damascus knife

[lab]

8 1/4" ova length 4" blade. 150 layers. don't know what kind of wood the handle is.

[bigfootnampa]

Nice knife! The handle looks like Cocobolo or some other in the rosewood family. Be careful of those woods as they are known to cause severe allergic reactions. Inhaling the dust is worse than handling them but either way they are significantly dangerous woods.

[lab]

thanks for the info. i got several pieces of scrap given to me from a cabnet shop. don't know what most of them are. i seal my handles with tung oil 2 or 3 coats

[gearhartironwerks]

So, here's what I think about anyone who attemps making a knife...good for you and more power to you! This is not an easy endeavour, and as such, thanks for posting your efforts. It's not important where you start or how much you know, we (me) appreciate seeing the work and effort going into the project and the posting as such.
I've been lurking and not contributing...I'll try to do better. For those who post, thank you.
John

[bigfootnampa]

I think that one is most likely one of the "other Rosewoods" (Not cocobolo). They are still in the risky category as woods go but cocobolo itself is exceptionally dangerous. I read about a flute turner in NYC who brought a logs worth of cocobolo blanks back from his vacation in the carribean and the first flute that he made of it caused such a violent reaction that it ruined the career of a young flutist... he turned the rest of that log into nightsticks for NYPD customers. Expensive clubs!