Opinel Modification: Scratch Carving.

B

Blake the Blade

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Mar 28, 2015
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Apart from being great knives, the handle of an Opinel is a blank canvass for modification and design. Tried a bit of scratch carving on my no8 which, whilst not 100% successful, was a pleasurable thing to do nonetheless. What do you think ?

Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on FlickrUntitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr
Untitled by marksawdust123, on Flickr

I've also added a lanyard loop (made from a coat-hanger hook) stained and waxed the handle and forced a patina on the blade with vinegar. There is also some water damage to the carbon steel.
 
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Like you said, "a pleasurable thing to do", and a way to make them uniquely yours.
 
If you meant to make it look like it was carried in a tackle box for the last 30 years...you nailed it!!! Looks good my friend
 
Cheers Jake. Guess what it needs now is some actual age and wear, something which is hard to fake. thanks for your interest mate.
 
Very nice! I picked up a No. 8 carbon Opinel at a great knife shop in Paris last month (Courty & Fils, http://www.couteaux-courty.com/) for 8.50 euros. Haven't made any mods so far except to melt some hard floor wax into the handle slot with a hair dryer* (*an old one, not the one my wife uses:D). That seems to have worked to keep the handle from swelling. Plan to take it to Switzerland this fall for some hiking in the Alps.
 
Thanks Alberta. they're great practical knives these I'm sure yours will serve you well. keep the blade dry if it's carbon, its not just the handle that suffers from moisture. But for me the damage caused by the environment to these knives becomes part of their charm. Make it your own.
 
I did some scratch carving on a Mora. Nothing that nice though, just some geometric grooves and lines. Its always great to make something, "yours".
 
Blake the Blade said:
Apart from being great knives, the handle of an Opinel is a blank canvass for modification and design. tried a bit of scratch carving on my no8 which, whilst not 100% successful, was a pleasurable thing to do nonetheless. What do you think ?

I've also added a lanyard loop (made from a coat-hanger hook) stained and waxed the handle and forced a patina on the blade with vinegar. There is also some water damage to the carbon steel.
Click to expand...

From my comments on your "introductory post" you probably know I like the carving on the Opinel handle. I'll tell you a brief story here. Last summer I often whittled while waiting at the bus stop, and one of my projects was whittling a couple of faces on a stick. A girl who I knew was an art major often was at the same bus stop, and took some interest in my whittling projects. She looked at my whittled faces for a long time, then said, "This is astonishingly primitive!" I didn't dare ask if that was a compliment or a criticism. I don't know what that "developing expert" would say about your fish, but I like 'em! (Like the bail and lanyard, too.) :thumbup::thumbup:
(If you're curious, here's a photo of the astonishingly primitive whittling :p
AiZPRRk.jpg
)

- GT
 
That's great GT, I would be more than happy with the description given of your work as "primitive" if I were you. To me that would be a great compliment as you would be following in a great tradition of craftsmen and artists both ancient and modern. I too like your work very much. For me, I would be equally happy with the term "naïve", often used when referring to those producing scrimshaw, which is what I had in mind when carving my knife. Not that I have any great knowledge of this, or claim to be anywhere near as good as the old-timers who produced it, but hey I think there's a bit of artistry in everyone.
 
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