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Some pictures of what you have would be helpful. Did it break off at the handle or come out of the handle? What material is the handle made of?
I have an Oneida flatware knife that came apart. It has the rounded hollow pistol grip handle. The blade has a stub/key that goes in the handle. Both the handle and blade are in good condition. There seems to be a clay-type substance in the handle that degraded. That must have been the adhesive and weight for the handle. What is that clay?
Bone handle knives are good to the bone, including some of the latest blades made today.
Bone is one of the earliest materials used on knife handles, becoming a high art during the early and mid-1800s when the factories in Solingen, Germany, and Sheffield, England, were peddling their wares to eager American consumers. When tariffs on the old-world manufacturers were imposed in the waning years of the 19th century, U.S. manufacturers gained a toehold on the domestic pocketknife market, and by the early 1900s were in high gear. Bone was the most prominent and popular handle material in those days—and remains among the most prevalent, if not the most prevalent, to this day.
Many offerings by pocketknife manufacturers are graced with bone scales, and custom knifemakers use it frequently on both fixed blades and folders. BLADE® went inside the knife industry to find out why bone remains such a dominant handle material on today’s knives.
Where’s the Bone?How To Make A Bone Handle For The Knife Set
Most bone used on knives is bovine—that is, from cattle. When you think about how much beef is consumed annually in this country, you have to believe there’s a whole lot of cow bone available. There is. We asked proprietor Joe Culpepper of Culpepper & Co.—a large wholesale supplier and processer of all types of handle materials to both factories and custom artisans—about the importance of bone on his bottom line.
“Cattle bone constitutes 98 percent of our total bone sales, with camel and giraffe being the remainder,” Joe says. “The overwhelming majority of the cattle bone that we use is from South America, although it is available in nearly every country that has a beef industry.
“We find that cutlers, both factory and custom alike, lean heavily toward browns, ambers, reds, oranges, blacks and other colors that are more conservative. This is probably a bit truer for the custom makers than manufacturers. As for surface texture, we sell a lot of the more traditional jigging patterns that resemble patterns used before World War II. Approximately 60 percent of our sales are to factories, custom knifemakers the other 40 percent.”
Joe indicates he has seen an increase in demand for bone in recent years and, along with it, an jump in prices.
“As with anything, costs are always rising. The cost of jigging, polishing and cutting bone is nearly always a product of labor costs, which is somewhat predictable. Coloring is a different story,” he notes. “All of the dye components have risen exponentially in recent years.
“As far as overhead goes, we have to buy the raw material, have it shipped to our processing plant, treat it, cut it into scales, bleach the scales, sort for characteristics, identify outliers, texture and jig the bone, stack it into vats, color with dye, and test and document a sample before we make the final product available to the industry. There are also hundreds of other smaller processes involved, but these are the major things.”
While jigged bone is the most popular, Joe has seen an uptick in stag or carved bone patterns made to simulate deer antler.
“Most of our varieties of our carved stag bone have seen a rapid increase in popularity in recent years,” he says. “This is primarily because of the ban and scarcity of genuine stag. To my knowledge, we made the first variety of carved stag bone in the 1980s. It was made based on a Delrin [a type of thermoplastic] sample. Carved stag bone is popular in a variety of colors including amber, green, and various shades of brown and orange.” While smooth bone is still popular, it lags behind the jigged and carved varieties—but it does have the advantage of being laser etched and scrimshawed.
A Case Study
“Bone handles have always given Case knives their distinctive look and feel,” begins Fred Feightner, Case marketing coordinator. “While all of our handle materials cycle from time to time in terms of consumer favoritism, bone remains our most popular. Right now we are using our traditional cattle bone, the same we’ve been using for generations. Beyond that, some of our synthetics, woods and shells, like mother-of-pearl and abalone, continue to be very popular.”
According to Fred, Case handles its own jigging and color-dying processes. “We receive the bone in smooth slab form, then do all of the work needed to turn it into beautiful Case knife handles—including jigging, dying, drying and cutting to size. There are costs implicit in our manufacturing plans as the bone is sometimes stored before it goes to the production floor. The slabs also need enough time to take just the right color shade before being moved to assembly operations.”
Feightner sees no let-up in the popularity of bone handles in the near future.
“Bone is such a traditional knife handle material. It remains among our top sellers at Case, which is probably true of most makers of traditional folding knives today. Even with all the new handle materials that continually enter the marketplace, there’s still something special about the way a bone handle completes the look of a Case knife. We see demand for traditional folders to continue to grow, especially for Case knives, as our distribution and reach continue to expand into new markets.”
Tried and True
Steve Koster is an American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith who specializes in traditional fixed blades, most featuring his exquisite handforged damascus as seen in the English-style bowie on page 37. It sports a forged 1084/15n20 feather-pattern damascus blade and a boxed-frame handle topped with thick jigged bone scales.
