Grumpy knifemaker

[Muskox]

I don't know how gun and knife businesses in Australia and New Zealand deal with the criminimal beauracracy that is there.

 

[nztimb]

From my work years ago Red Stag antler is too soft & with huge pith/core, some of the Asian Deer have tougher antlers & Sambar was the go to Antler world wide & I supplied a few guys in the old days .

I think one was Chamberlin in Alaska he made & swapped me antler for the most awesome knife but went against my request & hollow ground the blade & I put a little buckle in it first time out when I had to cut a walking stick for a injured hunter !

If the antlers are large enough (And some are) Rusa is close, Sika can be but not many are big enough from NZ, the antlers I got from Hokkaido would be close but I have none spare to cut up ?

If the leg bones are still in the shed (its a maybe as my bud sends to a carver) & I get back over to Africa I will stick one or two in my bag so you can do a couple more may be ?

I wish we had some Ivory here as I have a .577 Webley Revolver I want to fit grips to, I found some Mammoth Ivory & that can be exported & Imported, most of it is cut into knife grip sizes & unfortunately not much of it is White Ivory color having mineral staining I think ?

I can get excellent resin ivory in S and R grades

Resin-Ivory™ "R" Grade Knife Scales Slabs​

Resin-Ivory™ "R" Grade Imitation ivory for knife handle scales. Resin-Ivory™ is the highest quality imitation ivory we have seen,worked or handled - ever.
This material works just like real ivory with conventional tools and takes a high polish by buffing with white jewelers rouge on cloth or felt wheels/pads. One needs only sand with 400 grit wet/dry paper and then take it to a buffing wheel. Glues to wood with white glue and to other materials with super glue or epoxy. This material is also the best imitation ivory we have scrimshawed. There is no squishiness when scriming and there is no bleeding of the ink into unwanted areas as seen on other imitation ivories. It works like ivory, polishes like ivory and scrims like ivory!

Resin-Ivory+S™ "S" Grade Knife Scales Slabs​

This page features the Resin-Ivory+S™ slabs. The Resin-Ivory™ R Grade slabs have grain that is pretty and looks like real ivory.These +S grade slabs have a more vivid grain throughout each slab and they have the Shreger lines in the end grain - hence the +S designation. The Shreger lines are those forming the herringbone pattern as seen in the end grain view of real ivory. The +S slabs have a quarter sawn ivory grain as opposed to the regular Resin Ivory slabs that have a wave grain.
This material works just like real ivory with conventional tools and takes a high polish by buffing with white jewelers rouge on cloth or felt wheels/pads. One needs only sand with 400 grit wet/dry paper and then take it to a buffing wheel. Glues to wood with white glue and to other materials with super glue or epoxy. This material is also the best imitation ivory we have scrimshawed. There is no squishiness when scriming and there is no bleeding of the ink into unwanted areas as seen on other imitation ivories. It works like ivory, polishes like ivory and scrims like ivory!

 

[Sarg]

Looks interesting & excellent for grips I would say, this is a expensive Revolver (more than I could afford bit like any doubles I have but I just do with out some thing else) to keep the value up & justify the cost of getting them fitted & checkered I was thinking I had to use real Ivory ?

But you have me thinking more on it & if I get some more cash any where (I need to sell my huge 12 Bore Double Rifle) I could look harder for some Whiter Mammoth Ivory & that would suit a .577 pistol as both are extincted !

 

[Randy F]

They had the exporters email to contact and I have sent them links to the stabilisers with the home page sowing that the process has the resin infused at 4000 lb pressure then baked for 24 hours. The wood is as innert as a block of plastic so they are willingly ignorant. There is no way they can treat it that can have any effect

Why stabilize with K & G?

K & G is the leader in the industry when it comes to stabilizing with over 30 years of experience. We are the original custom stabilizers for the knife industry. K & G has two different chemical solutions to stabilize with depending on the hardness/denseness of your material. A thinner solution is used to ensure penetration on materials such as ivory, horn, stag, bone and any hard or oily woods. Our thicker solution is used on woods that are softer and less dense. The thicker solution will make your original piece of wood double or nearly double in weight therefore providing a more durable piece of material to work with while bringing out the true luster of the figure in your wood. K & G’s process is done under pressure up to 4000lbs. This ensures full penetration of your wood/material. After your wood/material has been impregnated it will be cured for at least 24 hours. At this point your wood/material can be worked on whether it is a knife handle or some other application.

