SOLD Spalted Maple patch knife.

[Two Feathers]

Howdy folks, Two Feathers here: I don't know how y'all missed this one?

For sale: Patch knife with Spalted (burl) Maple handle slabs. Here’s your shot at owning a truly spectacular hand crafted Two Feathers “one of a kind” knife. Don’t miss out! You’ll get questioned about where you got this one!

This knife is for the cutlery connoisseur who really wants a “looker” as well as a great useable patch and smaller game dressing knife. The price is $100.00 + $10.00 s&h USD$ to lower 48. Canadian prices will be higher.

This beautiful little knife has an overall length of 6-7/16” point to butt with a 3“, razor sharp, 1/8” thick, 1095 high carbon steel blade that measure 13/16” at the widest point. The grain in this Maple; being Spalted, Burl, or whichever you care to call it, is electrifying. It pops right off the handle and glows like fire. It reminds ME of that shimmering gleam you see in a cat’s eye.

The reason for the higher price is, Spalted or Burl wood is tremendously costly in comparison to straight, or even curly grained wood. It’s very hard to work with. It has a tendency to chip or split when you’re filing or drilling it, BUT, once it’s on the knife; shaped, and finished, it’s completely stable and very beautiful!

The handle has been finished with Boiled Linseed oil, buffed, and wax sealed for years of use. The handle has a satin sheen, with that glistening Tiger's eye shimmer. The handle slabs are held on with (3) 1/8” Iron pins for added security as opposed to the normal 2.

The Mountain Man style sheath is made of 4oz. Vegetable tanned cowhide. It’s dyed brown and stitched with artificial sinew in an X stitch for period correctness.

It also has a second stitch line for added durability, and this sheath has a very wide welt to protect the stitches from the cutting edge. The sheath has a belt slot that will take a 2-1/4” wide belt or it can be “belted” to your shooting bag strap, your choice.

I hope you find this one of a kind knife to your liking?

I ship/sell to Canada, but all prices are in USD$ to any of the 50 United States. Shipping outside the US is costly.

I prefer PayPal friends, but also take postal or bank money orders. MO’s will add 1 week for travel time. I ship same day as funds are received, exceptions are Federal holidays, Sundays, PO hours, and severe weather.

If you have comments or questions, please PM me here.

As always, thanks for looking.

God bless:

Two Feathers

 

[Blaze]

Nice knife for sure. Never heard of burl referred to as "Spalter"! I learn something new everyday!

 

[Two Feathers]

Nice knife for sure. Never heard of burl referred to as "Spalter"! I learn something new everyday!

Mornin' Blaze;
Sorry, nope...it's spalteD. I even went back to see if I spelled it wrong? I've been known to do that.
I think it's just another term for burl; or crotch wood, but I'm, not sure? I've always heard old timers say Spalted instead of burl. Either way, spalted or burl, they're BOTH beautiful woods. Thank you for your kind words. I hope someone else sees the beauty and buys it.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[Spikebuck]

I think it's just another term for burl; or crotch wood, but I'm, not sure? I've always heard old timers say Spalted instead of burl. Either way, spalted or burl, they're BOTH beautiful woods.

I was curious about the difference myself. I've always thought they were two different things, but was unsure of how to tell one from the other. Actually, now that I looked up what each is, it's pretty easy to identify burl vs spalted. Two quite different things. Crotchwood is yet another thing. I have a Mike Brook's early Virginia rifle that I believe is crotch wood. The buttstock has amazing figure in it, but the forestock is rather plain. I suspect the forestock was the limb portion and the buttstock was taken from the juncture of the branch and the tree trunk. At least that's my best guess.

SPALTING
Spalting is a generic term for various forms of discoloration that can occur in wood due to invasion of the wood fibers by fungal spores, which then form colonies and continue to grow in the wood. Since spalting is a form of rot, the discoloration is usually accompanied by a degradation in the strength of the wood fibers and the wood can become quite punky and eventually just rot out entirely. Spalting, if caught at the right time and stabilized, can result in some beautiful effects that can be use to great effect in various wood objects, especially (but not limited to) turned objects such as bowls. Some spalting results in what are formally known as "zone lines". The can be very sharply defined black lines in which case it is sometimes called "black-line spalting" --- in some trees, oak for example, spalting is rarely black-line and in fact can be VERY vague, amorphous, blotchy black or dark-gray areas. In some woods, spalting causes some color changes other than black. I've seen some spalted woods that are very colorful.

Zone lines may appear as single or double lines. This is the result of the spore colonies creating a protective barrier either around themsleves (single-line spalting) or in what is basically a "war" with a neighboring colony (double-line spalting). Both are shown clearly in the link below.

Spalting can be encouraged by keeping a dead tree moist. Spalting is a form of decay and if spalted wood isn't stabilized at the right time, it will just rot. Wood that is really heavily spalted and still completely solid is rare, since advanced spalting is generally accompanied by enough decay to soften at least some areas of the wood.