“I do not jig or dye any of my scales. I get most of them from various manufacturers and suppliers at knife shows,” he states. “The cheekbone scales on my English bowie came from Tru-Grit. I picked through the whole box to find a nice matched pair with a fine jigged pattern. Some of the jigged-bone patterns are not uniform so I have to spend time selecting a matched pair of scales to fit the tang or frame.”
Though Steve uses a wide variety of handle materials on his knives, bone finds its way onto a healthy percentage. “I do about two out of 10 knives with bone scales,” he says. “I like using natural handle materials, and bone has been used for knife handles for hundreds of years. It is very durable and I really like the look of anything natural or antique looking on handles. Natural cow bone, camel bone or any of the ancient bones can be used as they are, or can be stabilized.”
Koster opts for bone with a traditional look. “The imitation stag I don’t care for,” he notes. “I prefer bone that has been picked or jigged, and also bone sanded smooth with a natural finish.”
Rest Assured
The tactical end of the cutlery industry (page 12) has ruled the roost for many years—and with it synthetic handle materials such as Micarta®, G-10 and carbon fiber—but traditional knives (page 12) still garner a sizable segment of the market. If you’re one of those who appreciate old-school pocketknives and fixed blades, rest assured—the factories and custom knifemakers have your back!one is one of the earliest materials used on knife handles, becoming a high art during the early and mid-1800s when the factories in Solingen, Germany, and Sheffield, England, were peddling their wares to eager American consumers. When tariffs on the old-world manufacturers were imposed in the waning years of the 19th century, U.S. manufacturers gained a toehold on the domestic pocketknife market, and by the early 1900s were in high gear. Bone was the most prominent and popular handle material in those days—and remains among the most prevalent, if not the most prevalent, to this day.
Many offerings by pocketknife manufacturers are graced with bone scales, and custom knifemakers use it frequently on both fixed blades and folders. BLADE® went inside the knife industry to find out why bone remains such a dominant handle material on today’s knives.
This article appears in the May 2016 issue of BLADE Magazine. Click here for a one-year subscription!
Keep Reading:
After the hunt and the deer has been quartered and butchered, don't discard the bones. Deer bones, including the antlers, are useful for a variety of purposes. Native Americans used deer antler-bones to make knife handles. Make your own custom deer bone knife handle from your deer, giving you a piece of field gear with a history. Clean the bine properly and prep the bone for the cuts and design of the knife handle.
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ReferencesAbout the Author
A former Alaskan of 20 years, Eric Cedric now resides in California. He's published in 'Outside' and 'Backpacker' and has written a book on life in small-town Alaska, 'North by Southeast.' Cedric was a professional mountain guide and backcountry expedition leader for 18 years. He worked in Russia, Iceland, Greece, Turkey and Belize. Cedric attended Syracuse University and is a private pilot.
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What is red pick bone?
Pickbone or pick bone was a common material for knife handles. It is usually the shin bone of a cow dyed in various shades. A texture is picked or jigged into the bone surface. This style of picked / grooved / textured knife handle is called pick bone.
Knife with bone handle logo crown with q under?How do you cut a t bone steak?What kitchen knife is best for cutting through bone?
Always use the right tool for the job. In this case you are asking the equivalent of 'What is best, a spoon or a butterknife, when I want to remove my oil filter?'A knife isn't the tool for this job. Your options are: use cleaner, This needs skill and may crack or break the bones .. or cut you on the rebound or slip a bone saw for big thick bones get a butcher to… Read More
Name the tools and weapons of early man from stone age?
The tools name of early people were: 1. Simple hand axe. 2. Boring tools. 3. Simple knife. 4. Bone harpoon. 5. Hoe 6. Bone needle. 7. Stone/Loom weight 8. Polished handled axe.
How do you make a knife out of bone or rock?
For a bone knife: 1. Smash the bone with a rock 2. take the biggest piece 3. sharpen the bone with a rock 4. take some string and wrap it in around the bone for the handle 5. sharpen the bone again 6. test it and see if it can cut string if it can then you've just made a bone knife For a rock knife: 1. take a flat rock but not to small… Read More
How long is the sitrrup bone that is in your ear?
The stapes bone in middle ear is roughly one tenth of an inch. Is is very delicate and can be broken very easily if not handled carefully.
What is the bowie knife made from?
The blade is steel and the handle is either wood or antler bone.
In Supernatural what is engraved on Ruby's knife?
Its blade is inscribed with symbols and the handle is wood or bone.
Processes used to make a Stanley knife?
well it depends on the type of stanley knife. with the stanley utility knife no.199 which is a fixed blade knife uses die casting to make the body of the knife and the blades are stamped out and sharpened.
How do you make a pencil sharpener?How do you make a sentence with the word knife?How do you make as sharp as a knife into a sentence?
Do not touch the broken glass, it is as shsrp as knife.
