First kitchen knife

oic0

oic0

Joined
Jun 16, 2012
Messages
368
Will also be my first hidden tang. Making it as a gift for a friend and his wife.
Does this shape look right? I'm aiming to have it be a santoku though I haven't decided if It will get a chisel grind or a flat grind. If I go with chisel I will have to try to figure something out for the urasuki
Also, on the handle... I'm going to try to do it sort of like the traditional handles only I do not have a big piece of horn to top it off with so I was thinking of using 1/4 inch brass? Would that add to much weight to be worth it? Also, the brass I have is from plates that welders use. I don't know if it has lead in it :/ Should I use steel instead?


The edge is 7 inches, the usable portion of the tang is 3.8 inches. Width is 2 inches at its widest point. Would be made from 2"x 1/8th" 1084 stock.
6i8nzo.jpg
 
oic0 said:
Will also be my first hidden tang. Making it as a gift for a friend and his wife.
Does this shape look right? I'm aiming to have it be a santoku though I haven't decided if It will get a chisel grind or a flat grind. If I go with chisel I will have to try to figure something out for the urasuki
Also, on the handle... I'm going to try to do it sort of like the traditional handles only I do not have a big piece of horn to top it off with so I was thinking of using 1/4 inch brass? Would that add to much weight to be worth it? Also, the brass I have is from plates that welders use. I don't know if it has lead in it :/ Should I use steel instead?


The edge is 7 inches, the usable portion of the tang is 3.8 inches. Width is 2 inches at its widest point. Would be made from 2"x 1/8th" 1084 stock.
6i8nzo.jpg
Click to expand...

I am not sure about the scooped heel, seems too easy to catch your knuckles on. I take mine straight down and some people still manage to catch the edge at the heel and nick themselves.

Since moving to japanese knives my wife happily uses an 8" gyuto or my 9" if she has to, since they are lighter and easier to handle. You might consider 8 inches instead. You can always make it shorter but not longer :)

Do you mean an entirely brass ferrule? Sounds cold and slippery to me. A brass spacer could be a nice accent though. Other people do make metal ferrules and they can look very nice. Even if it had a little lead in it, it would not concern me, it is not like eating off a lead plate, you are just holding it. Shouldn't be too hard to find some horn, I have bought some from ebay and other websites in the past.

I like to put at least one hole in the tang so that the epoxy I use fills it and makes a mechanical bond.
 
I agree on the heel, knocked that off and updated it.
On the ferrule, are there functional considerations with one? I've never used a japanese knife my self. My only consideration was protecting the wood from moisture. I do have some red water buffalo horn, but its 1/4 inch thick. I could layer it alternating with steel or brass to make one as long as a traditional one if they are functional.
 
For functionality and practicality, a black linen micarta fuchi/bolster/ferrule and a maple or holly handle will look and function great. Other choices for the front piece are water buffalo horn, or African blackwood.
 
I got some progress done on it. Not sure I like how the ferrule transitions to wood though, theres a little bit of fiber mashed there that soaks up more stain and gets dark. Probably not a way to fix that huh? prob have to start the handle over? The ferrule there is a bit of copper pipe I found and hammered onto the wood. Seemed like a good idea at the time lol.

23w8w15.jpg
 
Seen some nice copper ferrules in the past. If you can get it off, carefully file a little shoulder on the handle first, in effect making a small tenon, and hammer the ferrule up against it, then there won't be crushed fibers.
 
jdm61 said:
Make it thinner.;)
Click to expand...
It definitely feels too heavy to me and of course it would perform better thinner. The balance point is going to be too far forward. I don't think I could do it on my fast grinder without overheating it now,my second attempt will definitely be thinner though.

It survived heat treat despite my too thin edge.
15g3rpj.jpg
 
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