Favorite knife handle material?
- Thread starter Dave
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In my opinion the grippiest handle material when wet is non polished micarta (the canvas fluffy texture will adhere on hand exactly as a sock adhere to ice 
). There might be many more but this is what i use when such a request is made.
Stacked leather is almost the same but only if it was not polished.
All the best,
Bogdan
). There might be many more but this is what i use when such a request is made.Stacked leather is almost the same but only if it was not polished.
All the best,
Bogdan
I like to make up my own handles from glue-ups of 1/8" rosewood and mahogany strips.
It's all junk rubbish cut-offs from the musical (Guitar) instrument industry.
Cheap and I have lots of it.
If you don't make the handle of a size to fit my hand, I won't consider buying it.
Handles fit like shoes. While it has taken a few years for me to learn this concept,
it does apply.
It's all junk rubbish cut-offs from the musical (Guitar) instrument industry.
Cheap and I have lots of it.
If you don't make the handle of a size to fit my hand, I won't consider buying it.
Handles fit like shoes. While it has taken a few years for me to learn this concept,
it does apply.
Good point.
A bit more digging revealed the micarta slabs above are not how the H1 is supposed to be dressed.
The H1 is [based upon] a traditional scandinavian design, and the kraton handle which encompasses the full tang completely, would have been made from wood originally.
I had a little play with my new toy yesterday, and I like it. It conforms to Mors Kochanskis philosophy of what a survival knife should be. 'A pry bar that works wood really well'
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Gregg Blomberg (Kestrel Tools) has been collaborating with both the big and little names among the Pacific Northwest Native carving community for nearly 40 years.
It appears that there is a nearly ideal handle size for carving tools. " In a fist grip, palm up, the tips of the second and third fingers should just
touch the fat ball part of the thumb." I find this to be a starting blank (knives, elbow adzes and D-adzes) of 7/8" square for my big hands with long fingers.
That's a nearly 10" span. I believe that 3/4" would be fine for hands of average size.
What I never see is any consideration for the size of handles for long blades, single bevels = nice looking, finely crafted knives from the many individual bladesmiths who haunt this place.
Maybe, the Kestrel Constant (as I call it) doesn't apply. But, does it?
Even in the case of an elbow adze. There is a nearly ideal placement for your hand = the "Holm Constant."
While I have spent no more than possibly 5-6 years exploring the designs and applications of the wood carving tools of the PacNW,
I must come away with the notion that the shere geometry of the shapes is much more important than I imagined.
Of course, they have had some thousands of years to have messed around with what works and what doesn't.
It appears that there is a nearly ideal handle size for carving tools. " In a fist grip, palm up, the tips of the second and third fingers should just
touch the fat ball part of the thumb." I find this to be a starting blank (knives, elbow adzes and D-adzes) of 7/8" square for my big hands with long fingers.
That's a nearly 10" span. I believe that 3/4" would be fine for hands of average size.
What I never see is any consideration for the size of handles for long blades, single bevels = nice looking, finely crafted knives from the many individual bladesmiths who haunt this place.
Maybe, the Kestrel Constant (as I call it) doesn't apply. But, does it?
Even in the case of an elbow adze. There is a nearly ideal placement for your hand = the "Holm Constant."
While I have spent no more than possibly 5-6 years exploring the designs and applications of the wood carving tools of the PacNW,
I must come away with the notion that the shere geometry of the shapes is much more important than I imagined.
Of course, they have had some thousands of years to have messed around with what works and what doesn't.
Quite right too
first thing i look at with a knife is blade shape. Many a time i'v seen a lovely shaped blade and been thinking to myself "cor, thats a nice knife. I could see me using that"
Then i either pick it up or scroll down the page and see a top down veiw of the handle and i'm just instantly turned off. Perfect blade or not if the handle dont look right i cant even consider it
And for the thread......wood certainly for looks. To many to choose a firm favorite as it depends on the bit of wood in question but curly birch is certainly up there
I have knives with a wide variety of different handle materials, and I feel that each is appealing in their own way and some are better than others for certain applications. Appearance wise, I really like the looks of desert ironwood burl, plus it's really tough. But for feel and function, I would have to say that birch bark is my favorite handle material in use.
IMG_1627 by Bradley Buckman, on Flickr
IMG_1627 by Bradley Buckman, on Flickr
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