Tip of the Day: Knife Scales...

[Montauks]

I found an alternative source for scales...and that would be wood pallets or skids, not the pine ones, it seeems sometimes there made from hardwoods such as ash, maple etc. I found this today in the warehouse at the building I work in  
I swiped a damp rag over it to show the grain and color better
   PIC 2     PIC 3    

I believe this wood to be ash, the wood in the pics were taken from the bottom supports but the toip planks were of the same type.

Cheers,
Gene

[ArcticArcher]

Gene,  great tip!  I like you look around for other sources.  A friend of mine(who is building knives also) gets scraps of various hardwoods from an acquaintance who is a cabinet maker/ wood worker.  He normally takes the scraps and burns them.  We only pay the shipping costs.

[Montauks]

Nick, that's even a better source!

[LC]

I get lots of my wood scales from a local muzzleloader maker. I've been living off his scraps for years. I've built TD recurves, knifes etc with scraps he has left over from making stocks. He's also the one who taught me how to forge damascus and make knifes. Great guy. One big advantage is the wood is already dry when I get it.

[OconeeDan]

These handles were made from pallet "scraps".  Curly maple.
 

[Montauks]

Wow! Dan, Curly maple from a pallet, I have to visit the warehouse more frequently.

Gene

[skullworks]

Great ideas from all!

[varmint]

Great idea!

I've probably got at least 3 dozen pallets scattered around me at the moment,gonna have to take a look at some of them.

[91stormvet]

I saved a handle from a broken sledge hammer I plan on using. Its hickory and has a really nice grain. Got me to thinking the replacement handles for hammers, axes, etc, are cheap enough to buy a really nice grained one and get several scales out of it.

[swp]

Dan,

I love curly maple almost as much as osage. Those two knives are COOL!

[OconeeDan]

Glad you like them swp, the curly maple scraps were not real obvious.  My dad found them where he used to work years ago, he was "alert" when throwing them into the dumpster.
Nice wood can show up in surprising places.  I recently bought a tool from Home Depot, used as a concrete float, it was a flat piece of wood with a plastic handle attached.  The package stated mahogany.  It was soft wood, but had some WILD figuring.  I bought the tool (for the wood), removed the handle and threw it away.  Stabalized the wood and it's ready to use now.
Keep your eyes peeled!
Dan

[old arrow]

Oconeedan:
Sorry to break into this thred but this caught my eye.
How do you stabalize wood?
Thanks.

[OconeeDan]

I bought some CPES "Clear penetrating epoxy sealer" from the Rot Doctor.  Stuff is expensive but works as good as anything I have used so far.  It is a 2 part epoxy that is as thin as diesel fuel, soaks up into soft wood and bone/antler cores easily.  Takes a long time to cure.
You can also try just sanding wood smooth on the knife handle, wiping on CA glue or epoxy, which seals it.  Then sand smooth and repeat until you are happy. Then buff it or steel wool it.
Dan

[skullworks]

Originally posted by old arrow:
Oconeedan:
Sorry to break into this thred but this caught my eye.
How do you stabalize wood?
Thanks.

MinWax also makes a product called wood hardener that works pretty good.