Black Walnut Dirk Handle

[rsvpiper]

Anywho.......... cudos on the work dude

[Tobus]

Beautiful!

I too like Black Walnut. In fact I have a roughed out rifle stock in English Black Walnut to eventually be used for an 18th century German jaeger rifle project

I've refinished several stocks from black walnut, and they are among the most beautiful stocks I've ever seen. They were fairly commonly used up until a few decades ago, not only for their beauty but for their strength. Nowadays you really don't see too many stocks made from walnut any more (and the ones you can order are very expensive). I'm told that this is because the "old growth" black walnut has been all used up.

At any rate, walnut is a fine wood and the dirk looks great!

I'd suggest planting it in a pot, and when it grows into a sapling big enough to transplant, plant it for good in the woods somewhere. As it grows up and bears nuts of its own, the squirrels will "plant" them all over the woods and in several years they'll have a new walnut grove and permanent food supply.

I'm fairly certain that walnut trees take several decades to actually bear nuts. They are a very slow-growing tree and must mature before they produce. So I wouldn't get in any big rush to make plans for this walnut grove to seed itself!

[Kilted Carver]

Thanks for all the kind words, and now I know about the downfalls of planting walnut trees! I get more educated everyday.

[Bugbear]

Actually, it's my understanding that walnuts and black walnuts can be coppiced, so could provide wood indefinatly. I'm sure they probably have whole forests of broad stumps over in Europe.

I love the texture of the black walnut after it has been given a satin finish with no laquer.

[scotchmaster]

Very nice indeed sir...

[ChattanCat]

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The black walnut is beautiful. I have cleaned up after a black walnut. Husking the fruits and cracking the nuts. A little cleanup will produce a nice wood, and I think it is worth it.
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[Bugbear]

Hmmm, black walnut cromach...

[Kilted Carver]

I also like the non-plastic feel of wood. Thats why I use one or two coats of satin poly, then finishing wax. I let the wax dry, then buff with a boot brush, then one or two more coats. The last one is buffed with a diaper.

BWalnut cromach........hmmm, very interesting.

[Bugbear]

Ya, I even like the hardwoods finnished with000 steel wool then 7000 wet and dry, or something like that, then left raw. Guess that might not work out for a knife handle, though.

I've got the trunk and branches of a mesquite I cut this year. It'll be drying for a year or so, but parts of it might become a cromach or something like that.

[Donnie]

Hey KC,
I really like that dirk. I'll trade you this for it!