# Copal Amber



## mhenry (Oct 2, 2011)

I have had this chunk of Copal for a long time, and wasn't sure what to do with it ( my daughter wanted a necklace she's gonna be pissed). Just as an experiment I thought I would try it on a handle. I used what I thought was a throw-down piece of Cocobolo, just threw a random spacer in. Don't beat me up too much on the design this was a test, although I dont think it turned out too bad. I want to know what you think of the Amber, should I try with some better wood, and what suggestions you might have
Thanks Mike


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## tgraypots (Oct 2, 2011)

Yeah, your daughter is gonna be po'd. I think it rocks!


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## Andrew H (Oct 2, 2011)

I think the amber looks awesome, but you might want to make your daughter a necklace first....

Great handle as always!


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## mhenry (Oct 2, 2011)

Andrew H said:


> I think the amber looks awesome, but you might want to make your daughter a necklace first....
> 
> Great handle as always!



I am going to make her something from the cut-off of this piece a little pendant or something.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Oct 2, 2011)

I like it with the cocobolo. Nice job!


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## kalaeb (Oct 2, 2011)

Nice work Mike!


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## RRLOVER (Oct 2, 2011)

That's beautiful,great job.Is that a bit transparent and will you see the tang of the blade.....that would be cool.


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## mr drinky (Oct 2, 2011)

I think that is amazing. I love that transparency of the amber. Good job. Screw the necklace, just get her a puppy.

k.


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## tk59 (Oct 2, 2011)

Very neat-looking material you've got there, Mike! Can you feel any texture on the finished amber? I'd like to see this handle again after it's been on a knife for a few months of use.


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## kalaeb (Oct 2, 2011)

Were you able to work with the amber like most other mediums? Or did you have to get some specialty tools to shape it?


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## mhenry (Oct 2, 2011)

RRLOVER said:


> That's beautiful,great job.Is that a bit transparent and will you see the tang of the blade.....that would be cool.



Thanks it is semi-transparent so I used a dowell in hope of concealing the tang. I am going to try a pressure fit on one of my knives on this one.


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## Dave Martell (Oct 2, 2011)

I like it too. :thumbsup:


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## tgraypots (Oct 2, 2011)

mr drinky said:


> I think that is amazing. I love that transparency of the amber. Good job. Screw the necklace, just get her a puppy.
> 
> k.


Nah.......a horse. Most girls love horses.


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## Burl Source (Oct 2, 2011)

I like the amber.
I played around with some years back and it was surprisingly easy to work with.
Just don't overheat it.
I shaped some pendant pieces and over time they developed a patina that made them look even better.
Now my grand daughter has them......I think.

For your daughter,
get her an I Pad2 and she will forget all about the Amber.


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## swarfrat (Oct 2, 2011)

You need to get rid of that immediately, before your daughter finds out.

I'll pm you my address...


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## HHH Knives (Oct 2, 2011)

The handle looks great. I like the amber.. 

I think a new cell phone will make her forget all about the amber!! works every time!


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## mhenry (Oct 2, 2011)

OK I really like pressure fitting it took me all of 15min to get this handle on. Just make a slot and hammer it on. I capped it with some epoxy like Takeda.
Tinh I will let you know how the amber holds up


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## HHH Knives (Oct 2, 2011)

OK, So now I like it even more. That looks amazing! The way you used that cocobolo, and how the grain of it is gives such a great flow to the whole knife!


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## Dave Martell (Oct 2, 2011)

I dig how the flare of the butt of the handle counter balances (to the eye) the flare of the tip of the blade. Very nicely done!


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## SpikeC (Oct 2, 2011)

tgraypots said:


> Nah.......a horse. Most girls love horses.


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## SpikeC (Oct 2, 2011)

Butt serially, what a great handle, and a great pairing with that blade!


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## tgraypots (Oct 2, 2011)

mhenry said:


> OK I really like pressure fitting it took me all of 15min to get this handle on. Just make a slot and hammer it on. I capped it with some epoxy like Takeda.
> Tinh I will let you know how the amber holds up



That looks like a kitchen knife Sinbad would have! RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


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## wenus2 (Oct 2, 2011)

Is that one of Nathan's? 

He's like Johnny Appleseed, lol.


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## mhenry (Oct 2, 2011)

kalaeb said:


> Were you able to work with the amber like most other mediums? Or did you have to get some specialty tools to shape it?



Worked it no differently than wood


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## rmbonham (Oct 2, 2011)

looks like i will have to cruise the net for some amber.absolutely beautiful


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## mhenry (Oct 5, 2011)

Well, I showed the handle to my daughter and she really likes it, she keeps looking at it (not pissed at all). She said the amber looks like clouds at sunset trapped in a jar, a very beautiful and eloquent way to describe it. Kids are amazing, if you guys don't have any I highly recommend you get a couple.


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## Eamon Burke (Oct 5, 2011)

If the amber gets dark, you can refresh it by putting it in the sun. My kids wear amber necklaces that somehow actually help immensely with teething pain and they get dull and don't work as well, and putting them in the sun activates some kind of chemical in them and gets em going, and they look better. The crunchy folks call it "recharging". My wife saw this and said, "It's amber? That HAS to be good for you!"


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