All About Pocket Knives

May have found out the name of the "shrinky-dinky" handle material used so often on the CAMILLUS knives. I found this listing for a CAMCO knife with those shrunken handles and the seller refers to them as GUTTA PERCHA, and he may be correct. See definition here:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gutta-percha
What think ye all??

No, not Gutta Percha.

Oh well Always digging and trying to discover

Here is an interesting and informative read on the subject if anyone is interested.

http://www.plastiquarian.com/index.php?id=42

Gutta Percha does not shrink, at least as far as I know.

Here's the reason I say that. This is an antique Smith & Wesson revolver in a gutta percha case. That case is now well over a hundred fifty years old. Looks like it was made last year.

Charlie Noyes

thanks guys for these interesting facts on g.p. the early use for golf balls really popularized golf. i imagine some razors incorpulated handle material of g.p. HiPower

Does anyone know if things made of gutta percha were ever any other color besides black?

Wow. I have lurked this forum for a couple of years, and have never posted because I haven't had anything to contribute. But I have to say how refreshing it is to learn so much from listening to well-posed exchanges between polite, well-spoken adults. Don't get that much, anymore.

jerryd6818 wrote:Does anyone know if things made of gutta percha were ever any other color besides black?

The article posted by Miller Bros talks about different colors ranging from creamy white to red to black, depending on the harvest location and purity of the resin. Don't know why though, if you have the white resin that it could not be colored. May be a reason, don't know.

rustyblade -- Even though you're not exactly a "new" member I'd like to welcome you to posting on AAPK. The things you mentioned are what encouraged me to stick around here at AAPK.

Me too Welcome Rusty

Yeah, stick around. If we can put up with Okie (reddirtknives), we can put up with anyone.

ALSO
Gutta percha is the material dentists use to fill root canal teeth. Comes in pink and a off white color. Very stable and will give a good seal long term to the apex of the root of a tooth.
I know......been using the stuff for forty years!

Paul

Sounds like you're a dentist, Paul.

I have seen photos of century old revolver grips made of Gutta Percha and they still look good. Makes me wonder why everyone stopped using it.

I guess that still leaves tjmurphy's question unsolved.

Mel, like everything else humans touch, they used it until it became almost extinct.

jerryd6818 and reddirtknives:
Thanks, guys.

A grip from a Forehand & Wadsworth revolver.

Personally, I wish this material was still available.

Did a Google Image search for "Antique Gutta Percha".

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sit ... Tp5GyB8Zug

Fascinating results.

Photo will expand.

Charlie Noyes

Well, I may have made an incorrect observation, but it certainly turned into an interesting thread

It was interesting Murph !!! Here is a pic of my 113 yr old Marble Safety Axe Gutta Percha
grips, they look like they were made yesterday !!!
Webster Marble begain using this material in 1899
I saw a Ideal with Gutta Percha scales go for over 6000 bucks at a auction bout 5 yr ago
Will

tjmurphy wrote:Well, I may have made an incorrect observation, but it certainly turned into an interesting thread

Thanks for your mistake TJ,you did us all a favor.I had always thought(before Google) gutta percha was some form of rubbery stuff all black.
Good thread..

For the curious and studious:

http://books.google.com/books?id=XNvNAA ... es&f=false