Picasso Marble

[M&J]

D'Holder used it quite a bit in his day. I was talking with other local makers about handle materials and it varies. I've liked stone because it is different among many makers. The one side is the weight.

Went through some of my accumulation of Picasso marble and selected these for possible use. Not sure which one yet. I like the browns but the slabs on top have nice definition and crisp lines.

Your pick?

[Ray Rogers]

If the handle is large enough to use most of the scale then I think I'd prefer the bottom set. On a small knife I'd choose the upper set.

A customer of mine insisted on Malachite scales on a large folder I made for him. I warned him of the weight and the probability that the scales would be damaged if the knife was dropped but he insisted. The knife was back in my shop for a scale replacement two weeks after delivery. I charged him half the original price of the knife for that replacement . . .

[M&J]

I'm leaning towards the top picture using the larger slabs. Looking for some other slabs with a creamy brown to them. The handle scale size is about 3.5" and about 1.25" wide.
This is the piece it is intended for:



Ouch on the malachite piece. That is a pretty stone!

I've dropped a few and have had some fracture while working: tiger eye, charoite and agates. Bought several cuts of charoite and have yet to get any on a knife, they keep fracturing.

[Crex]

Top set reminds me of a duck hunt I went on once. Pretty rock. I've done a few with jade and a few with amazonite, labrodite, and turquoise. Lot of final fit and polish with stone. Got rid of most of my lapidary equipment a good while back so don't do much stone work any more. Rather be moving steel with a hammer these days.
Please post a pic when you get her suited up.

[M&J]

Have these slabs which are also some possibilities:

[Crex]

I still go through rough and slabs at the local mineral show, sucker for pretty stone (and pretty wood). Just don't have the time to do it all. Used to run out of spit at the first table so started carrying a squirt bottle. Now most vendors have sb's on their tables. Stone can be amazing.

[M&J]

Fitted them this evening. The intended ones I cut into a void so those were not usable. Wound up using a different slab:

[Crex]

Gonna be right purdy!

[M&J]

Epoxied it up and when the clamps were removed discovered that one of the scales shifted so that resulted in a gap. Was hoping to heat it up, slide it out and re-epoxy after some clean-up.
Nope, it fractured.

Get to do the whole routine again. This will be the 4'th set of scales cut for this knife. The first ones were crazy lace agate which while shaping chipped-fractured out below the bolster. Cut the first set of Picasso marble short due to my positioning the template off so the ones shown were the 3'rd set of scales.

Told my buddy I'm REALLY FRUSTRATED with this knife now. I've F'd scales before but on the 4'th...that's a new record to not be proud of.