Thank you for visiting Bitterroot Handle Works! Products are being posted regularly. Now offering free domestic shipping on orders $60 and up! Email us at handleworks@yahoo.com if you are looking for something in particular. Search Cart (0)
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Thank you for visiting Bitterroot Handle Works! Products are being posted regularly. Now offering free domestic shipping on orders $60 and up! Email us at handleworks@yahoo.com if you are looking for something in particular.

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

If you do not see the answer you are looking for here, please contact us through the contact page and we will get back to you personally.

Will the product I receive look like the photo? Yes. With the exception of batch products such as fish scales, a photo is taken of each item and that is the item that will be shipped.

Are all of your products stabilized? Any of our products which benefit from the process are stabilized. Those which do not require stabilization are noted in the product description of that wood type and in the individual description of the block or scales for purchase. Woods not stabilized include (but are not limited to) ironwood, rosewood, gidgee, mallee, thuya, and ebony.

Can you stabilize my wood/bone/antler for me? As much as we would like to be able to stabilize your personal collection of wood, bone or antler, we have come to a point where we just cannot fit those orders into our workflow. If you have a special project that you would like help with, feel free to contact us to see what we can do, but understand that we may need to say no or that it may take an extended time to provide the service.

Do I use the same sanding technique on hybrid (resin) materials as I do on wood? You work hybrid/resin materials with the same tools you would work wood, with one exception: due to the fact that resin materials do not like to be overheated, it is recommended that you use a coarser grit abrasive to remove excess material and/or shape using light pressure to avoid overheating the material through friction. You can progress through the final grits as normal, remembering to always use lighter pressure. After sanding to at least 400 or 600 grit, we recommend buffing with Tripoli, White Diamond and Blue Plastic compounds in that order. This will result in a crystal clear finish. In summary, take your time in sanding and buffing the resin.

I have some personal material that I would love embedded into my knife handle, can you incorporate something I have? Imagination is the only limit to resin, either in the product mounted flush with the surface as an inlay. We are interested in hearing your ideas, though we will not guarantee that we are the best to implement them. Depending on the process, we may work with you or try to refer you elsewhere.

Do you take custom requests for orders? We do try to accommodate custom requests for wood types, sizes, colors and hybrid varieties when we can. Please understand that in some cases we will not have your preferred size or wood type available and though we try to accommodate custom color requests, wood will dye as it chooses and we will not always succeed. Also, please allow additional time for any custom request that we agree to make, as we will need to fit it into our workflow. If you have a custom request, use the contact page to discuss with us or message us on Instagram!

Can you re-handle my knife? We do not install knife handles ourselves. The best option is to try to find a knifemaker in your area with the experience to help you out.