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Main Boards => Hunting Knives and Crafters => Topic started by: DoubleLung on November 19, 2009, 02:28:00 AM

Title: Handle material
Post by: DoubleLung on November 19, 2009, 02:28:00 AM
Where do you guys get your handle material? I'd like to get some stabilized wood but fear buying from the auction site in case it's not of good quality. Can you recommend anybody? Do you buy standard blanks and them send them off or buy them already stabilized?
Title: Re: Handle material
Post by: Lin Rhea on November 19, 2009, 08:35:00 AM
Ray Kirk of Raker Knives. Easy search. Lin
Title: Re: Handle material
Post by: skullworks on November 19, 2009, 10:00:00 AM
Ankrom Exotics, tomsheart and Staburl on the auction website sll have grest stabilzed wood! Never been disappointed. Just read the size carefully!
Title: Re: Handle material
Post by: DoubleLung on November 19, 2009, 11:19:00 AM
Thanks for the help guys!
Title: Re: Handle material
Post by: Ragnarok Forge on November 19, 2009, 04:11:00 PM
Make sure to only get stabilized blanks form people you have been referred to off Fleabay.  Lots of what are called stabilized blanks are just coated on one side with varnish.  Lots of crooks out there.

I highly reccomend finding a local bowyer and trading him a knife for his scraps.  I am horsetrading with a bowyer that made my long bow and my wifes.  I traded him a presentation tomahawk and I am working on a knife for him.  So far I have gotten 4 full boxes of exotic wood and have cut the scraps into 156 sets of knife scale blanks.  If you figure out what knife scales cost per pair for high end wood.  I am getting a great deal for the hawk and knife.

To make things even better.  The bowyer was giving his scraps to a buddy to burn because no one wanted them.  He is happy the wood is being used on my work, and I am ecstatic to have a regular supply of top end wood for my knife scales.

Call around.  I bet there are a lot of bowyers that would trade scrap and cut offs for a knife or two.