All About Pocket Knives

whaler in stag & powderhorn in elephant ivory. tried to show the very fine stripes in the ivory but could;nt catch it. the cuban castro also had a limited issue in the ivory. please show your own goodies.--HiPower

is that a crack in the stag?

Good looking knives. Thanks for sharing!

looks like the whaler has a problem--only a minor inconvience to return it since the distributor has a triple a reputation. only glitch was the long wait to obtain this model since the stag supply in this size was interruputed.---HiPower

WOW HiPower!! Sweet knives, that is one BEAUTIFUL piece of stag on that #46.
I like the Ivory too, but those large slabs of stag are killer. I would be confident that any fracture/crack
in that stag is more than stable and adds to it imo, WOW!!

IM

That is a valley line that shows in deeper stag scales. It is neither stress related nor goes to a pin / etc. But sounds like you picked it up from a stand-up guy, that would replace it asap

knifeswapper wrote:That is a valley line that shows in deeper stag scales. It is neither stress related nor goes to a pin / etc. But sounds like you picked it up from a stand-up guy, that would replace it asap

Never heard it called that?

You have never seen lines that run below valleys in textured stag? From a cross-cut it would be easier to see; it does not go through the stag and many times can be buffed right thru. But it is recognizable because it is not a stress line and does not go thru a pin.

Lifted a couple pictures of other examples from the AAPK stores.








Some companies shy away from them because there are those that don't want a natural looking piece of stag. But GEC uses stag without a bunch of over-processing to make it look fake and buffed down.

What do you call it

I call it a crack because I've had some of the ones I've put on knives I've made to open up when subjected to wood heat in the house during the winter. Very very minute when it does, but it does. Come spring it will swell back just a little and closes back up and look like what you are describing.

Any time I've come across those spots I always put a drop of super glue at the very end of the crack unless it is on the edge where the bolster meets or edge of handle. then I replace with a better piece.

I'm not trying to knock GEC or any other company....just saying what I've had happen to me before with knives I've made. I've never had one to develop more than just being able to feel it when you run your fingernail over it......but that is enough for me to know it is a weak spot and needs fixed either with super glue or replacing if at the end.

But then most people ain't as anal as I am when it comes to what I consider to be acceptable pieces of handle material when dealing with stag....

Again, not trying to flame GEC or anyone.....just asked a question.

I guess if a slab is still green enough to expand/contract enough to cause a true stress crack; what you say would make sense. But I have cut stag myself, handled thousands of raw cut slabs, and seen my fair share of knives. And a natural line not only does not generally go all the way thru the slab, as to affect stability, but does not change in size / form. I have put pins directly through natural lines and they would not become unstable even with the pressure of peening. Just a natural occurrence like a surface shelf in a slab of pearl....

Some of the knives I have pictured above have some age on them, and you can tell nothing has changed as there would be a discernible difference in the interior color of the line.

But, perception is reality. One thing I have learned is that what one man sets down at a show have will two men fighting over it in a few minutes. If we all liked exactly the same thing, our collections would be a lot smaller

I totally agree with you Mike on everyone have their own perception.

All of the stag material I'm referring to has been purchased from the knife supply companies I have bought my supplies from. I've had all types of things happen with stag......but like I said most of it is minute and most people wouldn't even notice it. Like I said, I'm just anal when it comes to stag that I put on something I'm putting my name on.....and again, most people wouldn't even notice the small changes I'm talking about.

I remember having a piece similar to what you have shown in your post that didn't go all the way to the end nor through the depth of the piece. I accidently dropped the knife on the floor that had one of what you are calling a valley in it and when I picked it up the valley had extended clean to the end of the handle! That was when I realized it could crack and why I have always called it a crack. Would it have done that without the force of the drop? Probably not. But after that I call them cracks and handle them as such. If it doesn't go to the end or off the edge I simply drop a single drop of super glue in it when finishing to stablize it from further damage. May not be necessary but again...I'm just not going to trust it.

Not trying to or wanting to fight about it......just asked a question.

It is good that you take your product so serious. I suspect if Case, Queen, GEC, et.al. were to re-define raw materials such that any piece that might sometime in the future be a problem if abused were a cull, factory knives might get a little pricier.

I'm not saying that a natural line might not be the weakest grain in stag or a pearl shelf; such that accidental abuse would cause it to open there. Most wood knives will split with a figured grain if they are going to split, but that doesn't mean I want mine without figured grain.

But with everything else being equal; why not have one in the display that you are perfectly happy with. That is the advantage to our hobby; most are courteous and understanding of such preferences.