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.
Miles of Alaska

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
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
This links to finished knives and blank blades I make for sale. I can create a custom knife and use any of the materials seen on this materials 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
Above two styles of Damascus steel blades $52 either style
Hunter, skinner style Left drop point has 2.5 inch blade, right 4 inch blade. Hand forged , nice patterns. Holds up well under hard use. Select my materials and build a very high end quality product for a fraction of the cost of a finished knife for  personal use or resale.  
Right whale baleen $25
Wild Dall sheep horn two pieces $50
Back
ends
10 ounces , to odd a shape to give you any dimensions. I think a set of knife scales can fit in this though but can be used for other projects.  This material has been sought after. Not as common as in the past. Much of the wild sheep range is in parks now.  Colors not like other sheep
Right Reindeer leg bone dried $15
We have a reindeer farm her in my village. Sometimes they died naturally and I acquire the bodies. Legs dried and could be used as interesting knife handle or coat rack hook or other projects
Left Moose antler button $10
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.
Left two knives I made using the above Damascus blanks. Also  showing my bear guard . Top knife is maple handle bottom is my prehistoric bison rib bone

This is a link to my ordering page that answers a lot of question about how to inquire, best time to contact me, why so many pictures have no price or shop cart symbol, methods of payment, issues and problems, and related topics

Might work for knife scales and for sure inlays. 10 inches x 2 by less then an eight more then a 16th. Can be laminated with wood to get thickness has the hairs can  be display  or scrimmed etc. Restricted out of the US.
Right Mammoth ivory bark piece with blue $40
8.5 ounces selling at $80 a pound. 4x 4 x a quarter inch thick. In all honesty this piece will be hard to use for a full set of knife scales. See in the picture where the light color ends and dark begins, this is a new layer. But good for inlays part scales in mosaic or other projects Has a blue layer seen in end. This can be breathtaking color inside.
Mammoth ivory bark light color $47
3 x 8 x 3.5 across x an eighth thick Uniform cream color solid no cracks some calk inside but not interfering  with uniform thickness.
Unsorted, sold, or material to inquire about suited for knife handles
How my material gets used, some ideas
My main raw materials page
How to order shipping best times to contact me etc
finshed knives custome blade blanks
Information on raw materials
This page has  items in a shopping cart to click and order. See separate material page to  see more. I have  more material then I can  list but it may cost more  if I have to go look for it for you

The best price is ordering off the shopping cart. When you inquire about my stash not listed, it might take 20 minutes just to find out of I have the item or not. I have material by the truckload. My main business is my finished product, or selling raw in large enough amounts to be worth spending 20 minutes to go look for it. If it is winter and 50 below 0 out, it can take 20 minutes just to get dressed to go out! Few sellers of this material offer personal service, at a good price. If I have to take a picture to show you the exact set of scales or whatever, this can take another 20 minutes per picture. I have to prepare, photo, edit, then weigh, measure, and describe each item you inquire about. The same time it takes to list it in the shop cart. It is not in the shop cart because I do not have time. I do not have time because I am making more money in the shop working. If half my customers do not buy everything I show, that doubles the time spent selling each item. I could easily have 2 hours tied up in each set of knife scales- in just showing them individually, personally to customers. . Are you understanding the situation?
Some items are more profit items like ivory I find myself. Some items are easier to find or more organized. Some are in the house, or easy to photo, or do not require an individual picture, so time is not as big an issue. But in general expect to pay more for personal service. One knife material issue is 75% of my knife materials customers want blue ivory scales. These scales are in high demand, and I do not have trouble selling all I can get. Or, yes I can get more of them, but no one wants to pay what I have to charge. If I have any laying around, they might be an odd size, warped, uneven, or rejected by someone else. The ones I have at a nice price come from ivory I find myself. I'm really trying to sell my 'other' interesting materials I get in from time to time, or have lots of because I'm the source. Like moose bone, and fossils. There seems to be a shark frenzy like interest in blue ivory. I could specialize in just this, but as I say I am a artist first, and a raw material dealer second. I'm also in the raw material business because I do not like to see waste, so sell in general what those in my village consider 'garbage' they toss out, wolf claws, skulls, bones etc. Blue ivory is less then 1% of the ivory found, just the very outer bark of a tusk, one pound of ivory per 100 pounds of tusk. It's like me killing a moose, taking one steak off it and tossing the rest away. It's not what I believe in. I'd rather find a use for what others are tossing out. Blue ivory is not 'unique'; it is mainstream. To me, unique is being creative. Using undiscovered interesting material. This is my focus.

