Knife & Stick Handle materials

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Red Deer Antlers

(and me...)

This is me holding a very nice set of Red Deer Antlers that I got off eBay from a nice chap in Sunderland.

As it was quite an impressive set of antlers, I was reluctant to chop it up initially, so I kept it whole for a couple of weeks... But then, I got hold of some very nice Damascus blade blanks and the rest is history...

Anyway, as lovely as it was, I don't live in a Baronial hall and with nowhere to hang it without it looking well daft and out of place!  Waste not, want not, I kept the little 'Bambi' sculpture though and the wooden plaque itself, which has come in for quite a few things already...

Sourcing materials at a reasonable cost is an ongoing challenge, so I forever on the lookout for materials I can utilise and now it's become second nature to look at a lot of things from a knife/stick and stick making perspective.

I love working with Horn and Antler, but neither is cheap or easy to obtain consistently.  Exotic hardwoods aren't that cheap either, but at least they're more readily available, especially from the USA.

I'm not in a position to obtain all the materials that one could possibly use for knife handles or sticks.  However, I have a fair range and most of it is shown on this page.

Although Horn and Antler remain my favourite knife handle materials, I've come to appreciate wood for its outstanding variety and intrinsic beauty.  As a result, I have a nice selection of exotic hardwoods which I very often look at closely in order to really appreciate the detail and potential each piece has to offer me in my quest for a nicely finished knife handle.

As is the nature of Horn, Antler and Wood, no two pieces are ever alike.  Although I take my time to appraise and envisage how the handle form and finish should look like, one can never be 100% certain as to end result.  What is fairly certain is that the transformation is always amazingly unique.

Roe Deer Antlers

The above sets are typical shapes of Roe Deer Antlers and they're about 9" high.

It very rare that I get the chance to use a Roe antler in my knife making projects as they're a bit on the small size.  But they do lend themselves to quite a few other things, so I tend to keep some to hand just in case.

Fallow Deer Antler

Can have some nice sturdy coronets although I haven't been able to utilise the top flat part for anything as yet.

Red Deer Antlers

I use these the most, but getting them in the right size and colouring is a bit of a problem.

Sambar Stag Antler

A Taper, a Roll and Scales - not cheap, but hard to beat for a durable and classy antler knife handle...  

Black buffalo Horn

(Solid throughout)

Combination of Buffalo

and Cow Horn handle

Carved Water buffalo Horn

(mostly hollow except for near tips)

Rams Horn

Cow Horn

My little stash of Exotic Hardwoods

On the left there is mainly Curly & Quilted Maple, Ebony, Amboyna, Cocobolo, Birch and other pieces.

On the right it's Purpleheart, Pua Rosa, Afzelia, Lacewood, Leopardwood, Black Cherry and Eucalyptus.

Unintentionally I seem to have become a bit of a Hardwood collector, and why not, wood is beautiful and never seizes to amaze me with the variations in figuring and colouring.  Nature is indeed wonderful...

Afzelia Burl

A rather rare and expensive wood burl, but worth the trouble and cost of getting it.  As with any burl wood the variations of pattern and colouring is variable and it's not until the piece has been worked that you get to know exactly what pattern and colouring you ended up with.

Average SG: .66

Amboyna Burl

Amboyna burl scales

I really like this wood burl and not just because it's rare and expensive.  I find the colouring and finish of this burl amazingly beautiful.  It can be very variable in colour and pattern with the most desirable being the two-tone pieces of reds and yellows.

Average SG: .66

Thuya Burl

I acquired these pieces from a fine craftsman and when I actually had them in my hand I was really amazed at how beautiful the wood is.  Words can't describe this wood, but it's absolutely magnificent!

Comes from Morocco and is in very limited supply. Not cheap, but who cares...

Black & Yellow Cocobolo

Cocobolo Blanks

Cocobolo Scales

Cocobolo also comes in various patterning and shades of colouring - after all it is a type of Rosewood.  A very good wood that gives an excellent finish.