Maddening

 

[PerH]

Sad to hear that, i heard from a UK knifemaker he had gotten parcels of knives returned by customs in US due to the knife handles was mommoth. Apparently they are treating mammoth like ivory ,so he said uncertain future for it sadly.

 

[Sarg]

Sad to hear that, i heard from a UK knifemaker he had gotten parcels of knives returned by customs in US due to the knife handles was mommoth. Apparently they are treating mammoth like ivory ,so he said uncertain future for it sadly.

That's informitve & bad news, is the sale of Mammoth ivory endangering the Extincted Mammoth, the bloody fools !

 

[NE 7x57]

That's informitve & bad news, is the sale of Mammoth ivory endangering the Extincted Mammoth, the bloody fools !

Indeed, wouldn't want the great wooly mammoth to be hunted into extinction by people looking for ivory. They should apply the same vigilance to the trade in saber tooth tiger parts before those great cats no longer walk among us.

The idiocy of bureaucrats worldwide simply knows no bounds. It's hard to know if they're stupid, corrupt, evil or all the above.

 

[CBH Australia]

Indeed, wouldn't want the great wooly mammoth to be hunted into extinction by people looking for ivory. They should apply the same vigilance to the trade in saber tooth tiger parts before those great cats no longer walk among us.

The idiocy of bureaucrats worldwide simply knows no bounds. It's hard to know if they're stupid, corrupt, evil or all the above.

Possibly stupid. I have worked in government departments.

Unfortunately the downside of all this is that it's impacting on our interests, one bite at a time.

They haven't got our guns yet but they are restricting the knife trade.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Been a run of circumstances lately that have me gritting my teeth in annoyance and frustration. Going to have to be some changes on my website in next few days.
Will have to delete the giraffe bone as that has been a very expensive lesson in the vageries of the customs people. They have got downright ruthless over the last six months and there is no understanding thier lack of understanding or talking sense to them either even with cites clearance from Africa and the US
First shipment of bone was held up and doubled the price it cost to get past inspections but I thought I would return the cost with ongoing shipments that would spread out the cost but that proved to be wrong as one package was "lost in transit" and two have been confiscated so that is the end of the Giraffe bone with the last two knives with it as scales shipped being a Safari knife and the A H EDC both sent last week .
Two weeks back I have had to re-order a "lost in transit" package with a large lot of belts and resin ivory handle scales that I had been waiting on and over the last few days have been in discussion with customs that a shipment of STABILISED handle blocks of beautiful wood have been held up and even after an explanation of what stabilising consists of they have decided it needs treating for black rot which is the spalted blocks so many of you like.

Authority Conditions:

Importer to advise MPI of decision to treat at FPT4, reship or destroy for suspected black rot.

MPI sticker # 120525
The wood cannot be cleared until it is either treated which will incur a fee of $250NZD upwards, be reshipped back to the sender OR destroyed.

Please advise how you would like to proceed –

I am simply going to have to increase my prices as I can not keep covering these losses in transit or fees due to import restrictions adding to the cost of the materials.

Not the best way to end the week.

Bastards!

 

[Dr Ray]

I was looking at a giraffes bone handle knife VG makes/made
I thought it looked really nice and honestly I thought I’d get VG to made one
Bugger!
I cannot think if any bone that could be substituted for giraffe bone. Maybe camel bone will come close or for a slender hand Kevin thinking if Australian wild donkey bone.

