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  #1  
Old 01-15-2009, 05:31 PM
AAA1 AAA1 is offline
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Dymondwood

Sorry if this is the wrong thread to post this under. I am working on a 7'' pigsticker for a friend out of an old 68 nova leaf spring. It's ready for the temper, but I need a scale material. I was going to use some nice tight-grained maple flooring, but my friend mentioned he liked cocobolo(which I have no experience with). Some guy sells a matched stabilized set for like 6:50, but I need to make an order to jantz anyways. Jantz sells "cocobolo dymondwood"-whatever that is. And they also have real cocobolo(not labeled as stabilized, but possibly so?). So, what is dymondwood and is it highly water resistant? And does jantz usualy sell stabilized wood. I'll e-mail them on that if ya'll don't know. Dymondwood??? Thanks for the help.
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  #2  
Old 01-15-2009, 08:16 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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The catalog lists diamond wood as dyed American hardwoods, so I'd say that it is not authentic cocobolo. It is resin impregnated which means that it is saturated with a plastic material. Which means it's impervious to darn near everything and absolutely stable. The cocobolo wood that they list is not stabilized, and being that it is of the rose wood family, I don't know that it can be stabilized. It may be too oily but people who have used it will have to fill you in on that. Remember that stabilization is not the end all and be all of handle material. There have been wood handle that have stood up to hard daily use for years without being stabilized and some woods just are so hard and/or so oily that they don't need stabilization. Some woods and some other materials do benifet from the process or even unsuitable for handles if not stabilized.

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  #3  
Old 01-15-2009, 08:36 PM
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I wrote a stabilizer earlier today and he did mention cocobolo is too oily to stabilize, yet I have seen places on the net where they sell "stabilized cocobolo". Another knifemaker I know told me that dymondwood should never be used, but was too busy to write me why(I'll pursue him further). The dymondwood does suit the look I want, though. Do you think that normal wood would take on that wood hardening solution they sell at the hardware store? If I had it under vacuum/pressure? Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.
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Old 01-15-2009, 09:32 PM
Hukk Hukk is offline
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Cocobolo is very oily and not usually stabilized, but I have seen some. Cocobolo is a rosewood but not all rosewoods are the same. I threw a few pieces of Tulipwood (a true rosewod) in a batch of woods that I sent to K&G for stabilization and after 2 years the Tulipwood looks just fine; the wood is not weeping at all!

I have had other woods that were oily that weeped badly after stabilization. Thuya Burl weeped badly and I put it in a toaster oven at 200 degrees F. until it stopped weeping. It took about 30 hours over a week period. It's been at least a year now and the wood is fine to use. Still has the stabilization smell when cut and no longer weeps even when kept on a window sill. So, the oven bake cured the problem. However not all woods benefit from stabilization.

Dymondwood is not something I care for, it's a laminated product and I always wonder about delamination.


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  #5  
Old 01-15-2009, 09:58 PM
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My first instinct would be to shy away from laminates also, but look at micarta! It's basically laminated sheets and tough as nails. I think I may try some of this wood hardener on a set of raw scales.
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Old 01-15-2009, 10:08 PM
chris moore chris moore is offline
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i dont like dyamondwood simply because it looks and feels "cheap" if you like it the good for ya but it dont suit my taste.


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  #7  
Old 01-15-2009, 10:32 PM
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Dymondwoods were popular about 15 years ago. The Pakistani and Indian companies that made junk knives caught on to that, and next thing you knew the cheap stuff was showing up with laminated wood handles. It's also sometimes called pakkawood.

But don't knock it, especially for a knife meant to see some use. I wouldn't put it on a show knife or anything intended for a collector. But, it is tough wearing stuff. Years ago when I first started out with putting handles on kit blades I used some rosewood dymondwood from Koval's (now merged with Jantz). I put it on an old Marbles Ideal. I still use that knife, 15 years later, and it doesn't have any scratches or dings in it, and I've dressed a lot of deer with that knife over the years.

You have to use caution any more when someone claims that they are selling stabilized woods, especially on Ebay. True stabilization completely impregnates the wood with an epoxy resin. Some will coat the wood with some kind of chemical compound that might work fine on the surface, but doesn't penetrate completely. And some are also just out and out liars--anything to make a buck.
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Old 01-15-2009, 11:10 PM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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Dymondwood is a good, tough handle material. My favorite is the indigo with black ink between the layers. I use is now and then on users.

