What's your favorite handle material? My personal favorite is Desert Ironwood. It has a tremendous amount of character, each piece is unique, and it polishes like glass. Below are a couple of examples of knives with Ironwood handles I recently made.

So, what's your favorite?

Thanks,
Lee
baumgartknives@gmail.com
http://baumgarthandmadeknives.blogspot.com/

Lee, nice work.

Well, I tend to like wood more than other materials. I love the way good stag looks but it just won't hold those looks very well when used for a while. I'm not a big fan of ivory because of the basic fragility, not to mention potential future legal issues, unless one is going to scrim it. I love mammoth ivory but the same issues of fragility apply unless treated and I don't have enough experience with that process to know how it works on ivory.

Since wood is so variable it is hard to say what species I like best, but, if pushed, I suppose I'd choose cocobolo but nice ironwood would be basically a tie and many of the more exotic burls look great as well. Wenge.....

Here's one I did for myself a few years back. I don't build very many, but I may do a half dozen over the next year. .404J for size comparison.

The scales are rams horn, but are probably going to be replaced with some Mesquite or Ironwood that has been stabilized. The horn dried out over the past 7 or 8 years and cracked.

Jerry,
The compliment means a lot coming from you. Thank you.

Rhys,
That is a nice looking knife.

Lee
http://baumgarthandmadeknives.blogspot.com/

Hi Lee,

That bottom knife looks familiar.

In wood,





I'd have to say





Cocobolo!!!



GWB

rudyc,

Yep, the bottom knife is yours. I completed the sheath yesterday evening and will sharpen tonight.

GW,

Thanks for showing more of your knives.

Lee

Lee,

I bet you thought I forgot. LOL





Lee can correct me if I'm wrong, but the one on the left is Cocobolo, the one on the right is Wenge wood.

They say no pix or it didn't happen. However, I've skint' two hogs with the Wenge Wood knife.
IIRC, I thought to myself when I was skinning one of the hogs " I usually prefer a larger knife, but this dude cuts like the proverbia; knife through butter. I've not used the Cocobolo knife to skin with yet, but I will this spring. Lee went to the trouble to make the sheath in my favorite carry style. I'm left handed. I can carry this knife horizontal cross draw.

Thanks Lee.

Best,

GWB

GW,

Yeah, those knives look very familiar. You are correct as to the wood types. I am really happy to hear how well the Wenge knife has performed.

Thanks,

Lee

I like stag, for a non-slip grip.

I like stag; if it's not round hoe handle stuff. Desert Ironwood; the gold and brown streaky kind. Cocobolo and bubinga is good. I have started taking a liking to good hard walnut. With lots of figure. It stands out in a room full of ironwood.
Mike

Here is a spalted maple handle. Pete does his own controlled spalting, cutting and stabilizing. Now, saying that, personally I prefer stag, sheep horn ivory and wood, kinda in that order. However, most of my orders are for ivory then stag then wood. I have some killer woods in stock. Like Okie, a premium walnut is always nice.

Jerry,

That's another beautiful knife!

Here's a couple more, Stag and Ironwood. Sorry that my photographic skills are lacking!

Lee
baumgartknives@gmail.com
http://baumgarthandmadeknives.blogspot.com/

Dang! That top knife is a beauty, Lee.
I'm sure glad I can use it whenever I want... since it's mine! Thanks
Zeke

Some nice eye candy, gentlemen!

Too many to say but here's a few maple







and a stag just because it was already uploaded.
Lake (under license)

African Pink Ivory wood, a bit of knowledge for those to smart to do their homework.


http://www.exoticwood.biz/pinkivory.htm

Let's set aside ivory, either current or mammoth.

Then, all things considered, I like bone. Camel or Giraffe bone is my favorite.

I really like the handles made of bone and wood, but very important and functionality. The knife in our environment we have to use in the winter, at low temperatures. A couple of years ago we butchered hogs, when the temperature dropped in the evening below -30 deg.Celsius, skin froze at the same moment, when it was separated from the carcass. The best material for these conditions - birch bark, it is roughly equivalent to the bark of the cork oak, but stronger. For the same reasons on the handle even small unwanted metal parts. So rarely handle is formed from a metal plate, usually a rod, on which, as on the children's pyramid, onto part of the handle. Recently I was given about this knife, but instead of bone parts - ebony.


http://finnka.com/knives/sold/518-ohotnik-foma.html

I chose with birch bark, although the choice is quite is rather wide
http://finnka.com/knives/sold/page/1/

- this wizard uses different types of wood, tooth walrus, mammoth bones (greetings from Swiss customs officers), amber, etc.

By the way: why it is undesirable to make the arm with bones

Bone works for me...