 

[Dr Ray]

Further to my previous posts I think a giraffe bone substitute has to be something from a hunted wild animal
This then has a story to the handle
Personally I think a camel that was hard hunted is more exciting than a domestic cattle beast that was slaughtered
Like famous paintings - it’s the story behind the finished product and if VG does use say Australian camel bone, it would be nice to have the brief details of the hunt in the knife literature
Just a thought

 

[nztimb]

Further to my previous posts I think a giraffe bone substitute has to be something from a hunted wild animal
This then has a story to the handle
Personally I think a camel that was hard hunted is more exciting than a domestic cattle beast that was slaughtered
Like famous paintings - it’s the story behind the finished product and if VG does use say Australian camel bone, it would be nice to have the brief details of the hunt in the knife literature
Just a thought

While the cammel bone would and does make a good handle the difference is that the giraffe is primarily an Sfrican trophy hunted animal and has that allure for handle material.
It would be interesting to see what the reaction may be from the membership to the offering of cammel bone and where it may be sourced in its natural form rather than the dyed and commercialised form it is seen on the knife handle supply outlets.

 

[Dr Ray]

All of these comments are valid. But; getting giraffe bone is obviously the issue. Hence my suggestions.

 

[nztimb]

All of these comments are valid. But; getting giraffe bone is obviously the issue. Hence my suggestions.

If you know someone who is hunting them I would be happy to come to an arrangement/trade to try a couple of pieces and see if there is a market for them

 

[Dr Ray]

How about a little survey ??

 

[nztimb]

How about a little survey ??

Bone knife handle option

With its cites designation there has been a stop on getting giraffe bone for knife handles and it has been suggested that camel bone may be an exceptable alternatve for those seeking a good bone handle.

www.africahunting.com

 

[Hunter4752001]

In relation to the giraffe bone seizures, did they give a reason? Was it an alleged CITES issue or a quarantine issue? Does NZ have an avenue whereby these type of decisions can be independently reviewed ie an Ombudsman or similar? Another avenue may be to meet with your local MP and show him/her/it your products and the difficulties caused by the bureaucrats. (Public servants definitely don't like having their activities reviewed. Their bosses like it even less.)

 

[nztimb]

In relation to the giraffe bone seizures, did they give a reason? Was it an alleged CITES issue or a quarantine issue? Does NZ have an avenue whereby these type of decisions can be independently reviewed ie an Ombudsman or similar? Another avenue may be to meet with your local MP and show him/her/it your products and the difficulties caused by the bureaucrats. (Public servants definitely don't like having their activities reviewed. Their bosses like it even less.)

Unfortunately the local mp is leftist labour party member so there is no love for anything we hold dear. The bone was siezed without explanation and no acknwledgment. I only found out after the fact from my agent who had sourced it for me.

 

[Hunter4752001]

From what I've read, giraffe were recently listed on Appendix 2 under CITES. As I understand it, Appendix 2 species can be internationally traded with the correct paperwork. May not help with the shipments already seized, but may be worth exploring for future shipments.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Been a run of circumstances lately that have me gritting my teeth in annoyance and frustration. Going to have to be some changes on my website in next few days.
Will have to delete the giraffe bone as that has been a very expensive lesson in the vageries of the customs people. They have got downright ruthless over the last six months and there is no understanding thier lack of understanding or talking sense to them either even with cites clearance from Africa and the US
First shipment of bone was held up and doubled the price it cost to get past inspections but I thought I would return the cost with ongoing shipments that would spread out the cost but that proved to be wrong as one package was "lost in transit" and two have been confiscated so that is the end of the Giraffe bone with the last two knives with it as scales shipped being a Safari knife and the A H EDC both sent last week .
Two weeks back I have had to re-order a "lost in transit" package with a large lot of belts and resin ivory handle scales that I had been waiting on and over the last few days have been in discussion with customs that a shipment of STABILISED handle blocks of beautiful wood have been held up and even after an explanation of what stabilising consists of they have decided it needs treating for black rot which is the spalted blocks so many of you like.

Authority Conditions:

Importer to advise MPI of decision to treat at FPT4, reship or destroy for suspected black rot.

MPI sticker # 120525
The wood cannot be cleared until it is either treated which will incur a fee of $250NZD upwards, be reshipped back to the sender OR destroyed.

Please advise how you would like to proceed –

I am simply going to have to increase my prices as I can not keep covering these losses in transit or fees due to import restrictions adding to the cost of the materials.

Not the best way to end the week.

@Von Gruff
The stupidity of some people is beyond belief. I feel for you dealing with these situations. It seems what was once fine is now unacceptable for reasons only known to the higher powers of stupidity.
Bob