Gillinomics Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 Hands down my best work to date, a chef's knife for a former employer that is going to a large cooking competition next week! Handle is stabilized and dyed box elder burl purchased from a supplier, blade is recycled 1930s era sawmill blade. For whatever reason the pins appear misaligned due to the shape/angle of the handle. I do most of my handle shaping with a rasp and sandpaper, if anyone has pointers for a nice glossy finish they'd be appreciated. I treated with boiled linseed oil and a butcher block wax mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 Nice job. One of the most important things is does it feel good in the users hand? Nothing better than a knife that just feels good like it's supposed to be in your hand. I hope your former employer does well with it. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillinomics Posted October 11, 2019 Author Share Posted October 11, 2019 Thanks! Absolutely, I am a cook by trade so all chef knives that I make go through a week long test in the kitchen. edit: blade is 9", 12.25 oal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 Something weird about the photo then, because if that is a 9" blade the handle looks to be at least 4.5", not 3.25". Nice profile and grind for the blade. Pretty unusual handle shape. What is the logic behind the rear finger notch? Heat treatment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 Gill....any chance yer go'in to the IBA meeting next month? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker77 Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 Gill, nice knife! Did you dye the scales yourself? If so, what did you dye box elder burl with? Alcohol based dye? Water based? I have a pretty good stash of beautiful stabilized 1-1/2" x 1" x 6" blocks of BEB, purchased 10 years ago when you could buy this stuff cheap. Now it's ridiculously priced. I love the wood, but would like to try some darker dyes on it. So far the prettiest finish I've come up with is sand to 400, followed by a couple of coats of Watkins Danish Oil in dark walnut, followed after a couple of days with 1800 RPM buffing with green cutting compound on a sisal wheel, and finally white rouge on soft cotton cloth wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillinomics Posted October 12, 2019 Author Share Posted October 12, 2019 Latticino, you are probably closer to the mark, the blade length is 9" for sure but the rest was an estimate, embarrassing certainly haha. The rear finger notch on the handle I find comfortable for my pinky/ring fingers to land when using a pinch-grip where the hand rests mainly above the ricasso, something that this chef does almost exclusively. If you are referring to the notch on the heel of the blade, that is simply aesthetics. The blade shape is designed to be a quick mince with a full roll. Davies, I have not made it to an IBA meeting yet, my work schedule prevents me due to high volume weekends, but I plan to make it out as soon as I can! I am in the metro indy area near Broadripple. Picker, I did not stabilize or dye this myself, it was purchased from a supplier online. I can certainly ask him what his methods are, however I can understand him being hesitant to reveal his process from my previous interactions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker77 Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 No problem, Gill. I'll just do a bit more experimenting. There's a WoodCraft store within driving distance from me that carries a lot of different dyes and stains. They also stock some small "turning block" sizes of exotic woods for carving and ink pen turning, although like everywhere else their exotic wood is also exotically priced. From my guitar building days I think probably alcohol-based dye will be the way to go. BTW, for the knife makers among us, a good source for handle finish materials is Stewart-MacDonald's website, it's the cat's butt for almost any wood finishing/staining material you could think of, and is the Amazon of the stringed instrument materials supply world. If they ain't got it, you don't need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 If it's already been stabilized it may be difficult to dye it---depending on the method of stabilization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDL Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Medical grade super glue (n-butyl cyanoacrylate ) makes for a fairly durable and shiny finish on wood and would be food safe. You can polish it glass shiny. I've used it in the past on wood pens I made on my lathe, and after years of use, it holds up. It will fracture though if you drop it. n-butyl cyanoacrylate is pricey compared to the super glue you buy at the hardware store (methyl 2-cyanoacrylate and ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate). There is lots of discussions about the generic type being food safe after curing, but easy enough to err on the side of caution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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