Average SG: 1.10   

Bocote

Bubinga

Average SG: 88

Quilted maple

Curly maple

A very popular wood that if worked well would enhance a nice blade.  Maple burl is even more nicely figured and I like a nice piece of Big Leaf maple burl with such contrasting colouring and patterning...

Spalted Maple

This batch of spalted maple is highly figured and will make some very nice unique knife handles for both working and collectors' pieces.

Spalted Maple Burl

This spalted maple burl is even more intricately patterned.  However, I'd be hesitant to use such burl for working knife handles.  OK for collectors' pieces though.

Lacewood

Leopardwood

Beautiful 3D effect within the wood.  They look a bit similar in the photo, but in reality they're easily distinguishable from one another.

Lignum Vitae

The two scales were cross cut from the bigger piece and yet the colouring is different...

I must admit that I'm not a great fan of 'Cross cut' hardwoods for knife handles.  I'm say this because based on some work I done for myself, for the most part the scales either warped or cracked even.

Having said this, I'm happy to use 'Cross Cut' wood for inserts, spacers etc. 

Pau Rosa blanks

Average SG:  .96

Purpleheart Blanks

Average SG: .86

Two woods that are often misunderstood and/or underestimated.  Both are very lovely woods and good quality pieces aren't too hard to get hold of.  The colouring is for real, but they do go darker and become a much richer deep colour in time.  

Sapele scales

The photo doesn't do the Sapele scales justice because this wood has an inherent 3D effect which is very pleasing.

Spalted Box Elder Blanks

The spalted Box Elder (Maple family not Box as we know it) of this quality is not easy to come by.  Very nice figuring in this particular lot of wood blanks, but variation is inherent in such wood...

Argentine brown Ebony

Macasar Ebony

Gabon Ebony

Most people assume that Ebony comes in black only - but it obviously doesn't.  A superb wood, but quite hard to work with...  Still, the finish that can be obtained is very good if a bit flat...

Average SG: 1.03 to 1.19

STRIPED EBONY

CROSSCUT STRIPED EBONY

Olive Wood

Well figured Olive wood is stunning...

Kingwood

This picture doesn't do kingwood justice, it an amazing beautiful wood that takes a deep glossy finish...

Red Narra

Can make a very nice knife handle if the quality and figuring is very good.

Really well marked Red Narra, similar to the top right hand piece in this picture, can easily be mistaken for Snakewood.  

Tasmanian Blackwood

Tasmanian Eucalyptus burl

Average SG: .68

Both of these have a 3D effect, more so the top one.  The burl is something else though...

Spalted Beech

Surely the most attractive Beech for knife handle use. Average SG: .72

The four sets of Spalted Beech scales above were cut from the same block of wood and illustrates clearly the variations that such wood can have.

Starting form the right, the first set is Spalted Beech in the raw.  The second set is just treated with oil.  The third set is double dyed with antique pine and a light coat of deep mahogany.  The fourth set is double dyed with deep mahogany.

Masur Birch

(medium)

Masur Birch

(super)

Masur Birch handles in various stages of finish.  Top left is natural.  Top right is lightly dyed.  Bottom ones are triple dyed in yellow, red and brown.

Birch goes from plain and simple to being well marked, with heavily figured masur Birch being highly sought after.  Standard fare for many a Scandinavian type knife.

It's getting more expensive to get well marked pieces, but even 'medium' type pieces will still make for a nice handle.

With Masur Birch it can be a bit of a lottery as to what the finished handle will look like because 'what you see is not always what you get' - such is the nature of wood anyway... 

