Wood Inlays

TYPE-R

TYPE-R

Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Messages
155
Hi all,
I've wanted a wood inlay large for a while and can't decide between Cocobolo or Bocote.
I know the Cocobolo inlays are not stabilized and darken over time.
How dark can they get? I'm looking at an orange one and don't want it to end up ebony.
Are the Bocote inlays stabilized and do they also darken?
I'd love to hear input on some of the other inlays and of course pics are always good.
 
I can't speak about the cocobolo inlays on a CRK but the cocobolo grips on one of my handguns has gotten pretty dark over the years and it spends a fair amount of time in the gun safe.

I would expect Facebook to darken over time.
 
I am also curious to know about bocote since I just picked up a Mnandi with no vote inlays.
 
Cocobolo does darken over a time, but to get really dark it takes many years. I have a small 21 with Cocobolo from 2012 and it has darkened to a rich, reddish hue. It is definitely darker than when new but it is nowhere near Ebony.

A lot of woods darken over time, but some do so more than others. I think Cocobolo is an example of one that darkens more than most. The darkening is a function of time and how much it is handled - they both play a role, which is why something can sit in a safe and darken.
 
Interesting. Don, I certainly don't mean to start a food fight, but my experience has been different. A handgun I have carried literally 16x7x52 since 1998 has had cocobolo grips from Spegel on it for those 20 years and I would say the grips haven't really darkened at all. On the stabilization point, cocobolo is mostly so dense and oily that I don't think it would be possible to stabilize it, and certainly not necessary. Every few years I think "I should treat these grips with some oil" and apply some wood oil or finish. They've never absorbed anything.
 
That is interesting...you must have a special piece of wood, or perhaps it was already aged a little when you got it. My 21 was an orange-red when new, but has darkened to a deeper red.

Cocobolo has historically been used on pocket knives for a very long time. The oldest samples (100+) are very dark, sometimes hard to tell apart from Ebony unless you look at them in the sun. It is very hard and oily, and I don't think it would take a finish if you tried. Its durability is attested by how it has held up on those very old knives that saw a lot of use.

As a side note, many sites report a low Janka hardness for Cocobolo. Someone at some point gave a low value, and many others just copied this "truth." In reality it is about the same hardness as Ebony. Some of the larger wood sales sites have been updating their information to reflect the correct number.
 
Don M said:
That is interesting...you must have a special piece of wood, or perhaps it was already aged a little when you got it. My 21 was an orange-red when new, but has darkened to a deeper red.

Cocobolo has historically been used on pocket knives for a very long time. The oldest samples (100+) are very dark, sometimes hard to tell apart from Ebony unless you look at them in the sun. It is very hard and oily, and I don't think it would take a finish if you tried. Its durability is attested by how it has held up on those very old knives that saw a lot of use.

As a side note, many sites report a low Janka hardness for Cocobolo. Someone at some point gave a low value, and many others just copied this "truth." In reality it is about the same hardness as Ebony. Some of the larger wood sales sites have been updating their information to reflect the correct number.
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Craig Spegel (mentioned above) uses a semi-gloss lacquer to finish his cocobolo grips, he always has. Maybe sealing keeps it from darkening. Putting an oil based finish on cocobolo is a waste of time, it will never dry due to the oil content of the wood.
 
Both, Cocobolo as well as Bocote belong to last years group of discontinued wood inlays. So from the standpoint of "rarity" both are having the same ranking. From my personal observation Bocote is very often underrated, compared to other CRK wood inlays. I guess for many people the optical appearance of Bocote is less exotic than Cocobolo and reminds them of wood which they often see used at furniture.

Bocote has a smaller range of optical appearance, sometimes a bit brighter and sometimes a bit darker. Cocobolo varies from close to orange till a dark red wine touch of color.

I cannot report on how they change their color during usage, as my edc CRK are a large 21 Micarta and a Snakewood Mnandi. I can just confirm that without usage they do not seem to change their color over time. I guess fluids we transmit with our hands during usage (whether more acid type or more base type) as well as UV radiation from daylight will have major impact on how the color develops.

This is a quite orange tone Cocobolo:

21, Cocobolo, Raindrop, 03

21, Cocobolo, Raindrop, 07

21, Cocobolo, Raindrop, 10

More the dark type Cocobolo:

Mnandi, Cocobolo, Raindrop, 03

Mnandi, Cocobolo, Raindrop, 07

Bocote:

21, Bocote, Raindrop, 03

21, Bocote, Raindrop, 08

21, Bocote, Raindrop, 07

Mnandi, Bocote, Raindrop, 11
 
That Cocobolo 21 is pretty close to how my 21 came new, perhaps a bit lighter than mine, while the Mnandi is not far off where it is now, though it is a bit lighter and more red than that Mnandi.
 
Great info everyone and thanks for the replies. I have a Cocobolo fixed that darkened up a bit but wasn't sure about CRK. Excellent photos as always James Longstreet.

Don M said:
That Cocobolo 21 is pretty close to how my 21 came new, perhaps a bit lighter than mine, while the Mnandi is not far off where it is now, though it is a bit lighter and more red than that Mnandi.
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Exactly what I was looking for, love the look of orange inlay but if it's going to end up reddish brown then the Bocote maybe more for me.
 
Don M said:
That Cocobolo 21 is pretty close to how my 21 came new, perhaps a bit lighter than mine, while the Mnandi is not far off where it is now, though it is a bit lighter and more red than that Mnandi.
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Which fixed blade? I think the Inyoni had coco scales? Nice little knife - too bad it apparently didn't sell well.
 
I don't know if this matters to you, but Cocobolo is listed as CITES Appendix II, whereas Bocote is not. If you want to google that you can come up with all kinds of interesting information. But the short version is that it's VERY unlikely that CRK will ever use Cocobolo again.
 
Another great option is Ironwood. It has been discontinued but a dealer has a limited edition in stock at the moment.
 
Well that's a wrench in the works. :)
Your inbounds are very nice, I really like the bottom one, is it the small?
 
My bocote darkened a bit but not too too much. My spalted beech basicly changed color after a few months. After cleaning and running it under warm water it seems to lighten up back to where it first was. Hope that helps a bit. Side note... lighter or darker, you will love it the same trust me
 
My Bocote hasn't darkened at all as that large 21 is a pre-Idaho, S30V safe queen--just too damn pretty-perfect to carry. I sold/traded my small 21 Cocobolo some time ago as it was just, well, too small for my chunky, arthritic hands. It was fairly dark when I got it, darkened a bit with use and carry, but still had some visible streaking, though the pic doesn't really show that. If I had to chose between those two from the get-go, I'd pick the Bocote as I prefer a lighter-hued wood.

fR4joKe.jpg
 
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