Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Stabilized Musk Ox

Considering having a knife built with Musk ox. I know it’s hard to come by, but does anyone have some available or know someone who does? Thanks

-Robert

Scales from the boss of a bull musk ox horn are very cool. The material is difficult to acquire
and a set of scales can go for $250-$500.
I soaked the musk ox horn I used in Nelsonite 30B02 to help stabilize the scales. It is a local
product and I use it on most organic scale materials. It is not a filler, but made to stabilize wood.
.Ram horn and musk ox horn do not receive normal stabilization process well in my experience.

The musk ox horn I acquired in the past was from AK natives. They had to destroy the "trophy"
value by cutting off the tips before selling and shipping since their animals were from subsistence
hunts. Trophy hunters do not part with their horns.

It's pricy,tricky to use for a maker and needs to be stabilized very well," double"


But no doubt is gorgeous looking Below is some examples where maker John Lloyd hafted it on slipjoint folders






This one below " second cut

It is outstanding handle material for sure.
I have 3 knives I made a while back that I keep threatening to use, but
mostly just look at them.
Nice pics Vince.

That is some beautiful material.

I have Treeman and 2 John Lloyds, some day I'll use one of them!

Would you mind posting pictures of yours saddle?

These are the two Randalls I saw that started me on the search for musk ox.

Wow! Beautiful material

Beautiful like many natural materials. One wonders if it is condemned to crack regardless of how meticulous the maker may be with it. Just a thought.

I have not heard of cracking being an issue. Considering all the head bashing that the
musk ox bulls and sheep rams do, I don't think it is subject to much cracking as a knife handle
after surviving that. It does have some random voids in spots though.

Sorry can't post pics

Thanx, Tim!


ya!

GWB

You are welcome Glen. That was a hard one to part with.
Thanks for showing the pics.
Tim

Stunning Gdub. Thanks for sharing.

Keep an eye on Mark Knapp's inventory. He cycles through handle material a lot and sometimes has some.

Mark Knapp handle material

Thank you. I’ll check in with them

What would one expect to pay for a block roughly 3” by 1 1/4 by 1 1/8?

Great looking material.

The area around Nome, Alaska had a Musk Ox hunt for any Alaska resident from 2007 to 2012. Alot of Ox were killed. Around 2007 I lived in Nome and started buying and selling Ox horns. Initially sold to Mark Knapp. In 2008 Jim Bering and another guy contacted me and I switched to selling horn to them. A fair amount of that horn went to the Randall knife people. Jim used some too. Around 2010, all the horn I bought went to Duke McCaa in Florida. Pretty sure Duke supplied Randall.
Moved to Fairbanks in 2012. Hunts changed. Not as many Ox killed. Still some horn coming from the Seward Peninsular villages. You can get a hold of Duke through the Randall Made Knives website. Either him, or Mark Knapp, here in Fairbanks are the 2 guys I know of who might have Ox horn.

Thanks for the insight. Pretty unique process to get and then stabilize musk ox.

I spoke with Duke for a bit today and was fortunate that he has, or had, what I was looking for.