The Next Project

This blade could be done in 1/4" AEB-L, 6.75" to 7" in length. The tang would have to run a 1/4" x 1/4" through to a threaded end 1/4 x 20 to keep it stiff enough from flexing. The threaded end would accommodate a polished stainless acorn nut the guard would have be 416 stainless as well. The knife in the photo appears to be an original with a solid brass handle that's either tarnished or blued.
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Now what are our options here? What about black linen or black canvas micarta? I'm throwing it out here because I'm sure curly maple would work but I think the micarta would be stronger and tougher. My thought on this is in order to get a 1/4" tang through the center of the handle we would need a 5/16" hole all the way through the center of the handle material. And if we were to use wood the handle would need a ferrule on the handle just below the guard. Or another option would be to make a hidden tang and stop the tang about 3/4" from butt end of the knife and not have a nut on the butt of the knife, and secure it with epoxy and a pin. The two Phillip Patton knives in this thread one has a natural linen micarta handle and the other is solid brass. Another option might be compressed leather or stabilized leather that could be turned on a lathe, I've seen stabilized leather, Steve Johnson was using it for a while, it looked pretty cool. Also thinking up a cool spacer pattern is yet another idea, like a WW2 military ribbon theme, I've seen this done with Vietnam ribbon themes incorporated into knife handles, looks really sharp. Like this Bill Luckett knife with Vietnam service medal spacer pattern. I've already kicked this idea around a couple of times all these colors are available in G-10. Lets think on this for a while, right now I have a lot of irons in the fire but down the road we can work on something like this.

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Here's another one Phillip did a while back with a Lignum Vitae handle. Lignum Vitae is a really dense and tough wood and can probably hold up to some substantial stress but as you can see it starts getting pretty narrow near the butt end of the handle.
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Here's another one Phillip did a while back with a Lignum Vitae handle. Lignum Vitae is a really dense and tough wood and can probably hold up to some substantial stress but as you can see it starts getting pretty narrow near the butt end of the handle.
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Lignum Vitae is the hardest wood known,they actually used it on ships for propeller bearings. There are hydro electric dams that still have LV bearings from many years ago. It's very hard to get anymore because of over harvesting. There are tons of alternatives I could come up with.
 
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Lignum Vitae is the hardest wood know,they actually used it on ships for propeller bearings. There are hydro electric dams that still have LV bearings from many years ago. It's very hard to get anymore because of over harvesting. There are tons of alternatives I could come up with.

I have quite a bit of black wood, cocobolo and South American Lignum Vitae along with other woods when I was making hand planes. I have tons of that tiger stripe maple, I got it from a soft Red Maple many years ago, I had the whole tree sawed into 3" thick planks and it's been air dried for over 20 years now. Quite a bit of it is spalted and some of it has some worm holes in it it's gorgeous stuff, but needs stabilizing to be any good for knife handles, other wise it's just too soft.

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I didn't know it until today but now I NEED a knife with a Lignum Vitae handle.
Real Lignum Vitae is going to cost you quite a bit for the scales or handle. Argentina Lignum Vitae like Tim has will much less expensive. I also have some Macassar Ebony and Marble wood beautiful and very hard.
 
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I have quite a bit of black wood, cocobolo and South American Lignum Vitae along with other woods when I was making hand planes. I have tons of that tiger stripe maple, I got it from a soft Red Maple many years ago, I had the whole tree sawed into 3" thick planks and it's been air dried for over 20 years now. Quite a bit of it is spalted and some of it has some worm holes in it it's gorgeous stuff, but needs stabilizing to be any good for knife handles, other wise it's just too soft.

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Wow Scott, those are gorgeous!!!

What is with these guys named "Scott" and their beautiful wood??? o_O :eek:
 
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