I have been yelling at my computer.
Then I typed a reply and deleted it a few times.
I hope I don't offend anyone. There is a lot of mis-information out there.
I don't think it is usually intentional, just repeating something someone has read or heard somewhere.
I am not trying to sound like a know it all. Most of my waking hours are spent working with wood.
I have ruined more good wood than most people will ever see. Some of my failures were caused by what I read on the internet.
#1 Any handle material can move. Most problems come from not taking that into consideration when working with it or maintaining it afterwards.
Biggest causes of movement are:
Overheating when grinding or sanding, this will screw up almost all materials including man made plastics and such.
Drastic climate changes like Florida at 98% humidity to Arizona at next to no humidity. This can be protected against with proper finishing of the wood, ivory, bone or horn.
#2 Just because you buy wood that says it is stabilized, that doesn't mean anything. Each stabilizing company has their own chemical mix and stabilizing process. Plus if you are buying on ebay there are quite a few do it yourselfers. I heard of one who just soaks the wood in mineral oil. I used to do my own stabilizing with a vacuum/pressure system using industrial chemicals and got really good results. Then I tried K&G. I found out they could do a lot better. Same thing with WSSI and a few of the other professional stabilizing companies. I also found out one formula or one process does not produce the same results with everything. Some woods require a thinner solution, higher pressure or longer under vacuum.
Still, stabilizing does not make wood bulletproof. You can still screw it up. You just have to try harder.
#3 Much of what is being sold (especially on ebay) with the blackline spalted woods and the weird pattern ebonies are end grain pieces. They look kind of cool while they are intact. Cutting pieces of wood for the end grain guarantees that the piece of wood is as weak as possible and more prone to movement than any way else that you can cut it. It can produce a dramatic look but it has to be worked with care. (Example drilling too fast or using a dull bit will crack a piece)
#4 Properly finished handle materials will be sealed to prevent or limit drastic changes in moisture content. Even the hard oily stuff. Some woods take a hard finish like poly or varnish, while others may resist that finish or bleed into it making a blotchy finish. Best thing to do is fine sand a scrap and try a couple finishes. Sometimes an oil finish is more compatible with an oily wood. Maintaining a good coat of wax is better than nothing. Unfinished ironwood will crack. I can show a pile of cut pieces that developed cracks over time from being left on a work bench in the sun unsealed. A surface sealer would have prevented that.
#5 Normal rule of thumb for air drying wood is 1 year per inch of thickness. Some woods like buckeye and box elder are quicker.
Double the time for walnut, 5 times as long for olive.
I will quit rambling now. I just had to get this off my chest. Now I need a smoke.
If you think I am crazy, you are welcome to post your opinion here or call me up and yell at me.
It's ok, I have thick skin.