Case scales incompletely dyed

[dawgvet]

So I bought my first new Case, an Amber Bone Mini Trapper that I like alright but the scales have incomplete color near the edges. I would’ve waited for a different one but I had a Cabelas gift card and wanted to only buy a knife that I could see in person.
My concern is how the cream color tapers into a translucent grey near the edges.
Is this common? Any way to dye these so they are more uniform in color?

Thanks

[Mumbleypeg]

Very common. That's where the bone slab was "hafted" to make it fit the shape and thickness of knife's bolsters.

Ken

[Doc B]

This is normal and occurs as the bone is thinned down, to match and fit the metal bolsters. The "hafting" process.
Edit: Ken snuck in, before me.
Also...welcome to AAPK

[Mumbleypeg]

Here is a link to a post with a video explaining the manufacturing process for Case pocket knives from beginning to end. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=45848&start=75#p570124

Hafting is one of the last steps, just prior to sharpening the blades. Hope this is helpful. The bone handle slabs were uniformly dyed initially, then attached to the scales with rivets, then hafted (think "sanded") to remove bone from the slabs where it extends beyond and above the metal parts (bolsters and frame) of the knife. Otherwise there would be a ridge where the bone sits higher than the adjacent metal (you sometimes see this situation on cheaply made knives). As bone is removed, the color changes where the dye has not penetrated into it. You'll typically find this to be the case on any handle covers made from natural material like bone, stag, etc. Note that the jigging pattern of the bone has been hafted away near the bolsters as well. That is also typical.

If you want handles having uniform color for some reason, you'll probably have to get a knife with synthetic material for handles. When synthetics like plastics or acrylic are made the dye is mixed in before it sets up, so the dye color is more uniform throughout.

Welcome to AAPK by the way!

Ken

[Colonel26]

Looks perfectly fine to me!

Nothing new will ever look as good to me as old XX era red bone or old Rogers bone. However, to my eye, of the new bone colors CASE now uses the Amber bone is my favorite. Good looking knife you have there.

[jerryd6818]

Welcome to AAPK.

Look at some German knives, some Italian knives and some of the older Japanese knives. Some of those are hardly hafted at all and the bone stands extremely proud of the bolsters. Another example is Case stag handle folders. They haft the majority of the stag's character off and you end up with a product that sometimes doesn't even look like stag.

You can see it on this Italian Automatic. The handle stands proud of the bottom bolster (top bolster in the picture is the bottom bolster on the knife). Left click on image twice to enlarge it to full size.

[Steve Warden]

First, welcome!

I have 4-5 of the Case Amber Bone, and like others have said, what you have is the norm.

[1967redrider]

Welcome to AAPK.

Look at some German knives, some Italian knives and some of the older Japanese knives. Some of those are hardly hafted at all and the bone stands extremely proud of the bolsters. Another example is Case stag handle folders. They haft the majority of the stag's character off and you end up with a product that sometimes doesn't even look like stag.

You can see it on this Italian Automatic. The handle stands proud of the bottom bolster (top bolster in the picture is the bottom bolster on the knife). Left click on image twice to enlarge it to full size.

That always looks "unfinished" to me and seems to be the norm on this pattern (stiletto), both with manual opening and the autos. Not a fan but I do have several just like that, so it must not bother me that much or I wouldn't buy them.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I think it is interesting when the dye fades out - and it is not just Case that does this. Check this Ka-bar:

And here's a Case Peanut:

[Mumbleypeg]

I think it is interesting when the dye fades out - and it is not just Case that does this. Check this Ka-bar:

IMG_20180205_194548.jpg

And here's a Case Peanut:

IMG_20180104_201911.jpg

I agree. Some interesting colors are brought out during hafting. One of the things that makes handle covers of natural materials unique and distinguishes one knife from another. How much the dye penetrates into each handle slab varies depending on the density of that particular piece of bone, stag, wood, or whatever. Another factor is how thick the piece is - the thicker it is, the more material has to be removed when the hafting operator tapers the handle slab to make it fit the knife. Every knife Is different. “Viva la difference” (or however you spell it).

Ken

[Moman01]

If you have a small butane torch you can very carefully darken the slabs

[Doc B]

If you have a small butane torch you can very carefully darken the slabs

I will say I have had success with a torch, on a couple of occasions. The following link shows where I rehandled a knife in camel bone and wanted to work some subtle brown, in with the blue and cover up some of the white. A light touch with the flame and the blue pigment essentially vaporized or disintegrated...leaving a halo of no blue at all. I was forced to torch the entire thing. You'll also see, as you get closer to the bolster, the metal prevents it from "browning" as fast, taking away some of the heat and leaving a line of less darkened bone.If you continue to torch and heat the metal, you risk affecting the temper on springs and blades. I consider this one of my worst results of any torching experiment...and personally won't do it again.
IMHO I would not do it to the OP knife...it is a very nice knife
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=61603&hilit=camel+bone

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Dye is not case's strong suit these days.