How can you make a potato not stick to a knife?What is the value of a 357 colt trooper bone handled?
100-500 USD depending on condtion, box, accessories, manual.
Which is safer a sharp knife or a dull knife?
It is said that using more force than necessary can lead to an unsafe condition. All knifes need to be handled by people who respect the damage that can be done with them. Never cut towards yourself for instance.
Is cartilage soft and delicate?
Cartilage is softer and more delicate than bone, but it is still a tough and durable connective tissue. Cartilage can generally be cut with a knife, unlike bone which is very resistant to knife cut, but you generally cannot peel or pick at cartilage to get small pieces off.
How do you make fire with a knife?
You can use the knife to create sparks from flint to start a fire.
Can you light flint with a knife?
No. You can scrape a knife against the side of the flint to make sparks.
How do you make an ordinary steel knife into a stainless steel knife?What is a filleting knife used for?
A fillet knife is used to cut meat away from bone, often on fish. FilletKnifeHQ.Com is designed to help you find the best fillet knife, reviewed and rated by our editors and the real customers, based on reliability, performance, customer service and price.
Why people use iron to make a knife?
I think you can it is a metal, But you should be able to use it for a knife.
I own a JA Henckels Knife no 1780 marked on the blade It looks like the handles are Black Bone with no shield. What is the age of this knife?What is the value of super bowl 20 case xx knife?
The case Chicago Bears two blade pen knife in case in mint condition with the red bone handles and 1972 date is 275.00
What bone marrow is used in a bone marrow transplant?
the purpose of the bone marrow is to make up the bone
Why knife sould be handled correctly?
As simple as this question is, I will answer it for you. A knife that is misused can cause injury to one's self, as well as others. May cause death in cases. Example: You handle butter and cannot properly grip the knife, your hand slips as you attemp to cut a carrot and you slice open your hand, causing a gaping wound that requires medical attention.
How many cells make up a bone?
The number of cells in a bone depends on which bone and the size of the bone itself.
How did the term pen knife come into being?
A penknife, or pen knife, is a small folding knife originally used for cutting or sharpening a quill to make a pen.
What is thecomposition of bone calcium and phosphorous?What is osetogenesis?
The word means a process to make bone. osteo=bone +gen=make +esis=a process.
What are tiny units that make up bone?
The tiny units that make up bone are called osteons.
What makes the femur the strongest bone in your body?
the strenght of the bone and the bone marrow is what help to make ur femu the strongest bone
What does spongy bone lack that compact bone has?
Spongy bone has holes in it that make it strong, but compact bone doesn't have any holes in it.
What are the four layers that make up the bone?
Compact bone Bone Marrow Outer Membrane Spongey Bone ~Hope this helps:)
How do you make lacrosse mesh soft?
What I usually do is get a lacrosse ball and wherever i want to make a pocket or the mesh to be soft i just hold the lacrosse ball in my hand and hit there with the ball. or there is a trick called the ball and knife. first you put the ball in the spot where you want the mesh to be soft or to make a pocket and get a metal knife and… Read More
What knife do you use to cut carrots?
I use a thick bladed 9' chefs knife. Always chop hard vegetables with a rocking motion to the knife. Set the point of the knife down to the cutting board and use this point as the pivot for the knife, rocking the blade up and down. NEVER chop by lifting the knife off the board and chopping down like an axe, this will dull the knife in no time, and is dangerous, as a slip… Read More
Is raccoon penis bone made of ivory?
The raccoon penis bone or baculum and the eye teeth of the North American elk are both ivory. Properly handled and preserved the raccoon penis bone makes a wonderful medium for intricate or fine scrimshaw work and results in a beautiful piece that can be worn as jewelry.
How you do make a cut on your self?What is the substance in the bone that make the blood cell?What part of the bone if removed will make the bone flexible?What tissue make bone cells?Can a 3 inch pocket knife knife make a 5 inch chest wound?What is a hero edge on a knife?
Estnod 12.1.31 product key. Hero edge is a knife company. They make some good tactical black knive/swords.
How does someone use an electric carving knife?
To use an electric carving knife, first make sure the slicing blades are secured in the blade opening. Delete invdividual users from migration batch exchaneg. Next, make sure the knife is either plugged in or has working batteries depending on the model. Lastly, hold the electric knife, press the power button and carve your item.
How do you make black food die?Can you make a knife out of spider silk?What words can you make out of the word knife?How do you make a paper throwing knife?Can you carve a turkey with a cordless knife?
Yes you can certainly carve a turkey with a cordless knife. make sure its charged and sharp and make sure that your hands and fingers are out of the way of the blade
What seven bones form the bony orbit?
These are the seven bones that make up the orbit of the eye: Frontal bone Lacrimal bone Ethmoid bone Zygomatic bone Maxillary bone Palatine bone Sphenoid bone
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