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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  | ||
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Australian Gidgee, love the looks and weight of it. | |||
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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* | |||
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Rubber. | |||
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Lee, I would go with Cougarz: Stag. As a hard using knife, I would go with linen micarta. | |||
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I like stag too, but good quality stag is as rare as hen's teeth and what you can find is over priced. Lee | |||
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Stag.  | |||
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For me, it would be an extremely close call between ironwood and cocobolo. The best examples would be ironwood. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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On the few knifes I have built I used cherry or red oak. it was what I had at the time. | |||
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Ivory for looks and textured G10 or Micarta for using. | |||
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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. | |||
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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.  | |||
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I had no idea on price of stag.
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Lost Okie, Looks like there is going to be a Blade Show West this year. Might you be attending? Lee | |||
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Lee; No west trip for me; one Blade is about all I can stand for a year. Mike | |||
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Stag-a-liscious               ya! GWB | |||
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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.  Lee | |||
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Lee, don't pay GW any attention. He is nuts. :00 | |||
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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 | |||
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Great pics GW Never mistake motion for action. | |||
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Well, I learned a long time ago, you sell, the sizzle, not the steak!              ya! GWB | |||
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GWB, I really like the sheep horn knives. Thanks for sharing! Lee | |||
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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 | |||
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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 | |||
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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 Cocoboloand a few others hafted in Cocobolo!  Ya! GWB | |||
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What do you do with all those beautiful knives? Steve "He wins the most, who honour saves. Success is not the test." Ryan "Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." Stalin Tanzania 06 Argentina08 Argentina Australia06 Argentina 07 Namibia Arnhemland10 Belize2011 Moz04 Moz 09 | |||
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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 | |||
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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. | |||
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I would have to say cocobolo for me. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
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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. | |||
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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 | |||
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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.....  There are two types of people in the world: those that get things done and those who make excuses. There are no others. | |||
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Ringed Gidgee | |||
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micarta  | |||
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sneezewood looks nice 
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