[Mumbleypeg]

Dye is not case's strong suit these days.

Not sure what you mean. I don’t care much for some of the colors but otherwise the dye looks the same to me. Hafting is obviously done differently in the past 30 years or so versus what was done in the old days, resulting in a “beefier” handle, but that has nothing to do with the dye. Thicker bolsters are the cause of that.

Ken

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Not sure what you mean. I don’t care much for some of the colors but otherwise the dye looks the same to me. Hafting is obviously done differently in the past 30 years or so versus what was done in the old days, resulting in a “beefier” handle, but that has nothing to do with the dye. Thicker bolsters are the cause of that.

Ken

I mean that their dye usually comes out too light. Maybe some people like that but I don't.

The hafting is definitely inferior to what it used to be but that's not what I was referring to.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

Who the heck is buying that "Ultra Violet" bone? It's just my humble opinion, but you REALLY need to be a hard core Case-ite to plunk down $60-$80 for those knives. I guess when you cater to the collector market, you have constantly discontinue previous good sellers and look for new ground to plow, but jeez...

[Mumbleypeg]

I don’t like many of the new bone colors either. TFL, I agree with you on the purple “ultra violet”, which I think is hideous. I guess they’ve given us choices to either like, or complain about. However, with a quick trip to the Shepherd Hills web site you’ll discover Case still makes plenty of darker bone colors including the “old red”. One of the newer ones I do like is the crimson bone, which appears almost black with some deep dark red where it’s been hafted. But I’m sure there are those who won’t like it. If so they don’t have to buy it! FWIW I’m not real fond of chocolate ice cream, either.


The days of one bone color at a time are long gone, and probably never coming back. For some reason I suspect the Case marketing folks are making what sells to today’s customers - at least I hope so for their sake, and the sake of American cutlery manufacturing and all those folks gainfully employed in Bradford.

Ken

[treefarmer]

This is an interesting thread. The different colors of the older Case knives such as green bone are so attractive but if I recall correctly, green bone was the result of dyeing problems. Personally I’m not turned on by the extreme colors that are being offered. I mentioned in another post a few days ago that Shepherd Hill offers over 100 different handles just on the full size trappers. There’s something for everyone!
Treefarmer

[royal0014]

In this day and age of plastic/synthetic everything
we should be surprised that bone is still an option .. .. ..

[AR Norby]

I have new Amber bone Cases and 20 year old Amber bone, all look the same. The fading towards the bolster is a normal result of the hafting not a product of QC.

[doglegg]

In this day and age of plastic/synthetic everything
we should be surprised that bone is still an option .. .. ..

You got that right Chris.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I will publicly state my dislike of "bone-like" names given to synthetic handles, or "stag-like" names given to bone handles. If it is stag, then say it is stag. If it is bone, then say it is bone. "Bone Stag" is just wrong. Case is actually much better about this than some of the other old brands that had "Cabone", "Frontier Bone Stag" and "Delrin Stag".

[treefarmer]

TFL, on the Kabar, what material are the handles made from?

I think it is interesting when the dye fades out - and it is not just Case that does this. Check this Ka-bar:

IMG_20180205_194548.jpg

And here's a Case Peanut:

IMG_20180104_201911.jpg

Treefarmer

[Mumbleypeg]

I will publicly state my dislike of "bone-like" names given to synthetic handles, or "stag-like" names given to bone handles. If it is stag, then say it is stag. If it is bone, then say it is bone. "Bone Stag" is just wrong. Case is actually much better about this than some of the other old brands that had "Cabone", "Frontier Bone Stag" and "Delrin Stag".

I agree, but cutleries have played “fast and loose” with the term stag for a long, long time. “ Bone stag” has been in common use for decades. Collectors just learn the meanings of such terms used by the brands they collect. For example old Remington catalogs show descriptions “bone stag”, “composition stag”, and “genuine stag”. I have old catalogs from Western and Keen Kutter, having descriptions calling jigged bone “bone stag”. These are just some examples I happen to have handy. Most others did the same or similar.

Ken

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

TFL, on the Kabar, what material are the handles made from?

I think it is interesting when the dye fades out - and it is not just Case that does this. Check this Ka-bar:

IMG_20180205_194548.jpg

And here's a Case Peanut:

IMG_20180104_201911.jpg

Treefarmer

TF, I'm not sure - I took that picture some time ago and I will have to dig that knife out of the pile to look at it with a loupe. I didn't pay very much for it (the blades are pretty messed-up) and I would guess it is synthetic.

Ken - I know the mfrs have been doing it for many decades - I do love reading the old catalogs and seeing the marketing creativity. Camillus was pretty entertaining - they had "Cabone", "Plastag" and "Brownstag" - and they also had "Indian Stag", which was also synthetic. It might be entertaining, but I still think it is wrong!