:

Thanks to everyone for all of the great posts on this thread!!!

I’ve heard of soaking ivory in oil before. I think it’s probably a good idea, and makes sense, but I haven’t tried it yet.

I am curious if soaking ivory in oil might make it difficult to scrim? A couple of my customers have had the knives that I made for them scrimshawed later. I’m concerned that the oil in/on the ivory would make it difficult to get the ivory to take ink? Does anyone have any information on this???

Steve, I soak most of my ivory in mineral oil, have seen no effect on scrimshaw later. My Wife used to do a bunch of scrim.

[Steve Culver]

Don!!!! Welcome to the forum! And thanks for the information! I’ll definitely try soaking my ivory inventory.

[Daniel Winkler]

This is a good topic but I find myself asking “what is my favorite handle material in what regard?”.

I personally like the feel of wood but the most comfortable and best gripping material I have used is re-cycled rubber. Micarta or G 10 is very durable so I like it for when I make something that needs extreme toughness or a knife that will be used in water a lot. (Re-cycled rubber will absorb moisture and swell if used under water.) Rubber is also more difficult to glue on to a full tang and the corners will often lift in hard use. Micarta can be slippery so I sand blast the surface to enhance the grip.

My favorite's in regard to sales is Antler and Ancient Ivory. Generally speaking antler handled knives will sell 10 times faster than wood and ivory going faster than antler. Profit margins are normally better with antler.

So my favorite handle material all depends on the situation.

[James Saviano]

My preferred materials for collectable knife handles are ebony, desert ironwood burl and amboyna burl. Both the burls have been previously stabilized before use. As others have said, ebony is a bit brittle and requires care but it works very well for fluting (both concave and convex) and checkering. In my opinion a well-patterned desert ironwood or amboyna is the most attractive of woods, provides great visual impact for the knife and is in demand by collectors. I rough shape all my handles on a grinding wheel with 36 grit followed by 65 grit, and hand finish them with the following grit sequence – 120, 240, 400, 600 and 1000. For desert ironwood and amboyna, I wax the handle using gun stock wax and lightly buff it on a wheel with wood buffing compound. I then hand wax and polish with Renaissance Wax. For ebony I coat the wood with Tung Oil several times letting it soak in a day each time. After each soak, I wipe clean and hand buff with 0000 steel wool. Once the ebony refuses to absorb more Tung Oil, I wipe it clean, let it dry for another day and then hand buff with gun stock wax for a final polish.
I also make many knives that will see frequent and hard use. These knives are usually full tang, and in most cases I recommend a handle of micarta. Micarta has many advantages for a using knife. It is practically indestructible and impervious to water or humidity. I finish micarta as described above for burl – it will take and hold an outstanding shine.

[Larry Fuegen]

I have always used natural materials. When I was starting ,I made a couple micarta handles but realized that wasn't what I liked. For wood, I use all types. but really like wenge and ironwood burl. Some of the stabalized burl woods are very nice also. I use any of the fossil ivories and I like the plainer ones since I carve most of my handles and plain solid color materials show the carving better then the more colorful pieces. When it comes to stag I really like the native whitetail and mule deer anthers. I've never agreed with the misinformation that is out there about these antlers. They are just as solid, strong and interesting as any India stag. The big difference is that you really have to work much harder and be creative to use them. Since each antler is unique you can't just grab one out of a box and know it is going to work on a particular knife. With India stag there is a high degree of similarity between pieces and it is much easier to reach into a box of carvers and grab a piece that is basically the same as the last 5 you got out of that box. Also native antler requires more leg work just to get the pieces you want and you need a good selection to chose from. Working with India stag is a piece of cake, and I think that is why makers like it, but that doesn't mean that it is a better material, only different.
I also use pearl but it is getting harder to find nice thick pearl without any cracks on the back. I have also use carved damascus or mild steel for a different look and sterling silver handles are on my list of things to try. Recently I've started playing around with some stones like jasper and agate. Some of thes stone have amazing beauty but are very hard to work with.

No matter what you use you need to consider how it will be used, what you customer may want, will it be used in it's natural state or will you change it by carving, inlaying etc. Knive making is such a complecated craft because it has so many different criteria that other craft forms don't have to address. Knives need to be functionally strong, straight, sharp,ergonomic in their shape and pleasing to look at. I've always felt the handle is just as important as the blade and deserves just as much attention for the finished knife to be successful.