I'm not trying to be rude or discourage you! Great! Inquire! Love to chat and share my cool stuff! It's just going to cost that's all. I used to just happily give of my time. I was spending 6-7 hours a day answering inquires and working in the shop one hour and that one hour was supporting me. I was not getting paid for 7 hours work a day. I'd try to politely tell a customer I am busy right now and get a :�Uh huh, well anyhow tell me first about this item, it will; only take a few minutes and I need it, and are you in business or what?� Half the time get a �Well it's not quit what I had in mind, thanks for showing me, have a nice day� So now I know why most web sites make it hard to make personal contact. So I still want to offer personal service and no minimum order, but 'special' cost.

To give a general idea of what I can offer as free time here is my 'free time' chart. If your inquiry can be expected to take longer then this, then it will cost more.

$10 sale equals 2 minutes example one email one question no personal picture
, $100 equals 10 minutes, example a personal description, a photo on file , 2-3 email exchanges
$1,000 equals an hour. Example several personal pictures of item several descriptions several emails
$10,000 equals several hours. Example lots of pictures lots of emails phone calls references personal shipping inquiry and or talking to others to find best deals
$100,000 Lets get together in person. My place or yours? Mine? Bring your fishing pole.

shop cart compared to an inquiry

Shipped by priority mail. If buying more then one item, for discount. or out of the US, read instructions. click 'shipping' above. Basically I want you to pay only actual shipping costs

My book has stories of finding materials, my first knives in my wilderness life
Updated June 13th  08
Newest items at the bottom of the page
Shipping is not included in prices and is taken care of on my site and not on the pay pal site
Knife blade
A series tool steel from 1800's crosscut saw blade. Acid etched. One side has  goose, the other bear tracks. Skinner sytle hidden tang drop point 4 inches long cuting edge. 16th thick. Taken to satin finish. Original hardness
$60
Mammoth ivory knife scales. (above) Extra big and wide. 5 x 1.3 to 1,6. Laminated to wood (as shown in middle  picture) To busy to list them all separate. (to many orders to fill for upcoming tourist season) $60 a set when buying all 5 sets. $300. Do not ask for one set I will not have time to reply. (maybe in a month or two. I will have more time) These are $100 scales prices to move with minimum time on my part answering questions. If not satisfied return them for refund.
5 sets mammoth ivory knife scales $300
Above steps in the steel of the knife. An old crosscut saw is a favorite
Above etching in blades is done with acid. The black is the 'resist' wax where the acid wilt not touch the steel , scratching through exposes the steel so acid can cut it.
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!)  
Left and above Musk Ox Horn $100 a side (email me no time to set it up in the cart , weigh it,  measure it bla bla no time! To busy making knives! (smile) )
Right just got a set of wild Dall sheep horns in,  harder to get more rare then ever.  I weighed  them but forget now. Asking $75 a pound.
Left and rioght fossil mammoth tooth left sliced as scales set. I think it's in the shop cart on my 'newest just in' page.
Sold but if you like this design email me
Knife scales moose leg bone
5.5 x 1.25 x a quarter inch  thick  and 5 ounces
A nice  beefy set for larger knives or enough for two smaller knives
$35
Knife guards custom cast
Raven left bear right showing how they look on blades
I have 5-6 designs for now. Cast from copper white bronze or brass. (scrap metals see examples below- propellers etc)
$15 each
Mail me if interested always forget what I have in stock so have to ask
Mammoth ivory knife scales blue
4 x 1,75x a just over an eigth inches thick weighing 2.7 oz  Colors run deep nice hues of brown black and blue.
$85
sold
I sell thsi material as fast as it comes  in. I do have  some new Dall sheep horns  like 7 horns.
update July 19th now have 7 horns inquire.