knife materials from Miles of Alaska Miles Martin Nenana Alaska mammoth and walrus ivory horn antler bone scales blank blades
Everything on this page has to do with materials for creating custom knives.
click here to go to my site directory with links to all my pages. Art - raw materials for sale- book- advice- tips-ordering- info- home page etc
Miles at Miles of Alaska
box 363
Nenana Alaska
99760
1-907-832-5442 miles@milesofalaska.net
If you have arrived at this page and wish to be someplace else on my web site this is the directory of my 27 pages organized to help you find what you want. I have art, my book, raw materials for artists, and advice on how to, and legal animal part stuff etc
Left Moose antler button $15
Moose antler buttons are hard sold take a polish. Usually used for belt buckles. Can be used for knife spacers end caps guards etc. Can but used on a lathe or carved You might not get this exact one but this size Add in a note if you like what you need it for so I can pick one that more likely works for your project. Price includes free shipping in the US
Unsorted, sold, or material to inquire about suited for knife handles
My main raw materials page
How to order shipping best times to contact me etc
Information on raw materials
shop cart compared to an inquiry
Right I cast my own brass guards from my own designs. (and sell just the guards too) Cast from scrap metals, here is brass from our local barge yard, an old propeller and ship bearing. Copper is old water pipes when they were solid copper. (new pipes have addatives making to much slag!)
I have 5-6 designs for now. Cast from copper white bronze or brass. (scrap metals see examples below- propellers etc)
Mail me if interested always forget what I have in stock so have to ask
Below- I have some musk ox horn in stock $80 a pound. The thick part near the skull is highly sought after and my regular customers buy that up fast, but have a lot of female horns, scraps tips etc
Left Cave bear teeth- about 40,000 years old from Russian (only 50 miles from Alaska). Hard to keep the biggest ones in stock --make good knife handles I make pocket folders. This largest $120. Medium $85 smaller $50
I skin out my own game with knives I make and have been for over 30 years.. I build knives that work in the field
Above scales, right for hidden tang. The hidden tang have end caps of mammoth ivory ancient wood mush ox horn etc ready for your blade
Has small tine that can act as guard. Fits hand well for hidden tang style blade. Takes a nice polish. Light strong material that does not need much care. Good for a functional knife $25
If you see something you like, cut and paste me the picture so I know what you are looking at. Instructions how to cut paste on advice page
Contact me! cut paste picture!
Right are caribou antler pieces cut to 5-6 six inch lengths for knife handles
If I select pieces as best I can to suit your needs $10 each.
Left mammoth tooth. I have teeth if you want to slice them yourself
Sometimes called jet. This is 40,000 year old wood found with mammoth tusks when redwood trees grew in Alaska. I dig this up off a mine claim on the Yukon River. 5.5 inches x 2.5 and 5.8 ounces
Right- what half a pound looks like - $35These are two pieces 4 inches x 2 inches across large end and an inch thick. For scales or can be cut up thinner for pocket knives etc R-moscale-3-910
Hidden tang rounds 5 inches long can be cut into scales if you desire $35 a section includes shipping in the US
far right two are small fangs
I sell blank blades for those who want to create their own knife. It can cost a lot less if you buy a blade and put your own handle on. Or if you are a knife maker who is interested in buying my blade - creating a knife to sell for profit. Below is the link to my blank blades
Musk ox horn -tip. 5 ounces. 8 inches around the curve. 1 ½ inches across the base. All solid. Good for hidden tang knife. $65.
Musk ox horn set 4.4 ounces. 4 inches x 1 ¾ wide x 1/8th to half inch thick. One piece has a bit of the inner bone showing on the back but just barley and does not interfere with the front. Good pattern the way through, but not the highly sought after burl patterns, so a lower price. $65
I sell custom cast knife guards of copper or bronze. Here is a link to the guards page below.
Musk Ox horn cut from the boss near the skull which has the exciting pattern highly sought after by knife makers. 4.5 x 2.5 x 1/4 thick. Weighing 6 ounces. $60
Wild Dall sheep horn scraps. This is one pound.
Selling for $80 a pound
. This material hard to get as most hunters keep the horns and sheds are hard to come by. These animals are moving more and more into inaccessible areas in the high remote mountains. The Dall sheep is the white one that lives in the mountains of interior Alaska. There will probably not be scraps big enough for hunter scales, but enough for folder scales and chunks good for guards spacers pommels inlays etc. This horn does look different when cut then domestic sheep, as it has more white and reddish lines running in it.
