New Randall 3-6" Stag

[elmbow]

I decided I needed to get my hands on a stag handled Randall so I ended up getting a 3-6" with stag. This will be used primarily for hunting and for carrying with my recurve. I read that Boe Randall carried a 3-6" with stag when he was bow hunting so I figured it would be a good one to carry with my recurve. I decided to break in this beauty today because I needed to make some elk burger. I used it to cut up 50 lbs of elk meat and 20 lbs of beef fat. I only had to touch up the edge once and it performed great. The trailing point was nice because it would allow me to make a nice forward slice when I was cutting thick pieces of meat into 2" strips for the grinder. If the knife failed to completely slice a piece of meat on the first pass I found that I could simply push the blade forward through the original slice and complete the cut with a forward slicing motion. I am also surprised by the amount of patina that formed by the end of this burger session.

I got one question regarding the stag. After using the knife and washing it the smooth bottom of the stag handle is now rough and developed some dark color. Is the stag on a Randall treated at all or waterproof? Also is the small hole in the middle natural or does Randall drill the stag out on the bottom and fill it with some sort of epoxy or other material?

Here are some pictures of the new knife.

 

[eveled]

My stags haven’t done that. I don’t soak them in water. The hole in the middle is natural it’s called pith. Sambar stag has the least pith and is the most dense. Mine seem sealed or polished.

Edit. The top knife is a Buck 119 with a crown stag handle. I sanded it to get it smooth. Thinking about it. I never treated or polished it after sanding. It looks the same as the 3 Randall’s. So maybe they aren’t treated or polished.

 

[elmbow]

View attachment 1345960 My stags haven’t done that. I don’t soak them in water. The hole in the middle is natural it’s called pith. Sambar stag has the least pith and is the most dense. Mine seem sealed or polished.

Yeah I certainly didn't soak mine or anything, just a quick scrub down with a rag and soapy water. I figured mine was also sealed or something because it felt so smooth on the bottom but now it feels porous and rough on the bottom after washing it. I think I will call Randall and ask them how to care for it. Also here is another picture from this weekend's camping trip.

 

[eveled]

I’m wondering if it’s a wax of some sort that the hot water/soap melted? I’m looking forward to learning more.

I've always heard mineral oil was the best thing for stag.

 

[tongueriver]

The conventional wisdom (unproven by me) is that oils soften leather, bone and stag (antler). And waxes do not. I doubt if this is black and white. Few things are.