One form of spalting is called white rot and consists of very light colored areas which may be surrounded by black lines (see discussion directly above) or may have very vaguely demarcated boundaries with no black lines.

To see some examples: spalting in wood

BURL
A burl is a wartlike, deformed growth on the trunk or root and sometimes even the branches of a tree, caused by (1) an injury to, or (2) and infection in, the tree just under the bark, or (3) the existance of an unformed bud which has all the genetic material necessary to grow a full branch, or even a whole tree, but which for some reason did not grow properly. In any case, the result is that the tree cells divide and grow excessively and unevenly in a process somewhat analogous to cancer cells in a mammal. Burls are sometimes called tumors on wood, although I'm not aware of their ever being fatal. Trees with burls continue to grow otherwise normally.

Continued growth follows the contour of the original deformity, producing all manner of twists, swirls and knots in the wood fiber. Usually, this results in wood that has a spectacular pattern that can be used to great effect in woodworking, and sometimes it is also accompanied by the creation in the burl of dormant buds which create "eyes" that make the burl even more spectacular when worked.

Burl wood is usually darker than the rest of the tree and in some cases (Paela comes to mind) may be a significantly different color altogether. Because of the diverse grain direction, burl wood cannot be relied on for strength, but that's of little consequence since burls are prized for beauty, not strength.

Burl wood can be difficult to dry without cracking. Sometimes there are bark inclusions in burls, and also sometimes gum pockets, either of which can cause surface defects when the burl is worked. In some species of wood, gum pockets are common in any burl found on the tree.

Burls come in all sizes and shapes from golf-ball and smaller to thousands of pounds of massive growth on the side of a large tree or in the root system. Burls as large as an SUV and weighing 10,000 pounds have been reported as have trees with hundreds of small burls. On really large trees, such as the redwood, burls commonly exist that are large enough to be used to create veneer and even smaller burls are sometimes sliced into veneer for use in craft items such as jewelry boxes. Burl veneer frequently does not stay flat after cutting and has to be moistened and clampled flat before and/or during application.

"Cat's Paw" and "cluster burl" are a couple of commonly identified types of burl figure. Cat's paw is frequently found in cherry and cluster burls are found in a number of species. Most often, burls have no sub-designation and occur in a large number of species. Common burl species include redwood, oak, ash, maple, madrone, elm and walnut. Some exotics with very popular burls are mappa (poplar burl), thuya and imbuya, and there are MANY more.

To see some examples: burl woods


CROTCHES

compression wood is a portion of a tree where the wood fibers have been compressed due to stress in the tree. This can be caused by irreglar growth such as a tree that grows on a riverbank and then tilts as the bank slides into the water, causing the tree to have compressed wood in the side next to the water because the tree is bent over in that direction.

Crotches are an extreme form of compression wood. They are caused by the forces exerted within the tree to support a main branch where it joins the trunk, and of course the bigger the branch, the more the compression. The compression decreases as one moves away from the point where the branch meets the trunk, so crotch wood frequently exhibits an extreme degree of grain variation. The compression process that strengthens the tree so it can support the branch causes the wood fibers to twist and compress, creating various figures and grains that can be very beautiful. Unlike burls, crotches have grain that, while quite distorted, is basically the same grain as the other wood in the tree and does not tend to the extreme swirls and eyes of burl wood, but even so, crotch wood can be wonderful to behold.

Crotch wood is typically harder and more dense than a straightgrained portion of the same tree. Depending on the apprearance, a crotch may be called a "flame crotch" or a "feather crotch" (and less frequently as "plume", "roostertail" or "burning bush") and frequently the crotch area is somewhat symetrical on both sides of the branch so that a crotch piece cut parallel to the bole of the tree will produce a look similar to that of book matching. Terms such as "feather" and "flame" should not be relied on if you haven't actually seen the wood, as they are used VERY freely. I've seen one gun-stock maker who states on his web site that he always calls all crotches flame crotches because "it sounds more impressive".

In veneers, crotch sheets are seldom found in larger sizes (although I have seen some HUGE mahogany crotch sheets --- I'm talking 3 feet by 5 feet), and mahogany and walnut species dominate the field of crotch veneers because they are the main trees that consistently produce large crotch areas. In mahogany, enough veneer has been produced to be able to establish grain pattern types. Thus one can select a swirl, a feather, a rat-tail, and others. Mahogany has always been the classic crotch because of consistency, size, and soundness. The price range is moderate to expensive.

To see some examples: crotch wood

 

[Two Feathers]

Thanks Spikebuck:
So I guess my knife is Spalted then due to the color variations?
Two Feathers

 

[Kansas Jake]

Spikebuck, I was going to try to explain spalting, but your information did a much better job than I could have done.

