Thread: NOS Herder 49 in Desert Ironwood/G10 with Brass Wedge and Matching Brush

This gorgeous NOS Herder 49 came to me in mint condition, ready to drop into scales with just a little polishing on the jimps and tail. Obviously it deserved something really special, so I went with some really nice desert ironwood blanks I had, epoxied onto black G10 for stability. I tried for a scale profile that complemented the lines of this classic design. I have become smitten with this stunning wood, though it requires surgically sharp tools and much patience; the DI blanks under it will find their way into future projects.


No finish other than its own essential oils buffed to a high gloss, followed by a few coats of Rennaisance Wax


Though it has a commanding heft with that brass wedge, it still flips nimbly and quickly on my stropping test (though I still haven't even honed it yet or used the brush-waiting for a special occasion, I guess). It closes tight and centered in brass collars with NiAg pins.

I got the idea for a brass band from turning duck calls with them, plus I had a couple of previous brushes split in that area (probably from expanding into a too-tight hole).

A before pic; I may have posted this weeks ago in the Workshop. It took me some time to finish with this year's crazy school startup:

The cool thing is that I have 1 more identical NOS 49. I may do that set in black horn, ebony or the like with silver hardware. Thanks for looking! SHD/A-aron

Looks good, Aaron.

Had to have a better look at thar first pic.

Mike-Thanks for straightening me out lol!

Looks awesome!

Sweet! Gorgeous blade and beauty scales.
Looking forward to your 49 in horn.

Nice work! They came out looking very nice!

Nice Work Aaron!

Very nice Aaron.

Gorgeous set my friend.

Outstanding!