Handle scales

D

Drobinson30178

Member
I have always used wood for my handles trying to use new products. You have G-10, Micartia, kirniate, poylester pearl and the list goes on and on and on. I'm not a very experienced knife maker only made about 8 or so. Nothing to brag about or take pictures just trying. Any ways back to the subject. In what order would you list the man made handle mattarial to work with easy to hard or in my case more forgiving when I mess up. Thanks for in put.
 
You really need to wear a real respirator when doing any knife work but the G-10 turns into little fish hook barbs and once they are in your lungs they can only be removed after you assume room temperature:what!:.
Kirinite is a great handle material and fairly benign on the toxic meter. It what I use when it's not a wood handle.
 
A suggestion.

Try natural materials.
There are lots of patterns in jigged bone and a few different types of horn available.
You can try some oosic or walrus cheek bone.
The cheek is great material that most makers overlook.

IMHO, and I'm not going to argue about it, it's just my opinion, . . . . . . natural materials are always superior when making a tool that is used by human hands.
My favorite knife is an old Cattaraugus single blade jack with a plier built into the opposite pivot end.
Honey Jigged bone handles beautifully aged from daily use.

I find the proliferation of plastics and man made handle materials sad.
They are toxic, for the most part.
They are uncomfortable in the hand because they do not absorb perspiration and hand oils.
Nor do man made materials breathe and age.

Ask any pianist if they prefer bone and ebony keys or plastic keys.
You will get only one answer.

Wood is good. Bone is better. Ivory and stag are the best.
Budget and intended use of the tool are always considerations.

Learning to use natural materials sometimes takes a little time and experience.
And, the benefits are many.

If you have any questions on how to use any natural material, I'm always around to lend a hand.

Be good to yourself.

t
 
Thank all of you for your imput. I will give all of them a try. What grit of sand paper do you suggest to finish and what would you coat it with to help protect at the end.

Thank you again.
 
Drobinson30178 said:
I guess if there is a general rule of thumb say on g10 other synthetics like kirinate wood etc.
Click to expand...

nope sand till you like it. 600 is the median (for me) and small scratches will be visible. I would go up to 1200 for a very slick shiny handle.
Thats the great thing about knife making, however you like it.
 
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