Abalone Handles

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Ever since I first seen them, I found them to be gorgeous. Anyone has first hand experience with them? How durable are they? Can they be sanitized easily, anything else?

Few pics from google search
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If Im not mistaken this is a laminated material. The top half nice High figured and colored shell and the bottom half is a little less figured shell laminated together.. :) Mots and mots of layers!! I have made a couple knives with similar material. It sanded and acted very durable! I think It would make a good handle for a kitchen knife.
 
I gave my GF an Itou with an abalone handle for her birthday- best thing I ever did. She used to leave knives in the sink and was casual with the German cast-offs.

Now, HER knife lives in the drawer with my knives. She has a whole new respect/ treatment for knives. No issuse with the handle so far and she uses it every day.
 
yeah the abolone is a thin layer on the surface, my Itou seems to be a standard wooden handle with this glued on the top. Due to the abalone being in flat sheets, the ergonomics of the ITOU handle i have is awful, it's square and blocky and just feels wrong, even pinch gripping it still feels bad. Stating the obvious it's also gaudy as hell....
I'd try one for comfort before taking the plunge
 
TB, that is why I got my Itou custom and have a Stefan made wa handle on it. :) Feels soooooo nice in ones hand.
 
TB, that is why I got my Itou custom and have a Stefan made wa handle on it. :) Feels soooooo nice in ones hand.

Is that the one I just sent you or another one? In any case, we need pictures :) I was wondering how the Itou handles feel because I assumed that he would use the standard flat and thin abalone material that's available, resulting in rather flat handles. And I find some of his handles a bit over the top, the abalone ones are actually some of his more attractive options IMHO. Definitely personal taste, but I use 'itouesk' as a new word in my vocabulary :)

Stefan
 
Stefan, that was the first one u made for me, with signature tree and amboyna with the red spacer that went to Dave to handle, not the recent one with the black ash burl and koa with brass/horn/brass spacer.
 
Stating the obvious it's also gaudy as hell....
It looks like the PIX on JCK. Why'd you order it if it was so gaudy? (I think it's gaudy and that's what I like about it. :biggrin:) I would have preferred ivory but there are some ethical issues.

Itou must be doing something right. JCK posted 37 new knives on 10/27 and most are now gone.
 
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