 

[Blaze]

Mornin' Blaze;
Sorry, nope...it's spalteD. I even went back to see if I spelled it wrong? I've been known to do that.
I think it's just another term for burl; or crotch wood, but I'm, not sure? I've always heard old timers say Spalted instead of burl. Either way, spalted or burl, they're BOTH beautiful woods. Thank you for your kind words. I hope someone else sees the beauty and buys it.
God bless:
Two Feathers

Yes I understood what you described your spalted knife to be ...lol....it was my typo that sent "splater"......if it's not the self correcting mode it's my fingers!
Either way I have learned about Splated wood........I had to go back and correct the words (2x) even before I sent this msg!
Thank you both for lesson!

 

[Two Feathers]

Howdy Folks:
Someone needs to take this beauty home!
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

I need to stop looking at this knife! It's a great looking piece TwoFeathers. Someone please snatch this up so I can stop regretting it already!

 

[Two Feathers]

Sorry for teasing you. Every time I move this up, you get crazy. Just "bite the bullet." It'll make a great "Merry Christmas to me" gift. Christmas IS just 2 months away? Buy it and don't tell mom. Or better yet, do what I do. just say to her, "Don't you remember, I bought this years ago, you must have forgot." That's been working for me for 52 years!
Thanks for obsessing buddy, you're a huge boost to my ego!
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[Two Feathers]

TXFlynHog:
Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, BUT... check these out. I'm hoping to get some sheathes made soon?
Two Feathers

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Sorry for teasing you. Every time I move this up, you get crazy. Just "bite the bullet." It'll make a great "Merry Christmas to me" gift. Christmas IS just 2 months away? Buy it and don't tell mom. Or better yet, do what I do. just say to her, "Don't you remember, I bought this years ago, you must have forgot." That's been working for me for 52 years!
Thanks for obsessing buddy, you're a huge boost to my ego!
God bless:
Two Feathers

It's true... I do like this one a lot! Something about the shape of this one seems kinda neat, plus the handle is just so attractive. Even the sheath is attractive to my eye! Those others are nice too, but something about this on grabs me. Trouble is, I can't sneak anything past my CFO, since it's all got an electronic paper trail! LOL..

 

[Two Feathers]

TXFlynHog:
Well, if you ever find yourself in a better place, it'll probably still be here.? I'm not making any bold push to sell it, however, should someone want it, it's GOOOOONE!!!
Thank you buddy. You're good for my ego and maybe my sales?
Stay safe.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[Two Feathers]

TXFlynHog, LOOK OUT! I'm about to make another one of these.
This time I'm using a beautiful White Quilted Maple!
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[dalmeida88]

TXFlynHog:
Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, BUT... check these out. I'm hoping to get some sheathes made soon?
Two Feathers

Two Feathers, are these minis the same price?

 

[Two Feathers]

dalmedia88:
Good morning. I don't want to sound snobbish or snarky, but I'm confused? The same price as what?
The Mini Roach Bellies are both $75.00+ $15.00 s&h, if that's what you're asking? I have the second one finished and I'm about to list it in a few minutes. I'm only confused because you're asking me about the Minis in the listing for the Spalted Patch knife, so I'm not certain what information you're looking for?

My second Mini Roach Belly has a larger belt loop and the knife sets deeper into the sheath. I hope that clears up anything you wanted to know? I'm always here and I check the site about 20 tmes a day. So feel free to get back to me. Thank you.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[dalmeida88]

dalmedia88:
Good morning. I don't want to sound snobbish or snarky, but I'm confused? The same price as what?
The Mini Roach Bellies are both $75.00+ $15.00 s&h, if that's what you're asking? I have the second one finished and I'm about to list it in a few minutes. I'm only confused because you're asking me about the Minis in the listing for the Spalted Patch knife, so I'm not certain what information you're looking for?

My second Mini Roach Belly has a larger belt loop and the knife sets deeper into the sheath. I hope that clears up anything you wanted to know? I'm always here and I check the site about 20 tmes a day. So feel free to get back to me. Thank you.
God bless:
Two Feathers

Sorry for the confusion, I like those mini roach belly's that you posted photos for on Oct 19th on this thread. I wasn't sure what their price was, but you just answered my question. I just saw that you had already listed one of them with its own thread so I'll reply there!

Thanks!!
Dave

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

TXFlynHog, LOOK OUT! I'm about to make another one of these.
This time I'm using a beautiful White Quilted Maple!
God bless:
Two Feathers

I’ll be looking, you know I will!

 

[Two Feathers]

Dave:
Thanks. Yup. I'll be listing the second one in about 30 seconds,.
Thanks
Dave t

I’ll be looking, you know I will!

I know. Oh, the second Mini Roach Belly never made it to the website. It got sold and shipped out about 15 minutes ago. Life is good, move yer feet...etc. etc.?
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[Doc Ivory]

TXFlynHog, LOOK OUT! I'm about to make another one of these.
This time I'm using a beautiful White Quilted Maple!
God bless:
Two Feathers

I love Quilted wood.
Looking forward to seeing this one