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Stabilized Scales

I noted your post on 'stabilizing'. I was wondering, how do you tell if the piece of wood, horn or bone you have in your hand has been stabilized? Jim

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by SkyDog on June 23, 2011 at 5:33

Stabilizing involves soaking the object in (typ) acrylic plastic so that the plastic fills all the pores and voids of the (typ) porus material. Observe the object at 7x-30x with a jeweler's loupe magnifier and see if any small cracks, fissures, knotholes, etc are filled with clear or colored acrylic. Stabilizing is found rarely on horn, infrequently on bone and it should be found on most wood, and all of spalted woods and burls.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 23, 2011 at 16:47

Skydog,

Great to have you back and thanks for the info. I know when we buy Buffalo horn scales to work with we always look for stabalized and it is almost a must on wood as you said. The process is used to keep the scales from shrinking and warping. I had not thought about a jewlers loop. That would be an easy way to tell. I have a lighted magnifying glass I use to look for the fill.

Jim, thanks for asking. Are you looking at stabilized on the knife or are you putting togeather a knife?

Permalink Reply by James Fry on June 23, 2011 at 23:27

Yes Ma'am. I'm putting two knives together with my grandsons. It seems as though they enjoy the same politically incorrect pursuits as their grandpa. In the past, on the several knives I've made with wooden hilts, I've used an old technique from small boat building called W.E.S.T., Wood Epoxy Saturation Technique. Although handsome, looks were secondary to a bullet-proof finish. Now, I'd like to do it right. I would assume anyone selling 'stabilized' scales on ebay or such would have it stated in the copy and anyone not stating stabilization, I would assume aren't stabilized?

SkyDog. You mentioned spalted wood. Does stabilization kill and seal the fungus in spalted wood? Or should I still wear protection? I work with Diamond Willow and try to do any finishing of that stuff outdoors.

Permalink Reply by SkyDog on June 24, 2011 at 0:09

Seems reasonable that the heat and acrylic would eventually kill the fungus, but those unicellular life forms are noted for being able to survive. The stabilized scales you'd get would probably be fresh enough to harbor some fungus? I'd wear a respirator.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 24, 2011 at 17:35

James,

Check this site, www.suppliesshipfree.com. We bought some very nice stabilized peices from him at the Blade show. Incredible quality and he does his own stabilization under the label Wood Labs. Always a respirator working with the horns and bones, the spalted...I would at least wear a mask. Donnie has never had a problem with it but as Skydog said those are pretty tough spores.

This is a peice of the spalted we picked up from him

Permalink Reply by stephen tungate on June 24, 2011 at 18:23

jan i like that knife beautiful scales....

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 24, 2011 at 18:25

Thanks Stephen, the more he works with that spalted the more I like it. Hows your newest coming along. what scales are you working with now?

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 28, 2011 at 19:33

James,

Any thought on what sounds good?

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 8, 2011 at 17:44

James,

How are the knives coming along? Did you decide on a handle?

Permalink Reply by James Fry on July 8, 2011 at 23:50

Hey Jan. Since it's the first knives I'm making with my grandsons, I figured we'd keep it simple. We'll be starting them this coming Tuesday, sooner if we have bad rain. I got a couple 'Gladiators' from Mr Metzger, (attached bolsters) and we'll use black linen micarta on these. For me, there's a bowie pattern patch knife. I've got a set of jigged bone scales that should come out looking like stag. If they show a continued interest, we'll go on to bigger and better. I've done some nifty things in the past, but with the passing of Mr. Engnath, some of the neatest designs ever available to the non-metalsmith seem to be gone forever.

Jim

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 9, 2011 at 17:32

James,

I agree that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find creative designs for the the non-metalsmiths among us that still want to create knives. Can you share the site you found those on? Those do sound like some nice plans though and I am willing to bet at least one of them gets the "fever" with this project. Let us know how it goes and we would love to see pictures please.

Permalink Reply by James Fry on July 9, 2011 at 21:38

Hey Jan. The blades came from Mr. Metzger at PremiumKnifeSupply by way of ebay. The several scales and rods I'll use were liing around. As for pictures, I don't know. I might have to wait for the nine year old to learn how to do it so's he can teach the Neanderthal (me;-)