have you have any problems with the copper corrosion staining the wood or making it crack I had a blade that i made and used copper for a pin and after about 2 years the handle looked terrible from the corrosion from blood and everything else granted i could have taken alittle better care but my skinning knifes take a beating on pack in trips
sounds like you have quite a bit going on with the handle,, first the copper will oxidize over time, so will most metals, some more than others
as far as staining the wood is concerned, it sounds like there was a lack of oil or wax,,, if you don't have some protectorant , i.e. oil or wax,
then there will eventually be aging related issues
the blood staining is the same,, no oil or wax in the pours and blood can get into the wood
as far as splitting is concerned again oil and wax application will help reduce the chance of splitting, but wood being pourous, if liquid gets into the grain
and it dries out, and repeatedly gets wet and dries out, eventually splitting will become a problem
so basically moving forward an application of oil or wax to your tools is basic maintenance, take care of your tools and they'll be there when you need them,
if you don't then you will get a speeding up of the second law of thermodynamics
sorry i couldn't give you better news,,,, of course others may disagree, this is my experience and my opinion ymmv