However, the statement made above about it's reputation as being cheap, is very true. You can't sell a knife with a Dymondwood handle for half what you could if it had genuine Cocobolo, even if the costs of the handle materials were the exact same.

Cocobolo is too oily to be stabilized properly. A lot of ebay sellers and the like are soaking wood in sealant or putting them under pressure with the same stuff (which scientifically does absolutely nothing) and selling it as stabilized. Once you sand away the outer 1/16" you have effectively 'unstabilized' it to whatever degree it ever was stabilized.

Go with cocobolo and you'll get a great handle which polishes beautifully and last for generations. It's very affordable as well.

If you go with Dymondwood, avoid the crazy theme-based 'circus' color schemes. Get something more natural or monocromatic. It will also polish well and last for generations.

Have fun.


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  #9  
Old 01-16-2009, 07:38 AM
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By the way--on that rosewood Dymondwood that I used on that Marbles knife--the laminations were pretty thin, which is a good thing, as it came out looking like straight-grained wood. Like Andy said above, if you intend to sell the knife, then go with cocobolo. If it's for you (or a friend that isn't particular) then the Dymondwood would be okay, especially if you think the knife will see hard use.
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  #10  
Old 01-16-2009, 04:52 PM
Craig B. Craig B. is offline
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It's really a shame that dymondwood/pakkawood has gained the reputation of being cheap. It's really a fantastic handle material that will hold up to just about anything you subject it to under normal use. Takes a great polish, and water doesn't affect it.

But, like the others said, once pakistan and china started using it it lost it's appeal for handmades.

I never liked the circusy looking colors, but the solid colors looked good on knives. Especially the camo green colors.

Oh well, once china starts putting mammoth on Rough Riders us custom makers will just have to use dymondwood! LOL!


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  #11  
Old 01-17-2009, 12:35 AM
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Yeah, I am not even going to polish the blade past 350 grit and maybe a light tripoli buff. I want my friend to use it, but he is just so impressed with how it's looking I doubt he will. Plus he loves his buck knife so well I'm not sure he'll have enough confidence in my blade to use it as a backup while bow hunting trophy swine. I don't think that the color I was looking at buying looks cheap, unnatural, or laminated, so if it'll last and is water proof it's going on there! I just finished up my junk knife my master smith had me make when I first started working with him last year. Hopefully I can post some pics(sorry if that is off topic, but I am so excited how the corian handles buffed up!) Thanks again!
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Old 01-17-2009, 07:17 AM
brucegodlesky brucegodlesky is offline
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Keep in mind that ya see laminated woods on many custom rifles. If it was junk, it wouldn't be used for that purpose.
At one time I was buying scraps from the son of a local gunbuilder.


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  #13  
Old 01-17-2009, 08:20 AM
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The difference there is between a utility rifle and a fine hunting rifle. Laminated rifle stocks can play an important role in rifle accuracy, whereas if the choice is between laminated wood or stabilized burl on a knife handle, the difference in performance is nil, while the difference in appearance can be tremendous.

I love the laminated stock on my Savage varmint rifle, but I'd never want to see one on my Mannlicher-Schoenauer.
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  #14  
Old 01-17-2009, 04:01 PM
Hukk Hukk is offline
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Laminated woods make excellent rifle stocks that are not prone to warping when subjected to varying conditions in the field. I have owned several over the years and they are beautiful as well as reliable.

I guess I should have been more clear on my comment on laminated wood - Frostwood, cheap Chinese and Pakistani knives with colorful laminated wood handles come all to quickly to my mind. I may be mis-judging Frostwood since I never actually held or used one, so that comment may be out of line as far as it's ruggedness is concerned, but some I've seen do put a hurting on my eyes.

Judging from the feedback I've seen, Dymondwood is likely a good product and I may try it on a fillet knife in the future - a good durability test I think. I usually perfer natural or stabilized woods (not everything should be stabilized).

I need to let some of those Pakistani flea market and yard sale knives be a thing of the past because they do not reresent the manufacturing methods that Dymondwood uses.

Thanks for the feedback!


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Old 01-17-2009, 08:20 PM
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Back in the late 80's, Winchester had a version of their Model 70 they sold as the Ranger. It had 3 different laminated stock options--plain laminated, brown/tan laminated, and brown/green/tan.
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