Handle Material

A myriad of choices - from durable to exotic...

Natural materials just feel "warmer" in the hand.

Siberian Mammoth Tusk in the "raw". The outer surface
or "bark" tends to be the most popular and hence the
most expensive. Only the outer layers of this particular
tusk were usable as the inner portions were chaulky.

Here is the same Mammoth Ivory, finished as a
knife handle. The darker area is blue in color which
again, is even more popular and expensive.

While were looking at Mammoth, let's look at a knife
made with a cross cut of a Mammoth tooth. This
material is both hard and fragile until it is seated
properly on the tang. It's a good idea to use it with
double bolsters as any impact on the edge could
cause chipping.

Another part used on knives is Mammoth rib bones..
Bone is popular on knives but this makes it a lot more
exotic. I have mine stabilized as it is fairly fragile.

While on the subject of ivories, ancient walrus tusk
ivory makes an amazing knife handle. The smaller pieces
in between the tusk material are fossilized walrus teeth.
I normally split them and use them on the lanyards.

Then of course there are the various types of wood.
This is Ironwood Burl, one of my absolute favorites.
Like all the burls, it is more expensive than conventional
Ironwood but I'm sure you can see why.

Probably the most exotic of all woods - Ancient Kauri
from New Zealand. It is ancient because it is actually
between 20,000 and 50,000 years old. It is from the
last Ice Age and has been buried in peat bogs since
then. It is not fossilized or petrified - it was preserved
by the ph of the bog and the lack of oxygen. Kauri is
one of the conifers (like pine and fir) so it must be
professionally stabilized before using it. Amazing!

Speaking of stabilizing...what is that? Stabilizing is a
process by which polymers are forced into the wood
at the cellular level and allowed to harden. This
fills the voids and protects the wood around it. Dye
can be added - like the dyed sycamore above and the
Box Elder and Buckeye below.

...and last but not least is the old standard - Stag.
Sambar Stag usually comes from India but an environmental
embargo years ago cut off the supply. We are now
starting to see more come into the marketplace. Both
from India and from farm raised stag.

I didn't post photos of the various Micarta and G10
normally used on tactical knives and knives for in
and around salt water. Had I done so, I could keep
you paging down for quite a while longer. If you have
something in mind that you don't see here, just ask.
If I can get it - I will.

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