Ironwood EDC

[bg7m]

This is one of my favorite knives that I make. It is about 6 3/4" overall length, 1/8" thick 52100 with acid finish. Ironwood scales that can be removed for cleaning. Thanks for looking, Buddy

[dlpierson]

Graceful and clean. I like it.

[Chris Waldon]

Looks good! I must confess, I thought ironwood didn't exist. What kind of wood is it?

[azmike]

Chris---Ironwood grows in Az and down thru Mexico (maybe other places too) very dense and in a lot of places its either protected or working that way.......

[Chris Waldon]

Where does the name come from?

[johnptc]

its heavy dense and hard :)

[pkrankow]

Is that cocabolo or lignum vitae? Both are very dense and resinous and favored for hardness, durability and rot resistance, but cocabolo sometimes will float, and lignum vitae sinks always. I have been trying to get lignum vitae for YEARS. I know that the navy used blocks of lignum vitae on pre-nuke vessels as water-cooled, water lubricated propeller shaft bearing material, but the specialty wood dealers I have worked with have been unable to even get recycled bearing, and there are restrictions to import fresh lignum vitae.
The knife is lovely and looks like a nice size for many outdoor activities. Possibly the only change would be some nice cut checkering at key positions in the wood to improve grip as any resinous wood that can be called "ironwood" won't raise grain when wet and will become very slippery.
Phil

Edited July 11, 2009 by pkrankow

[HWooldridge]

Is that cocabolo or lignum vitae? Both are very dense and resinous and favored for hardness, durability and rot resistance, but cocabolo sometimes will float, and lignum vitae sinks always. I have been trying to get lignum vitae for YEARS. I know that the navy used blocks of lignum vitae on pre-nuke vessels as water-cooled, water lubricated propeller shaft bearing material, but the specialty wood dealers I have worked with have been unable to even get recycled bearing, and there are restrictions to import fresh lignum vitae.
The knife is lovely and looks like a nice size for many outdoor activities. Possibly the only change would be some nice cut checkering at key positions in the wood to improve grip as any resinous wood that can be called "ironwood" won't raise grain when wet and will become very slippery.
Phil

No, it really is ironwood - not something else. I've picked up small pieces in years past while vacationing in AZ.

Ironwood Information

WoodenUKnow Desert Ironwood olneya tesota(It's WOODEN, you know!)

[Rich Hale]

Iron wood from AZ and mexico is just that a real dense hard wood that can have straight grain or as a burl many lines going all different ways wnd with many different browns, darkish reds and even into yellow colors it is neither the two woods you mentioned just desert ironwood.

[pkrankow]

Wow, that is an impressive material. It is NOT used in marine applications because it is not available in large pieces. I made some traditional sailmaking tools years ago, but did not encounter this wood in my research and inquiries. I ass/u/me(d) that it was something else. My apologies.
Phil

[longhunter]

Thats real nice realy like the look of it !

[panzertank27]

man i gotta find some ironwood.

[rokshasa]

very sleek looking piece , love the curves!

[anvillain]

Panzertank: I live in Illinois, I have quite a bit of ironwood on some land I have. It would be great for knife handles and such. Look up an article from Iowa State University to get the lowdown on it. My forester advised me to cut them down to make way for oak and hickory to grow. Since finding out more about it, I've decided to let them grow, except for those that are
too thick. The only problem with it is that it doesn't get very large, (like for sawlogs). The largest one on my place is about 6" dia at the base. I'm drying some now, but it is showing some sign of cracking or splitting. It IS like iron: hard, strong, heavy. Anvillain

[johnptc]

Panzertank: I live in Illinois, I have quite a bit of ironwood on some land I have. It would be great for knife handles and such. Look up an article from Iowa State University to get the lowdown on it. My forester advised me to cut them down to make way for oak and hickory to grow. Since finding out more about it, I've decided to let them grow, except for those that are
too thick. The only problem with it is that it doesn't get very large, (like for sawlogs). The largest one on my place is about 6" dia at the base. I'm drying some now, but it is showing some sign of cracking or splitting. It IS like iron: hard, strong, heavy. Anvillain

i thought it only grew in the desert ???

cover the ends with wax to reduce rapid moisture loss

[anvillain]

johnptc:

Thanks for the tip on waxing the ends. I'm sure that will help. I don't know if this the same as what grows in the desert. It is plentiful in Westrn Illinois and Iowa. Probably other places too, but I don't know for sure. Anvillain

[kevin (the professor)]

Nice differential hardening and etch, if I am seeing things right. Good work. I like it. I have a ton of ironwood growing on a farm in Texas, if anyone wants to buy a farm!

thanks for sharing the knife. it is high quality.

[MattBower]

"Ironwood" is a name that has been applied to somewhere north of a hundred different species of trees.

I assume the scales on this knife are desert ironwood, which is an extremely slow-growing, dense, hard species from the Sonoran desert in Arizona, part of California, and Mexico.

The Illinois ironwood is probably hophornbeam. You might have some sort of hornbeam going there in Texas as well, Kevin. Or any number of other things (including mesquite).

Nice knife!

Edited August 14, 2009 by MattBower
misspelling!