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Favorite Handle Material?

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08 July 2018, 02:55
Lee Baumgart
Favorite Handle Material?
It's been dead in this forum. So, in the interest of creating a little activity- What's your favorite handle material?

I'll go first... I really like a nice Desert Ironwood handle and enjoy working with Ironwood. Below is a selection of knives from a couple of years ago with Ironwood handles.

Runners up would be sheep horn and amber dyed jiggged bone.

Lee


08 July 2018, 05:53
theback40
Australian Gidgee, love the looks and weight of it.
08 July 2018, 11:46
Cougarz
I always liked the looks and feel of sambar stag and it provides a secure grip.


Roger
___________________________
I'm a trophy hunter - until something better comes along.

*we band of 45-70ers*
08 July 2018, 23:49
p dog shooter
Rubber.
09 July 2018, 02:38
Schrodinger
Lee, I would go with Cougarz: Stag. As a hard using knife, I would go with linen micarta.
09 July 2018, 04:54
Lee Baumgart
I like stag too, but good quality stag is as rare as hen's teeth and what you can find is over priced.

Lee
09 July 2018, 07:34
richj
Stag.


09 July 2018, 17:54
Gatogordo
For me, it would be an extremely close call between ironwood and cocobolo. The best examples would be ironwood.


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10 July 2018, 08:38
NormanConquest
When I was building rifles in the 80's I bought up a truck load of birds eye maple + built stocks + of course saved all the drops. I wanted to have Lee Baumgart to build 3 of them for my sons using that wood. Then the bottom fell out;but I have not given up hope;I still have the wood + when things turn around I think that will make a great Christmas present for my boys. That is for knives;for a revolver I am a tradionalist in that ivory is a required medium.Although I bought my son a set of sanbar stag antlers a few years ago that he carved for his Ruger. Now THOSE are hard to find.


Never mistake motion for action.
10 July 2018, 11:36
Von Gruff
There is no doubt that desert ironwood is a premier handle wood and one of my favourites but New Zealand swamp kauri is right up there for me and one I use sparingly as it is very rare and hard to get a hold of.
A bushcraft hunter


Thumbrest skinner


JT Ranger (used quite a bit)


I also like buffalo horn but do most of my knives with acacia (blackwood.


Von Gruff.

http://www.vongruffknives.com/

Gen 12: 1-3

Exodus 20:1-17

Acts 4:10-12


10 July 2018, 19:53
p dog shooter
On the few knifes I have built I used cherry or red oak. it was what I had at the time.
11 July 2018, 07:17
Mike Scott
Ivory for looks and textured G10 or Micarta for using.
11 July 2018, 15:06
lost okie
Sheep horn, then stag, then ironwood.
Lots of "blah" ironwood at Blade. No "just good" stag under $150. Real good stag was rare and over $200.
11 July 2018, 23:15
Jiri
You will not like me. I like the best now that "Forprene" handle on Extrema Ratio Task J knife. From practical point of view of course.

12 July 2018, 02:44
richj
I had no idea on price of stag.


quote:
Originally posted by lost okie:
Sheep horn, then stag, then ironwood.
Lots of "blah" ironwood at Blade. No "just good" stag under $150. Real good stag was rare and over $200.

12 July 2018, 07:01
Lee Baumgart
Lost Okie,

Looks like there is going to be a Blade Show West this year. Might you be attending?

Lee
12 July 2018, 15:05
lost okie
quote:
Originally posted by Lee Baumgart:
Lost Okie,

Looks like there is going to be a Blade Show West this year. Might you be attending?

Lee
Lee; No west trip for me; one Blade is about all I can stand for a year.
Mike
13 July 2018, 12:25
Geedubya
Stag-a-liscious








































ya!

GWB
14 July 2018, 08:06
Lee Baumgart
GWB,

Those are nice knives. I especially like the ones with most of the texture showing and not ground off. I am however, a little concerned by your fascination (?) with the private parts of male pigs. Eeker

Lee
14 July 2018, 08:27
Jerry Fisk
Lee, don't pay GW any attention. He is nuts. :00


Keep the Pointy end away from you
www.jerryfisk.com
14 July 2018, 08:34
Lee Baumgart
Mr Fisk,

How are you doing? From your Instagram posts I saw you were laid up for a bit. Are you on the road to recovery?

Lee
14 July 2018, 09:02
NormanConquest
Great pics GW


Never mistake motion for action.
14 July 2018, 11:33
Geedubya
quote:
Originally posted by Lee Baumgart:
GWB,

Those are nice knives. I especially like the ones with most of the texture showing and not ground off. I am however, a little concerned by your fascination (?) with the private parts of male pigs. Eeker
Lee



Well, I learned a long time ago, you sell, the sizzle, not the steak!









































ya!


GWB
15 July 2018, 05:21
Lee Baumgart
GWB,

I really like the sheep horn knives. Thanks for sharing!

Lee
16 July 2018, 00:49
TCLouis
I love the fact that geedubya not only displays some of his knives in well laid out art photography, but then displays some in use like the tools they were truly meant to be.



Don't limit your challenges . . .
Challenge your limits


16 July 2018, 03:57
Geedubya
Thanks gents. I'm sure I ruin the "collector value" on many of my custom knives.

Like Gato, I too am a fan of Desert Ironwood and Cocobolo


a pair by Ken Honeycutt, desert Ironwood















I had asked Mr Ingram if he would do me a "Nessmuk" set. This is what he came up with. A pair by Gene Ingram, desert Ironwood, etched A2 steel (a fav).














Probably some of the nicest Desert Ironwood in my collection. A set by TK Steingass. Presentation grade DI.













A Kingfisher by Gene Ingram!










