6233 SS - What is this handle material called?

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I'm a noob to Case collecting. I have acquired the little 6233 SS pen knife shown below. Can anyone help me identify what this handle material is called? Is it bone or synthetic, and if it is bone, what is this color called? Thanks!

http://tinypic.com/m/jrzcds/3

[Railsplitter]

Looks like Brown Jigged Delrin. The "as ground" finish on the blades would also support that theory.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

What had me confused is that I wasn't aware there were synthetic handles that have the two-tone staining. All the pictures of brown Delrin knives I have been able to find have been plain brown - do they come both two-tone and mono-color in Delrin?

[Railsplitter]

What had me confused is that I wasn't aware there were synthetic handles that have the two-tone staining. All the pictures of brown Delrin knives I have been able to find have been plain brown - do they come both two-tone and mono-color in Delrin?

I think the answer is yes. I have at least one Case knife at home that I'm 100% certain has Delrin handles and it also has the two-tone coloring like yours. I don't have access to my pics here at work. Otherwise I would provide an example.

[jerryd6818]

Edit: Explore the Tips & Tricks forum for all kinds of handy tutorials and posts. In fact, explore all the AAPK forums. Interesting reading and it will help you familiarize yourself with the Forum.

Edit - Edit: You show the pile side of the knife. On the mark side, does the knife have a shield? If so, Delrin® and bone have slightly different shields.

It's the hafting that causes what you are referring to as "two toned". Delrin® tends to not carry the surface color completely through the slab. Difficult sometimes to tell from a picture but I agree with Rick that it's Delrin® as evidenced by the handle "bubbling" around the rocker pin where it's been spun and the Delrin® got hot.

The way to tell for sure is to get one of these. Under $2 on eBay ---> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat= ... pe&_sop=15

Avoid these. They're a waste of money and worthless.

This how to tell the difference. Look for the haversian canals (spots where the blood and nerves ran through the bone) which will only be in real bone.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

Thanks for the help. Here's a few more pictures - I did the best I could with the poor lighting I have, so I apologize in advance...

It certainly looks like Delrin to me - the edges seem far too uniform in color to be a natural material.

[Railsplitter]

It think your last photo pretty much clears things up. One of the reasons that I like Jigged Delrin is the color of the smooth portions. There is something about it that I find soothing. Your knife has those soothing smooth portions that I like so much.

Jerry mentioned above that the shield can be an indicator. That's true but it can get confusing.There was a period of time when Case used shields without a circle around the word Case to indicate that the handle slabs are Delrin. The trouble with that is that there was also a period of time when they used the circle on Delrin handled knives. Your shield has the circle but I still think it's Delrin. It just has that look.

To add to the confusion, many of Case's Delrin handled knives have what Case calls "As Ground" blades. It refers to the type of finish on the blades. It's not a polished finish nor is it a satin finish. It's supposed to mean that the blade finish is left as is after the grinding process is completed. Your blades appear to have the as ground finish which, while not conclusive evidence, is a good indicator that the handles are Delrin.

Now that I've bored you with all that, I'll add one more comment. If your knife was my knife, I would be 100% certain that the handles are Delrin unless I was proven otherwise.