Affordable White Bone or Expensive Mammoth Ivory?

CDHumiston

CDHumiston

KNIFE MAKER
I'm at the point I need to decide what scales to put on my full tang Damascus Bowie knife.

I have a decent set of bone scales and a very nice set of Mammoth Ivory.

As you can see in the photos I'm going to lose 1/4" of handle if I go with the Mammoth...

The Mammoth Ivory is going to drive the price up considerably because they were $200.

What says the crowd?

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The mammoth looks better to me.
It might be a good idea to go ahead and etch your blade so you can compare handle materials with the finished blade.
 
For me, it would all depend on the intended buyer. For example at a dedicated knife show with a large expected attendance mammoth ivory would likely appeal to buyers and would be more likely to sell. The bone still looks great and it could be offered at a lower price. Lower price would be a factor at for instance a gun show. I am sure you have already considered those factors.

Another thing I would consider were it to come from my shop, would be the level of fit and finish I was able to produce. The difference for me would be I wouldn’t want to put $200 handle scales on a knife that would otherwise sell for $150-$200, and have to price it at something like $500.

This does not directly apply to you or your work but I am going to get it off my chest anyway. It drives me nuts to see guys put scales worth several hundred dollars on a knife, thinking that it makes the knife desirable. New makers will slap some mastodon molar on a prison shank and try and convince folks it’s a quality knife. Fit and finish to me make the terms at which a price can be set, not the materials used. If you can produce a very high quality and hence valuable knife, why not step up the game and use something exotic and expensive on the handle? But for me the knife would have to look and feel just as good wearing ponderosa pine. End rant.
 
Kev said:
For me, it would all depend on the intended buyer. For example at a dedicated knife show with a large expected attendance mammoth ivory would likely appeal to buyers and would be more likely to sell. The bone still looks great and it could be offered at a lower price. Lower price would be a factor at for instance a gun show. I am sure you have already considered those factors.

Another thing I would consider were it to come from my shop, would be the level of fit and finish I was able to produce. The difference for me would be I wouldn’t want to put $200 handle scales on a knife that would otherwise sell for $150-$200, and have to price it at something like $500.

This does not directly apply to you or your work but I am going to get it off my chest anyway. It drives me nuts to see guys put scales worth several hundred dollars on a knife, thinking that it makes the knife desirable. New makers will slap some mastodon molar on a prison shank and try and convince folks it’s a quality knife. Fit and finish to me make the terms at which a price can be set, not the materials used. If you can produce a very high quality and hence valuable knife, why not step up the game and use something exotic and expensive on the handle? But for me the knife would have to look and feel just as good wearing ponderosa pine. End rant.
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I completely get that. The guard is fitted on now and it's a great fit. The Damascus on this blade is also very nice and not cheap. I guess the proof will be in the pudding when the knife is completed...
 
Don't decide until the blade is etched. It's your decision but I think that the dyed bone goes better with that blade as it sits now. I agree with Kev, Don't put those scales on the blade just to increase the sales price. It might not happen.

Doug
 
Doug Lester said:
Don't decide until the blade is etched. It's your decision but I think that the dyed bone goes better with that blade as it sits now. I agree with Kev, Don't put those scales on the blade just to increase the sales price. It might not happen.

Doug
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I'm more afraid I'll want to keep it if I put the Mammoth Ivory on it.

Here is some horn I have as well.

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Kev said:
I’ll second that. The lines are off. I like it when the line where the handle meets the guard continues on to the blade.
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If that's the case, I'll need to reshape the guard. The tang on the blade is the exact width as those Mammoth scales...
 
CDHumiston said:
If that's the case, I'll need to reshape the guard. The tang on the blade is the exact width as those Mammoth scales...
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It could easily be the angle of the photo or any other of a thousand optical tricks.
I think either way it will make a nice when your all through.
 
I would try to dye the bone scales and trim them down to fit the tang more and reshape the guard a bit. With RIT dye or something, you may be able to imitate the darker color of the Mammoth? I usually save the higher end materials for when someone orders it that way and order the materials when needed instead of being tempted to use high end stuff on something not yet sold. I bought a set of camel bone scales for $70 many years ago and used a 52100 blank and when it eventually sold, I just about covered costs on the knife, so I didn't really make anything on it. I have made some higher priced knives than my normal and they just seem to sit and not move!

I agree with the pricing question. I don't use super high end handle materials typically unless it's custom ordered that way because most of my work is 300 or less and adding scales like that would almost double the cost of the knife! I have a hard enough time selling stuff in the 150-300 range! Your work looks extremely good, so you can probably get more from it with the Mammoth scales, but for me, I would hold off on them until someone is looking for something like that! It really depends on your customer base.
 
I agree with Taz, don't use the high end stuff unless it's an order. At least with lower cost materials on a handle it isn't such a big deal if you have to sit on it for awhile.

For the expensive types of scales, when I have a client interested in a knife I show them different mockups, pricing, and let them pick. That way I haven't committed to something that may not sell for awhile or another client see's the first knife and says I want those scales but on a different knife style.
 
Taz575 said:
I would try to dye the bone scales and trim them down to fit the tang more and reshape the guard a bit. With RIT dye or something, you may be able to imitate the darker color of the Mammoth? I usually save the higher end materials for when someone orders it that way and order the materials when needed instead of being tempted to use high end stuff on something not yet sold. I bought a set of camel bone scales for $70 many years ago and used a 52100 blank and when it eventually sold, I just about covered costs on the knife, so I didn't really make anything on it. I have made some higher priced knives than my normal and they just seem to sit and not move!

I agree with the pricing question. I don't use super high end handle materials typically unless it's custom ordered that way because most of my work is 300 or less and adding scales like that would almost double the cost of the knife! I have a hard enough time selling stuff in the 150-300 range! Your work looks extremely good, so you can probably get more from it with the Mammoth scales, but for me, I would hold off on them until someone is looking for something like that! It really depends on your customer base.
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Thanks for the detailed reply. The bone scales are just lying on the tang for a color comparison. I do think I'm going to need to shape the guard a little different but that should be easy.

I'm going to think on it a bit more. I may keep it if I go high end. I'm going to have to ask too much if I use the mammoth...
 
Don’t forget you can always add a spacer between the guard and scales. It can be simple or detailed to compliment the mating.
 
Any suggestions on keeping the Ferric Chloride off the brass guard when dipping the blade? I was thinking Vaseline or something.
 
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