I'm curious what this wood Henckels used on my knife. I'd date the knife to around 1910 and I assume the handles are original to the knife.
The images below show a re-handled knife with a bit of the old handle material added by the bolster (on the left in the images.) The piece in the center of the image is part of the original handle sanded down and part of it wetted. The camera shows it very chocolaty in color but in real life it's a bit darker, more like walnut heartwood.
But I doubt it is Walnut as I think walnut is an American wood. And it certainly could have been dyed this very dark brown color as it bleeds when soaked in water.
So, any idea of what woods were used for major knifemakers back a hundred years ago?
The images below show a re-handled knife with a bit of the old handle material added by the bolster (on the left in the images.) The piece in the center of the image is part of the original handle sanded down and part of it wetted. The camera shows it very chocolaty in color but in real life it's a bit darker, more like walnut heartwood.
But I doubt it is Walnut as I think walnut is an American wood. And it certainly could have been dyed this very dark brown color as it bleeds when soaked in water.
So, any idea of what woods were used for major knifemakers back a hundred years ago?