Never buy knife handles from a color blind dealer

[just bob]

Last week I made it down to Lexington, KY to their annual knife show. Had a great time and met a lot of really nice people. Found a dealer with a lot of knife supplies and bought several things from him including matched sets of knife handles that were taped together. Thought I got a really good deal on these and was anxious to use some. A friend stopped by today and had hit a yard sale over the weekend and got a decent knife with a broken handle. We talked and I agreed to put a set on for him. He picked through the handles I bought and showed me the ones he wanted. I actaully discovered why I got a good deal on these at the belt sander after I had cut the handles to fit. I checked to see if there was another mismatched set like this and there wasn't, so just decided to go ahead and pin it down. Didn't do the final finishing yet. I think I will tell him I made him one of those magician's knives with a different colored handle on each side. Decided to post this for a laugh.

[wazu013]

Don't feel bad I actually have 2 different knives from Case that have Green bone scales that look entirely different only I didn't get a deal Just like your's, light and dark. I've been blaming a blind hafter I'll see if I can get some pics up for a laugh

[wazu013]

Here's some pics. The single blade 51 isin't as bad as I remember or maybe the sun has helped me out Before you guys start telling me to send them to you nevermind. I'm going to list them on Ebay as one of a kind Protos that I got from my dead cousin and I really know nothing about knives so there will be no returns and shipping is 20 bucks. Did I cover everything?
wazu013

[orvet]

I think the concept of matching handles is fairly new idea fed by the industry’s use of uniform plastics in the last half of the 20th Century.

If you look at older knives, WW II and older you will often find they handles are several shades different in color. Matching was not a priority; remember these were tools not pretty things that guys collected. I mean really would you be bothered if the handle of one screwdriver was slightly different than another one of the same brand? I made a living for years out of a tool box full of mismatched tools, not all the same brand, color, etc; the important thing was that they were quality tools that did the job they were designed for.

Look at some of the Rogers bone knives made for WW II, especially those made by Pal Blade Co. It sometimes appears that matching the color of the handles was purely by accident.

Part of the problem is that bone is a natural product and the density can vary which effects how the dye is absorbed, which in turn effects the final color. I have noticed that when I have dyed bone myself. The exact same process can produce vastly different results. That is true of antler as well as bone.

“Green Bone” is one of the hardest ones to match IMHO and probably a hard color to create with a dye job. I look at a lot of so-called “green bone” knives and think; “well, maybe in the right light….”