Attn cutlers/knife men/knife handle material, why not use wild briar root?

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John Gryphon

John Gryphon

Well-Known Member
After reading SM`s article on stabilised scales I think that although the WB doesnt need stabilising it would go very well on WB.

I have posted about this knife previously, made for me by old mate Rupert (dec).
The handle wood came from Spain from a wild briar root of a large size.
Its a great looker from a shaggy old plant.
Q is, are there wild briar root balls of sufficient size and hardness in the UK to utilise also?
Pics are old and poor but you will see enough I reckon to arm yourself with a shovel.

briar root handle.webprups knife briar rose.webp
 
John Gryphon said:
Does it tell me anything re knife scales?
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Two things maybe to consider..?

Briar wood often has tiny air pockets, which can be filled with dirt and small stones while it grows underground. These holes won’t be noticed until carving has begun, so some cheaper briar wood pipes, and those made by machines will have fills in them.

As such, a briar wood pipe with no fills visible tends to be an indicator of high-quality briar wood. Other signs of good quality briar wood include having a tight uniform grain, and a wood pattern that contains both straight and swirly grains.

Briar wood is naturally porous, which allows it to absorb the oils and moisture that are produced when tobacco is burned in it. This helps to keep the smoke cool and dry, making for a more pleasant smoking experience.

I'd suggest these are not things solely attributed to Briar though, these are considerations in most/all natural timber.

You are back to stabilising and depth of resin penetration.
 
Mate, I cant say specifically as I have never worked with wild briar root, but based on the different woods I have used to date, I feel that the majority benefit from stabilisation. Something really dense like Gidgee will last well without being stabilised. But otherwise I am leaning towards having it done on almost all wood. I just handed over a few kilos of wood - virtually everything I had on hand - to a local guy in Vic to stabilise for me.
 
RifleTuner said:
virtually everything I had on hand - to a local guy in Vic to stabilise for me.
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including my offerings of a varied nature?

There are many knives around the world with wooden handles that have been in use forever it seems in some cases, now its as if we need stabilised wood.
 
I am getting the olive wood stabilised. It looks great, but its a bit soft and seems more prone to cracking than I like.

For course we dont "need" stabilised wood. We dont need stainless steels either, but I prefer it for ease of use vs carbon steels. I feel much the same way about stabilised wood. I love the look of wood, and I love the practicality of synthetics. Thats basically what stabilised wood is.
 
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