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Stabilized "Darth Vader" Box Elder burl knife scales

Stabilized "Darth Vader" Box Elder burl knife scales

$45.00 USD
$45.00 USD
Sale Sold out
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Product information
  • Species: Box Elder
  • Grain type(1): Burl
  • Chatoyance(2): Low
  • Grade of figure(3): 5A+
  • Country of origin: United States
  • Measurements: 5.5x2.15x.25"
  • Inventory number: S058
  • Stabilized? Yes
  • Dyed? No
  • Comments: Some of the best box elder you'll find for scales and blanks. Limited quantity, so grab this set now if you've been looking for a quality pair.
(1) Woods exhibit many different grain types based on their genetics, sometimes even exhibiting multiple types in one blank! A thorough list of grain types (though not all-encompassing), is: Straight, Burl, Curly, Fiddleback, Crinkle, Quilted, Flamed, Pomelle, Bubbly, Lace, Birdseye, Spalted, Crotch, Angel-step, and Spaghetti. Of these types of figure, oftentimes the most sought-after and rare varieties are: burl, fiddleback, crinkle, pomelle, lace, and birdseye. This is only a subjective assessment, however, and exceptionality of blocks of wood should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
(2) All of these types of grain may be visually obvious in a given piece of wood, or may sometimes only present themselves when the wood is shifted under various lighting conditions, a phenomenon known as chatoyance (or color-shift). Generally, this particular characteristic is highly sought after due to the "wow-factor" of the finished product. There is no one system for analyzing chatoyance, however, I have chosen to "grade" my wood as having either low (or no) chatoyance, medium chatoyance, or high chatoyance.
(3) There is also no one system for grading the exceptionality of figure for any one block of wood. You may see woods listed as exhibition or museum grade. Please keep in mind that these terms are only about as helpful as terms such as "natural" and "healthy" in relation to food. Another scale, which I have chosen to adopt, is the A scale, where wood figure is rated from A to 5A. You might think of a common straight-grained fir 2x4 as having A figure - unexceptional. As one progresses through the scale to 5A, the woodgrain becomes more interesting, unique, rare, and exceptional. You will never see anything below 3A on my website, and in most cases only 4A and 5A, with other relevant information about the block included in the Notes section. Particularly special pieces of wood may be noted as 5A+, or 5A++.
With this information, also keep in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder! That is, I can grade my wood however I want and value it accordingly, but at the end of the day, you are the ultimate judge of whether what I am offering is worth it to you. 
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