My new addition is both a traditional pocket knife and a fixed blade.
It also became somewhat of a grail knife for me.
I'm a Hollander, this means I'm Dutch and from the province of South or North Holland in the Netherlands, three of my grandparents were Hollanders as well.
The interesting one, in this case, is my maternal grandfather, his family was originally from Zeeland (the old one).
He owned an umbrella store and was an umbrella and cane repairman. As a kid I used to watch him repair umbrellas in the cellar of his shop, while sitting on the stairs. Sometimes I played with the sword canes, until he found out and boxed my ears.
It takes patience, fine motor skills and special tools to repair an umbrella, it's a lost craft.
I chose my other grandfather's line of work, I'm a professional chef. I've been working in hospitality for 25 years now, starting out as a bartender, occasional barbecue caterer. I've been specializing since about 8 years and now I train professionals to use charcoal grills and help citizens with their backyard grilling.
This forum has helped me focus my fascination with blades. Kitchen knives and traditional folders.
Kitchen knives are no longer something to collect, just to use.
A while ago a renowned Solingen factory gave me a complete demonstration set to cut with on fairs and such. Then I got a branded set from one of my customers.
Strangely this destroyed my inclination to buy new knives myself. It would feel extravagant.
Most of my cutting is done with the same knives I bought between 25 and 10 years ago, all of them are good friends.
Folders and fixed blades however.. there is no end in sight yet.
Through this forum I found out that the only real Dutch knife still being produced is a fixed blade called a 'Paeremes'.
(Translation from French: Farmers' knife from Walcheren isle - one of the Zeeland islands).
It's a Zeeland tradition going back at least 300 years. The first ones were silver and had a rounded top. Later it became more a farmers' blade and the handle was cut from wood. On the crown the woodcutter or 'snikkeraar' would put a lion or two horses, therefore it was called a horseknife or 'paeremes' in local dialect. It was worn in the pocket in a leather sheath.
One of the functions was to cut your horses from their straps if the span got caught in a canal or in an estuary. It's a wet country over there, most of it under sea level.
The tools of your trade would be cut in the back of the handle and in the front a religious depiction, the patron saint of your profession maybe. Between the tools and the horses a good cutter would make a cage with a wooden ball inside from the leftover wood.
The wood used is mostly Buxus, a European hardwood, or Pear wood.
The blade is a carbon steel sheepsfoot of about 15 centimeters or 5.9 inches. It's made in Germany by the Solingen factory of Friedrich Herder Abr. Sohn, the one with the club. The tang is glued into the haft with hot wax.
I wanted one, I'm from a Zeeland line, so I felt it was my birthright.
Searching for a woodcutter online I found somebody of my Grandfathers last name, first name Anton. We scanned the family books and quickly decided we were distant cousins. He doesn't do this professionally. He's actually a graphic designer and woodcutting is his hobby. I told him about my Grandfather and his craft, how I enjoyed watching him work and how proud I was in finding my own craft. This convinced him to make my knife.
It took Anton two months to cut the handle, here are some pictures of the progress.
He chose a pig to crown the knife, I gave him the choice between a pig and a cow.
Here he's working on the cage:
Starting on the tools:
Brush, tongs and poker, even my thermapen is in there...
Starting on the display, we decided on a Mythology design, Odysseus slaughtering pigs in celebration after returning home.
I was forced to translate some Greek in school and he was my favorite hero.
I received the knife a few days ago and made these bad pictures at night with my phone. It is oiled, dried and waxed now.
The blade was very blunt, to protect the woodcutter, so I decided to have a professional sharpen it.
This man normally sharpens Japanese damast and such for Michelin star chefs.
I phoned him in advance and he was very happy to do it.
I asked to give a little more curve towards the tip, so I can slice meat with it.
I'll drive there first thing tomorrow, can't wait.
It also became somewhat of a grail knife for me.
I'm a Hollander, this means I'm Dutch and from the province of South or North Holland in the Netherlands, three of my grandparents were Hollanders as well.
The interesting one, in this case, is my maternal grandfather, his family was originally from Zeeland (the old one).
He owned an umbrella store and was an umbrella and cane repairman. As a kid I used to watch him repair umbrellas in the cellar of his shop, while sitting on the stairs. Sometimes I played with the sword canes, until he found out and boxed my ears.
It takes patience, fine motor skills and special tools to repair an umbrella, it's a lost craft.
I chose my other grandfather's line of work, I'm a professional chef. I've been working in hospitality for 25 years now, starting out as a bartender, occasional barbecue caterer. I've been specializing since about 8 years and now I train professionals to use charcoal grills and help citizens with their backyard grilling.
This forum has helped me focus my fascination with blades. Kitchen knives and traditional folders.
Kitchen knives are no longer something to collect, just to use.
A while ago a renowned Solingen factory gave me a complete demonstration set to cut with on fairs and such. Then I got a branded set from one of my customers.
Strangely this destroyed my inclination to buy new knives myself. It would feel extravagant.
Most of my cutting is done with the same knives I bought between 25 and 10 years ago, all of them are good friends.
Folders and fixed blades however.. there is no end in sight yet.
Through this forum I found out that the only real Dutch knife still being produced is a fixed blade called a 'Paeremes'.
(Translation from French: Farmers' knife from Walcheren isle - one of the Zeeland islands).
It's a Zeeland tradition going back at least 300 years. The first ones were silver and had a rounded top. Later it became more a farmers' blade and the handle was cut from wood. On the crown the woodcutter or 'snikkeraar' would put a lion or two horses, therefore it was called a horseknife or 'paeremes' in local dialect. It was worn in the pocket in a leather sheath.
One of the functions was to cut your horses from their straps if the span got caught in a canal or in an estuary. It's a wet country over there, most of it under sea level.
The tools of your trade would be cut in the back of the handle and in the front a religious depiction, the patron saint of your profession maybe. Between the tools and the horses a good cutter would make a cage with a wooden ball inside from the leftover wood.
The wood used is mostly Buxus, a European hardwood, or Pear wood.
The blade is a carbon steel sheepsfoot of about 15 centimeters or 5.9 inches. It's made in Germany by the Solingen factory of Friedrich Herder Abr. Sohn, the one with the club. The tang is glued into the haft with hot wax.
I wanted one, I'm from a Zeeland line, so I felt it was my birthright.
Searching for a woodcutter online I found somebody of my Grandfathers last name, first name Anton. We scanned the family books and quickly decided we were distant cousins. He doesn't do this professionally. He's actually a graphic designer and woodcutting is his hobby. I told him about my Grandfather and his craft, how I enjoyed watching him work and how proud I was in finding my own craft. This convinced him to make my knife.
It took Anton two months to cut the handle, here are some pictures of the progress.
He chose a pig to crown the knife, I gave him the choice between a pig and a cow.
Here he's working on the cage:
Starting on the tools:
Brush, tongs and poker, even my thermapen is in there...
Starting on the display, we decided on a Mythology design, Odysseus slaughtering pigs in celebration after returning home.
I was forced to translate some Greek in school and he was my favorite hero.
I received the knife a few days ago and made these bad pictures at night with my phone. It is oiled, dried and waxed now.
The blade was very blunt, to protect the woodcutter, so I decided to have a professional sharpen it.
This man normally sharpens Japanese damast and such for Michelin star chefs.
I phoned him in advance and he was very happy to do it.
I asked to give a little more curve towards the tip, so I can slice meat with it.
I'll drive there first thing tomorrow, can't wait.
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