Average SG: .67

Hardwood samples in raw, dyed and oiled finishes

1.  Purpleheart - Top piece just treated with oil and bottom piece is untreated.

2.  Pau Rosa - Top piece just treated with oil and bottom piece is untreated.

3.  Bubinga - Top piece just treated with oil and bottom piece is untreated.

4.  Afzelia - Top piece just treated with oil and bottom piece is untreated.

5.  Masur Birch - Top piece dyed and treated with oil.  Middle piece is just oiled and bottom piece is untreated.

6.  Birds Eye maple - Top piece dyed and treated with oil.  Middle piece is just oiled and bottom piece is untreated.

7.  Quilted Maple - Top piece dyed and treated with oil.  Middle piece is just oiled and bottom piece is untreated.

The choice of woods and finishes for knife handles is quite wide, and I, like many, have my preferences.  Although I don't dislike dyed wood, I prefer the natural look and therefore choose my wood accordingly.  My normal way of working is to simply oil my wood as many times as I feel the wood can't absorb any more and then finish off with waxes and polishing for a soft sheen.  If I want a glossy finish I use the CCL oil/hardener combination.  I don't use varnish because I find working with oils and waxes gives me the right finish for my needs. 

It's no accident that my first choice for a knife handle is Black buffalo horn.  Yes, it's expensive and not easy to work with, but what a classy finish!  I love the way it contrasts with the red fibre liners and the colour of the steel.

Second choice is Deer Antler as this too can produce a wonderful knife when used in a considerate way.  It's natural contours must be used to the knife's end user's best advantage as their is little leeway for stock removal and further contouring. When making a knife up for someone I try to find out if they're right or left handed and plan accordingly.            

I love the look and feel of wood, especially hardwoods - but there are so many to choose from!  I tend to be selective with wood anyway and only buy what I like.  The rarer and more figured a piece of hardwood is, the more one must expect to pay, with burl in particular.

Once bought, the wood must be looked after and not just dumped somewhere out of the way until such time it's needed.

I have all the woods shown above/below and it can get a bit difficult choosing the right wood for use with a particular knife blade.  I favour the likes of Amboyna and Afzelia, which happen to be the most expensive.  Amboyna and to likewise Afzelia, are just so beautiful.  One has a reddish cast, the other a yellowish cast.  Both vary a lot from one batch to the next, but in any event they can always be relied on to give you a beautiful and unique quality handle.

I don't use ebony as much now because I rely on horn more often than not.  I like three types of Ebony, all very dense and the finish is superb and classy, albeit a bit flat compared to horn say..

There are a few things one must consider when trying to decide which wood to use for the handle.  For example; what would the wood look like once it's dyed and/or oiled and waxed?  What use is the knife going to be put to?  Should one choose a dense wood like Ebony, Cocobolo, Pau Rosa etc., or go for the often stunning effect that Burl and/or Spalted wood has to offer?

Given a choice, or working knives,  I'd opt for woods that are dense and do not need or require dying.  For collectors and/or light use type knives I'll be happy to use less dense woods and burls in particular.  Having said all this, most people make their decision on how much they like a particular wood, which is most probably the best way anyway...

What about stabilised wood?  So far I haven't felt the need to use any stabilised wood, but I can appreciate the benefit when burls and softer type woods are given the stabilisation treatment.  It would certainly cut down the finishing time considerably and will make them more hardwearing.  One can never say 'never', but for now I'll stick with my oil and wax treatment because I've the necessary time and patience...     

Some pros and Cons of working with Wood, Antler and Horn

1.  Wood - generally not too difficult to work with and shape, but burl and figured wood can give some nice as well as disappointing surprises.  Wastage is minimal unless you break something or get the cutting/shaping all wrong.  Burl can be awkward to work with as some are quite fragile to work with inherent faults have a habit of showing up late in the finishing process!  Some woods are very pleasant to work with, but some are nasty and and you can get a bad reaction to the dust at the time and for hours after.  I seem to react to Birch and Beech even though I wear goggles and full face filter mask!

2.  Horn - is a sod to cut and shape, but it's not often that the material is faulty internally; perhaps some slight variegation, which I like anyway as it gives a very nice marbling effect.  Unfortunately, most of the cutting accidents I had to date have been when I've been working with horn - so it's a love-hate relationship that I have with horn.  You can shape and finish horn well, but it's a slow process and wastage is a problem.  Apart from the potentially excellent finish, I like horn best because it's a very stable and durable material, making it easy to look after.