Armadillo skin knife scale set. Unique not often used knife material. Tough, interesting look, non slip, laminated to sycamore wood. Can be thinned to desired thickness. Weighs 1.7 ounces. 3 ¾ x 1 ½ x ¼ thick. Hide is about 1/16th thick. $30 Sold
New seperate page for ivory
Knife handle hidden tang- fossil bison bone 40,000 years old Weighs 4.5 ounces. Is 5 inches x 1.5 across and ½ narrowest width. Slighlty smaller then above #1 set less colors.Takes a high polish fits well in the hand as it is. No cracks - holds up well as a knife material. Somewhat soft center. Makes it good for cutting out for blade tang insertion but requires glue run in the center and an end cap and guard as the open pore ends do not look good. Rare exotic not terribly spendy makes good choice for those on a budget but desiring the unique. R fbibon2 311 Refer to the code when inquiring. $50
Stabilized dyed wood. Starting with spaulted birch. I select local wood examining many board feet (I use for firewood) for the nicest patterns. Right now still experimenting. Not comfortable with selling yet till I know you understand what's up. I have limited resources and knowledge about stabilizing. I have no problem creating roughed out knife scales and stabilizing them. I am sure my process goes at least a quarter inch half an inch deep. I am unsure however if the center of a block looks like the front and back. It is also a art form more then a science, and somewhat lengthy process. But if you like it and are interested let me know. I do have the square plain spaulted birch for sale. (It's the dying I am unsure of at this point).
Spaulted birch wood from Alaska. About 5 inches x 4 x 1 ½ thick. Enough material for at least 2 big knife scale sets or can be cut for hidden tang. Colors and patter all the way through. This is a soft wood not stabilized. It can be stabilized with super glue resins of different kinds. I usually rough out my handles and then stabilize - preferring acrylic suspended in acetone. I sell 'raw' as some people may want to do a better job and have stabilization professionally done. (and of course the price goes up a lot when finished).. I have about 6 blocks off the same chunk of wood that all look the same. There was a forest fire in my area. It is hot fire, and following tree recovery that gives the special pattern to the wood.
Asking $25
.
Pig tusks Top the 5 inch around the curve size. Good for hidden tang style fixed blade. Has slight hollow as normal for tusks good to insert blade using resin. No cracks If you have a preference email me you want more white or more curve (and I will see what I can do otherwise you will get one this size- all have the same value) $20 each
Bottom pictures I the 6 inch around the curve size an inch bigger and so value goes up as size increases this is $30 Both sizes are about one inch across at the base. Same deal email me if you prefer lighter colors or more or less curve, as all these have the same value.
Right - what one of my customers makes from these pig tusks
Musk ox horn scraps. One pound. Left is one pound. Specify if you need this for knife scales or carving (like guards end caps) I can see what I can do to pick out suitable material. Most will be half an ounce to 2 ounces some will make small scale sets. Some will only be good for inlay or spacers. This is after all called 'scraps' not best primo stuff fur large scales. What happened is I have a big buyer I give horn to and he cuts the best out for his use. He pays top dollar for the part he takes and returns the rest. He only makes large hunters. I have got back more than I can use myself. Finished scales sell for to $300 and more a pound. Asking $100 for a pound. I have two small sets of scales for sale I made from a couple of pieces you see in this random batch of scrap selling for $30 and $15 a set - using only two of these pieces. If you make pocket knives this is a pretty good deal. I have about 10 pounds just like this- will take this down when the 10 pounds sells.
Left- picture of one of my customers on a musk ox hunt with a spear. To show what musk ox looks like
When you email me it is a good idea to cut and paste the picture of what you are asking about in the email so I know what you are talking about
This links to my main raw materials page. You might see materials here I didn't put on the knife page
Information on how to order how to pay how I ship etc
Miles at Miles of Alaska
box 363
Nenana Alaska
99760
1-907-832-5442 miles@milesofalaska.net
Materials info-- what it is how to take care of it how it is used where it comes from all that
My book has stories of finding materials, my first knives in my wilderness life
A straight razor made by Ken, using my raw musk ox horn.
Musk ox horn 1.1 ounces. 2.5 inches long x 1.5 inches wide x 1/8th thick . Thickness has slight taper to just over 1/16th across the 1.5 width. Very good patterns cut from the best part of the horn.. Nicely aged so should not shrink or change. Discounted due to the taper. $35
Musk ox horn 1.5 ounces. 1 ¾ long x 1 ¼ wide x ¼ inch thick. Cut from the best part of the horn. Well aged so should not warp shrink. Good for pocket knife , guards end caps spacers etc. $55
Musk ox horn 3.2 ounces. 3.5 inches long x just shy of 2 inches wide x ¼ thick. Outer surface rounded following natural shape of the horn. This is musk ox horn, but not the swirl pattern at the base so highly sought after thus not as expensive. Horn is a good knife material in general because it has oil sin it that keep it water repellent, is light yet strong and almost indestructible. Takes a nice high polish and looks good. $65
Musk ox horn 3.2 ounces. 4 ¼ inches long x 1 ½ inches wide x ¼ inch thick. Nice matched set with the good boss colors highly sought after. Aged a year so should not shrink or warp. If there is an issue it is the back required some filler - had some pits and wrinkles where the bone was. Nothing deep or near the edge so should have no effect on finished product. $110
Musk ox horn 2.0 ounces. 3 ½ inches long x 1 inch x ¾ in diameter. (slight oval but can be turned on a lathe if desired) Has a ¼ inch hoe all the way through the center. I acquired this way and assume someone had a hidden tang knife in mind. Very good pattern nice and solid no cracks aged a year so should not shrink. Much of the work for a handle is already done. Or… a pen maker might be interested in this. $95