[Lin Rhea]

A well chosen piece of Sambar Stag is hard to beat. I do like Blackwood and Ironwood as handle material from the wood selections. They allow you to play around with color combinations between the wood and metals.

[Terry L. Vandeventer]

I guess I'm not too different from others posting here. My favorites are Wooly Mammoth ivory, ancient Walrus ivory, Sambar Stag, Desert Ironwood, and African Blackwood. The latter woods are used more on working models.

On scales, I use index pins that lead from half-way through the guard, through the spacers, and into the ends of the material. This serves in the same way that a dovetail fit keeps the scales in place. Scales have a habit of peeling apart like a banana right behind the guard or spacer, and these pins prevent that.

Inside the scales I use a Dremel to undercut and make lots dovetails to catch the Acraglass and lock them together.

John mentioned movement in natural materials. It's a given to some degree. I bullnose joints, rounding over the edges so that the material doesn't shrink back leaving a razor's edge of metal. Same goes for pins. I peen them over making smooth, rounded bumps that never need maintenance.

And, I have a care sheet that is on my website, and which a hard copy is supplied to the customer.

Cheers,

Terry Vandeventer
ABS MS

[Adam DesRosiers]

Lot's of good advice here. I'm with J.D. Smith on the African Blackwood. One caution I have when using wood is to take it easy with the steel wool. I find that it tends to expose the grain a little too much for my taste. I prefer to use 1000-1500 grit paper with some linseed or mineral oil for lube. It gives a satin glow that is fine but not buffed.
I like Ivory too, but I hesitate to offer it to collectors because it will crack if it is exposed to drastic atmosphere changes. The best way to treat ivory in my experience is to use it. Handle it often and it will keep it from cracking, much like fine pearls.
As custom makers of high end knives, we get little call for the synthetics, but micarta is hard to beat on a work knife.

Adam-

[Ray Kirk]

Since I mostly like to make using knives, I tend to use a lot of wood, micarta, bone, and stag. I have had a few bad experiences using the ivory since there are still collectors that don't give it the necessary care. That being said, I love the looks of a good piece of mammoth ivory with some good coloring to it.
The care and finishing of handle material always go a long way in how the final knife will look to a customer. The goal it to make a very good knife with a very good handle so they "could" use it if they wished.
I do use a lot of stabilized burl woods and even they need curing time to eliminat the shrinking after instalation. A little hot box with a light bulb in it will go a long ways in drying out any handle material you need to dry.
A lot of times, I will let the knife sit around for a while and then re check the handle for any thing that I will have missed before, a new day and different light will always show something missed. A good time to check the over all knife at that time too.
A full tang knife looks good but has a lot of metal to material contact. I prefer to use a hidden tang so that the area of exposure between handle material and metal is held to a minimum. That is one reason I like the hidden tang integral. Just a personal choice that has captured my fancy for now.
Hope every one is enjoying the holidays and comes through it safely.

[Bruce Bump]

Lots of good and new information in this thread. Its hard to add anything thats not already covered but I think local antler is about the best deal and sells great especially to the customer/collector from the same locality. Here in the Northwest we have a good supply of elk antler. Elk is known to have some some center pith that is hard to use but the outer bark is generally fine even texture with several flat areas that makes for a wonderful set of matched scales. The brow tines on a mature bull have perfect fine popcorn texture and make excellent tapered hidden tang hunting knives. Be sure the antler is well dryed for a year or better yet several years on the shelf in the shop. Some like the old dried out weathered elk but I like the rich brown color of the non sunbleached one.

Elk is so plentiful I can get really picky and cut just the finest sections with the best color and textures and usually send them off to Culpeppers for their patented amber dying process. When they get back I leave them in the sun to dry further and shrink if they are going to. Be sure to remove the back pithy side to reduce the scales to correct thickness and cut the scales to rough size and shape. Next soak the back side with superglue to stabilize it and fill any and all pores. This may take several soakings. Super glue dries slowly in the open air like this method so it may take a couple days to get it filled and dried. Next surface the backside on a flat surface with sandpaper or disc and glue fiber spacer material to it. My favorite is simple black color in .010" thick. This further stabilizes the antler and also waterproofs it.

Next simply mount the scales with pins or corby bolts as normal. Sand the edges and fill any open grains as needed. The real cost is the amber dye process at $25 per pound but try it and see how pretty it comes out. There are some gorgeous colors just under the surface, reds, oranges, ambers, whites, browns etc. It polishes to a high gloss and makes the customers smile.