3.  Antler - can be a nightmare to work with where visible full tangs knives are concerned!  There's very little room for mistakes and wastage is a huge problem.  Shaping is very limited because of the soft core, hence trying to cut the right piece and work as much as possible with the natural contours already present.  With antler I prefer to know if the user is right or left handed so I can utilise the appropriate antler for the job.   Experience working with antler helps, but some luck is also required when cutting the straight long cuts from a knobbly and twisted lump of antler.  Antler is undoubtedly best to use with stick type tangs in one piece or in sections as per Scandinavian style.

Please note that I don't sell wood - the list is to show my stock for my own use.

Buffalo Horn and Deer Antler in various shapes and sizes always available.

Knife handles finishes

Hardwoods:

I've experimented with a variety of handle finishes in order to find a suitable finish that would look just as good in a knife collection and yet still be serviceable in the field.  I will not use Varnish as I believe that wood needs nourishing and looks better for it.

If I were to only use very dense hardwoods as opposed to burls, it is possible that I would produce a durable and nice looking finish to satisfy the field user and collector alike.  However, some of the best figured and striking hardwoods are not that dense and finishing them requires copious applications of oils and waxes.

Given the opportunity, I try to find out if the knife is for constant field use or for collecting and/or occasional use purposes.  When i know the end use I can finish the knife accordingly.  A collectors knife is normally preferred with a sheen to it, which is achieved with the use of appropriate oils and waxes.  However, this sort of finish is not heavy duty and will not stay looking pristine for long if the knife is then used a lot in the field.

An out and out field knife needs a more durable handle material and finish and, from experience I find nothing better than a quality oil finish such as CCL's Traditional English Knife Oils.  The finish has a satin sheen to it and it's quite durable and easily maintained.  CCL oil is expensive so I don't expect the knife owner to maintain the handle using CCL oils.  But it will require maintenance nevertheless and a light coating of Danish oil every now and then will serve just as well. 

If you happen to get a finished knife off me with a hardwood handle, it will most probably be oiled and waxed, so expect the wax to wear down with constant use in an outdoor environment.  I would suggest that you keep topping up with wax (furniture wax will do) or de-wax the handle completely and apply two to three very light coats of Danish oil - the longer you leave between coats the better.  You'll know when not to apply any more oil as the wood will not absorb it and the oil just sits on the surface.  In which case wipe off the excess and put it aside to dry properly.  Once properly dried give the handle a gentle rub down with fine steel wool or one of those unwoven scouring pads and finish off with a very thin coating of oil and leave to dry.

What if you make a mess of it because you applied too much oil?  Well, just lightly soak a clean cloth with white spirit and gently wipe the handle until it's all smooth again and leave to dry.  After which just apply a very thin smear of oil at a time until you get the desired finish.  The trick is to not rush the process and please, never leave your knife to dry on a hot central heating radiator, room temperature will suffice.  After that give the handle a gentle rub down with one of those unwoven scouring pads and finish off with a very thin coating of oil and leave to dry and repeat if necessary a day or so later.

What, if in spite of your best efforts you just can't get that handle up to scratch?  Contact me and let me guide you or, send it back to me and I'll sort it out for you for the cost of postage.  If in any doubt I strongly suggest you contact me and let me assist you so as to make the whole experience a positive one...

Notwithstanding the above, I strongly suggest that you use wax to maintain your knife handle.  I little bit every so often would do just fine.  You can use any furniture wax, but I prefer a Carnuba based wax, or better still 'Renaissance Wax', which is indeed an excellent wax and can be used on just about anything to protect and give a nice shiny finish to.  In fact I like Renaissance Wax so much I buy it in boxes so as to make it available at a reasonable price to fellow knife enthusiasts.    

Reminiscence Wax Polish

Renaissance wax polish was originally formulated in the British Museum research laboratories in the early 1950's, in response to a discussion amongst museum technicians at an international conference on fine-art conservation.

In accelerated ageing tests, the British Museum scientist found that all current commercial waxes based on the usual natural waxes (beeswax and carnauba wax) contained acids which, in time, could spoil original finishes on national historic collections of furniture. He rejected them all and investigated the new so-called 'fossil' or microcrystalline waxes being refined out of crude oil.