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I Forge Iron

I could use some feedback.


jamzwayne

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Hey err-body. I could use a little constructive criticism. This is the 6th knife I've made and it's my 2nd file knife.

I made this one for my cousin. He's a chef and wanted a custom butcher's knife. This dude is balanced, heavy, and sharp. 

12" Nicholson file, 2 brass pins, 1 handmade mosaic pin (my first attempt), walnut and devils bone* with brass, and vine spine work.

1. In the second picture, the walnut is separated with devils bone* and brass. What is that called? Putting a separate piece of material in scales....An Inlay?

2. May I have a little constructive criticism? It will only make me a better knife maker. Thank you in advance.

 

* I'm calling the black wood "devils bone" because I have no idea what it really is.

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Fist thing, tho it’s a beutiful well executed knife it’s functionality as a chefs knife is impaired by design. It would serve beter as a steak slicer. Chef knives tend to have a drop tip and you don’t want a recasso or guard preventjng the very back of the blade from touching the cutting board. With sharpening the edge receids and eventually a gap develops between the board and the edge preventing effective slicing and chopping. 

The second issue is weight, heavy knives get tiring to use after a few hours.

third issue is that their should be no nooks and crannies to alow food particles and bacteria to gather. Filling the beutiful file work in with epoxy then sanding it down and polishing will go a long way to solving that food safty issue. Wood isn’t realy an issue anymore unless it’s toxic or causes allergies as it’s anti bacterial. 

A little more upsweep and thinner blade and it would be a very artistic scimitar slicer.  

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In addition to what Charles said, the bit of wood right at the heel of the blade is going to break. It's not a question of "IF", but of "WHEN". Walnut splits fairly easily -- frankly, almost any wood will split easily in that dimension -- and that bit of short grain isn't going to last very long at all. If you want a detail like that, you need a material that is equally strong in all dimensions, such as micarta.

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Too may issues with it to ever be allowed in a commercial kitchen.. Every file tooth is a nook for bacteria. I can see the scales chipping at the top as well. Hard to tell from the pictures but the side grind looks a bit convex which can be an issue with slicing some items thinly.

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I'm no bladesmith guy but I love to cook and I'd have to class that as a beautiful serving / carving knife rather one for the kitchen. I prefer at least some guard but just a little so you aren't likely to slide your hand down the blade. Points about not being able to lay the blade flat on the board are the salient critique on this point. But a wider blade has advantages and takes care of the points.

Weight is a big deal if you're using it all day. Oh yeah.

Epoxy fill as a final finish is a good idea to seal it against bacteria. That safety issue can effect hundreds of people literally. Yes?

Stabilized handle materials are getting cheaper and more beautiful all the time and are solid solutions for splitting, splintering, etc.

I like your mosaic pin and file work on the spine, it's very attractive. I don't know what to call the devil's bone section, "Insert"maybe? The metal spacers make it Pop nicely.

All in all It's a beautiful blade, well done.

Frosty The Lucky.

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JMZW,

You have crafted a beautiful knife. But it is not an ideal chef's knife. (as mentioned above).

SLAG suggests that novice knife smiths study traditional knife designs before making a particular style of knife.

The traditional designs were designed, proved, (through use),  and incorporate solutions that most of us can only see a few of.

(the rest of them are not immediately obvious). But they work well.

Copying a traditional design will result in a very useful blade.

A quick internet search will bring up information about such knives.

As a matter of interest, French chef's knives have a flatter cutting edge than German style knives. Both styles work equally well.

The difference is not great but it is a matter of feel and chef's preference.

A view of a chef's knife will reveal the type of bolster (ricasso)  that is used. (it has a "breakaway" shape).

I suspect that your "devil's bone" wood is a scrap of ebony or African blackwood. But that is just a guess.

Regards and good job,

SLAG.

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Now given all that; a lot of the knives used by Frontier folks here in the Americas started out as commercially available knives like butcher's knives; often being rehilted over the years.  That would make a find example of an upscale one of those.

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All good feedback. This is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you.

This isn't a chef knife. It's supposed to be a butcher's knife. Mainly used for quartering large pieces of meat/critters. 

The safety concerns about bacteria getting in nook's and crannies is a fabulous point xxxxxxxx didn't even think about that. The picture doesn't show it very well, but I did epoxy around the spine work. It didn't look complete with the gaps.

Again, thank you for the feedback.

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For a working blade you need something that can be washed and sterilized and isn't slick when covered in various bodily fluids.  I like using corian for such handles as it's very tolerant of abuse and comes in a number of looks and if you are friendly with a kitchen remodeler can often be gotten for free from sink cutouts in the countertops.

My Uncle retired from a career of being a Meat Inspector, (state then Federal IIRC), his knives were definitely Dishwasher Safe and used molded handles shaped to allow a positive grip even when covered in "stuff". (Don't eat tongue from cows raised in Cactus Country!)

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On 5/30/2019 at 12:07 PM, ThomasPowers said:

(Don't eat tongue from cows raised in Cactus Country!)

Wise words Thomas.

Reminds me of a saying among goat people. "Never kiss a goat on the lips." Goats eat Poison Ivy like candy.

Frosty The Lucky.

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On 6/2/2019 at 3:08 AM, Frosty said:

.

And don't let goats kiss you on the face or neck, as my wife can attest.  She couldn't figure out how she got poison ivy on her face and neck until I pointed out the 'goat kisses'.

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"Never Kiss A Goat On The Lips" is the name of a book of goat misadventures by a long time breeder. I highly recommend the book for folk getting into owning goats. Might save on some of the . . . Issues. :o

Frosty The Lucky.

 

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