One by Dale Howe, Howe Mountain knives. IIRC he calls this a Santoku.......


[/url



[url=http://s38.photobucket.com/user/glenn1221/media/Blades/KC9A0602.1_zps4i3ueyly.jpg.html]



ya!


GWB
16 July 2018, 04:19
Geedubya
And Cocobolo………..




A Dirk by Gene Ingram, Cocobolo






Ken Honeycutt, Cocobolo







An EDC, hafted by Vince Mazzi. I carried this knife in five states before I lost it at my lease.







I found it two years later on my “lucky 65th” birthday. I had been checking a snare, and was crossing a dry creek-bed and saw a glint. Well that had to be either glass or steel as there was no water for the rising sun to reflect off of.









No telling how many floods had washed boulders down that creekbed, but there was my knife. I’ve not yet decided whether to re-haft it myself or send it back to Vince. I’m leaning to having Vince do it as he said he had a piece of the same block from which he could do a new set of scales.


Anywho,

I say that my 65th was lucky. Not only did I find the knife, but I killed “the Claw”,



a cull buck I had on game camera for three seasons, but no one on my lease had ever laid eye on him. Only game camera photos after dark.



A Tanto, by Rick Menefee, Menefee made knives

And a few more, hafted in Cocobolo



and a few others hafted in Cocobolo!




Ya!


GWB
16 July 2018, 09:41
SGraves155
What do you do with all those beautiful knives?


Steve
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16 July 2018, 11:47
Geedubya
quote:
Originally posted by SGraves155:
What do you do with all those beautiful knives?


Sir,

I've been fortunate enough to be able to order my life so as to make the occasion to go "afield" fifteen to 20 times a year, usually from three to five days. Nothing special, just Texas hill country get-aways. I generally take a dozen or so different knives with me each trip. I perforate hoglets year round, turkey, dove and deer in season. Being a firearms slut, I enjoy perforating critters, with different firearms, and skinning with different knives. I generally kill 50 to 60 hoglets a year, four turkey, a couple limits of dove and other assorted varmints. This affords me numerous opportunities to employ knives of different styles and steel. Having invested in reasonable quality photographic equipment I shoot images of things that interest me. It keeps me out of the bars and off the streets.





Dale Howe, Howe Mountain knives, Tanto, dyed bone!




early Menefee made Tanto, A2 steel, Carbon fiber scales.






Early Menfee Made, Walrus Tusk scales






Todd Theyn (who posts here as Just-a-hunter) Nessmuk. Buffalo horn scales, L6 steel.











Ingram Nessmuk set pictured earlier......













S.R. Johnzon's copy of a pair of RW Loveless "Lambs" were avaialble for about $10K. That is/was considerably above my pay-grade.





So, at that time, I asked TK Steingass to make me a copy of that set!











Gene Ingram does not do bolsters, but he agreed to do a set of his interpretation of Loveless "lambs". He had some pretty neat dyed camel bone and here is what he came up with!









Dale Howe, Howe Mountain knifes, Nessmuk set, A2 steel, weathered elk scales......













anywho, without wearing it out, perhaps you get my drift!

ya!


GWB
22 July 2018, 23:02
Karoo
Some great posts in this topic.
As a beginner knife-maker on the other side of the world, I like Sneezewood (http://pza.sanbi.org/ptaeroxylon-obliquum) and also wild olive, both of which are plentiful here in the form of old fence posts.
I am a Merino sheep rancher and so would like to use rams horn sometime.
26 July 2018, 00:03
larrys
I would have to say cocobolo for me.


Larry

"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson
26 July 2018, 04:36
lost okie
quote:
Originally posted by Karoo:
Some great posts in this topic.
As a beginner knife-maker on the other side of the world, I like Sneezewood (http://pza.sanbi.org/ptaeroxylon-obliquum) and also wild olive, both of which are plentiful here in the form of old fence posts.
I am a Merino sheep rancher and so would like to use rams horn sometime.
I had a chance to sit down and chat a little with a superb knife maker from your part of the planet; Owen Wood. I believe he resides in Texas now and that fits because he looks the part of the long tall Texan image.
26 July 2018, 07:37
Lee Baumgart
Good sheep horn scales seem to be difficult to find. I've returned sets to a particular vendor in the past and have five sets that arrived last weekend from another vendor going back. I like to leave as much of the exterior on as possible and thin the scales by removing the interior.

If anyone knows of a good source for sheep horn scales, please let me know.

Lee
26 July 2018, 16:10
lost okie
quote:
Originally posted by Lee Baumgart:
Good sheep horn scales seem to be difficult to find. I've returned sets to a particular vendor in the past and have five sets that arrived last weekend from another vendor going back. I like to leave as much of the exterior on as possible and thin the scales by removing the interior. I get a lot from Jantz, the rest scattered among the vendors. But, you have to hand pick in person. Ordering natural handle material is a losing proposition.
Mike

If anyone knows of a good source for sheep horn scales, please let me know.

Lee

29 July 2018, 07:50
FMC
My favs...….mammoth


George Muller



Roger Bergh



Dunno- forgot

I'd love to have this little gent's blade replaced or teeth cut into it for a mustache/beard comb.....






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30 July 2018, 02:16
DenisB
Ringed Gidgee
05 August 2018, 03:37
Brad
micarta
05 August 2018, 07:33
richj
sneezewood looks nice




quote:
Originally posted by Karoo:
Some great posts in this topic.
As a beginner knife-maker on the other side of the world, I like Sneezewood (http://pza.sanbi.org/ptaeroxylon-obliquum) and also wild olive, both of which are plentiful here in the form of old fence posts.
I am a Merino sheep rancher and so would like to use rams horn sometime.