The Sardinian connection.

RayseM said:
Here is my EURO HORN collection - only 2 are Sardinian but they are all traditional and I don't think you folks will mind my mixing up the group, off thread a bit. Per the oiling discussion a few days ago, I gave these all some olive oil. :) Just precautionary though I have never noticed any horn creep or shrinkage. The pivot pins of the friction folders need tapping once each year but otherwise all good! I love this little group.

Top to bottom ~
• Gigi Sechi
• Davide Steri (this is the big brother to waynorth waynorth 's knife above
• Jerome Latreille - Mammoth Tusk
• Little Antique “yataghan” type, made by Charpentier
• Pierre Yves Joyeux

View attachment 2011028

I see that I have a dark handle theme going here - mostly. Time to change that up.

Will discuss a lighter more luminous horn for my next Sardinian. 👍


View attachment 2011030
Click to expand...
Very nice collection, Ray!!
 
Thank you for sharing waynorth waynorth . I can't ever get enough of that lovely, pink mozzetta of yours. It's what inspired me to request sanguinato horn for my own resolza, though mine is more strawberry blonde.

:thumbsup:
 
kamagong said:
Thank you for sharing waynorth waynorth . I can't ever get enough of that lovely, pink mozzetta of yours. It's what inspired me to request sanguinato horn for my own resolza, though mine is more strawberry blonde.

:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
It was quite a surprise to me when J-M explained the meaning of the horn's color!!
It's an honor to have such a knife!!
 
DDvXARL.jpg
idxmHA4.jpg
 
Here is m latest from Davide Steri (in case you missed it :oops: ).

A 9cm Gonnesa Panciuta - A "potbellied knife from the style of the knives of the southern Sardinian town "Gonnosfanadiga".

From Davide ~ "Hi Ray, I hope you are well too, as always what you wrote is very understandable, the knife in question is called Gonnesa panciuta, it comes from the southern Sardinian town "Gonnosfanadiga", a type to which I am very attached, because my father is from that area, Villacidro. It is perhaps one of the oldest types of knife in Sardinia, it has a shape that allows it to be used for all agro-pastoral uses, the ones in the photo (Which I sent by way of examples of what I was asking) are the richest models, with side inserts in brass and with engravings, intended for Signorotti and gifts for the holidays, but the most used type was the simple one, the handle was monolithic in jujube wood or ram's horn, with a double ring and a thin, pot-bellied blade in carbon steel. I will draw a drawing these days to show you which model can be not too expensive, but useful for good use. Soon David"

Panciuta on-post.jpg

New-Steri-folded.jpg

Within less than a week of receiving this beauty the blade was so loose as to fall open with an easy shake. You might recall another discussion about tightening the pivot on these Sardinian friction folders. It had been recommended by GIGI SECHI to lightly peen the pins on a hard stable surface with a layer or 2 of tape top protect the pins. I have done that and it works well. Still, this time I decided that I would confirm with Davide that this was his technique as well.

TECHNIQUE SHARE ~

This was his reply ~ "Hi Ray, don't knock the pins, I sent the knife right away, it's a living material and has yet to settle the clutch, in the morning I'll show you a simpler video how to do it without hitting the pins."

He followed up with these images ~


0.jpg 2.jpg

0-3.jpg 3.jpg

"Make sure you don't tighten too much, go gradually until you find the type of clutch suitable for your use, over time and with use it will become uniform with the settling of the horn which is always alive "

I didn't have any brass plate so I simply attached a pair of brass hinges to my vise jaws with tape.

• Image #2 is important - before you start to squeeze, make certain the pins are perpendicular to the jaws - not tilted.
• Light tightening of the jaws a few times to get the tension you prefer.
• Was less dynamic than pounding on the pins and worked very well, as you would expect.

Cheers and happy pivot tightening.
 
I am amazed!! I have lately discovered that many knifemakers set their pivot pins by squeezing them rather than peening!! Tony Bose often did this also!!
I don't know why it is a shock to me!!?? I just have to reset my mental imaging!!!
Holy Cow!!
 
Yes indeed Christian, that will work too! I think you could make the guide piece out of a 2" thick block of wood or Micarta or a phenolic sheet.
If you have a solid base and the rod you are good to peen.👍
 
Very interesting and useful. One point though: why are brass liners put in the vice? Won't hard wood or plastic do? I'm fascinated by the vice technique but a little wary- smashed up a Timex Expedition trying to get the impossible back back on...one turn too much....Mind you, need a very steady hand and experience to peen that pivot, with all that horn about, one incompetent whack from the hammer...:eek::poop:
 
Will Power said:
Very interesting and useful. One point though: why are brass liners put in the vice? Won't hard wood or plastic do? I'm fascinated by the vice technique but a little wary- smashed up a Timex Expedition trying to get the impossible back back on...one turn too much....Mind you, need a very steady hand and experience to peen that pivot, with all that horn about, one incompetent whack from the hammer...:eek::poop:
Click to expand...
I pondered this myself. Did not experiment. Though I could have tried, I had other materials. My experience with wood tells me that even the most dense wood will not resist the pressure of the little round head pins. They would indent the wood - I think - before compressed enough. Maybe a piece of micarta, G-10, or phenolic "might" do the job. I think aluminum could work too. My thin brass hinges worked well. Very little turning of the vice handle. I turned a bit once, tried it, went another partial turn and that was all that was needed. Like peening, the secret is to go easy and often, rather than one effort of brute force.

Âchillepattada said:
A great knife and a great sharing between the amateur and the knife-maker :):thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

The knife seem to be a perfect EDC .

Congratulations
Â
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Yes indeed, on all counts Jean-Marc. Thank you.
 
Will Power Will Power - I hadn't looked yesterday but your question compelled me to do so. Here are the brass hinges I used as backer plates for pressing the pivot pins.
You can see on each the divots from the pressure. The green dots are the tape I used to secure the hinge leafs to my vice. There are divots there too - filled in with the tape.


Pin-divots-in-brass.jpg

Apparently the clamp pad needs to be quite hard to withstand even the relatively slight pressure. Brass - more merciful to the finished bolsters than steel jaws.
 
RayseM RayseM That's interesting, and makes sense as brass is pliant, forgiving so acts like a buffer. Thinking about it. wood would be no good. Have to see if I can find some old hinges of brass, good idea. Might have copper sheet somewhere out in the country place. Perhaps be an idea to look for a smaller vice...mine's fairly massive! There's a hand cranked grinding wheel in there with a water trough underneath it, cool but strictly for spades, hoes, and horticultural tools, wouldn't let my knives near it ;)
 
kamagong said:
Thanks for sharing your pics RayseM RayseM .

I still want one of these for my resolza though.
Click to expand...
I'm not too good at adding the extra quotes for the photos of the contraption you quoted, but it doesn't appear to be a very difficult tool to make. You could probably get away without using hardened steel for the two contact points, if you're not making knives at least. I'm sure you could have it made at a machine shop for the price of a knife.

Now I might have to have one made! :D

RayseM said:
Here is m latest from Davide Steri (in case you missed it :oops: ).

A 9cm Gonnesa Panciuta - A "potbellied knife from the style of the knives of the southern Sardinian town "Gonnosfanadiga".

From Davide ~ "Hi Ray, I hope you are well too, as always what you wrote is very understandable, the knife in question is called Gonnesa panciuta, it comes from the southern Sardinian town "Gonnosfanadiga", a type to which I am very attached, because my father is from that area, Villacidro. It is perhaps one of the oldest types of knife in Sardinia, it has a shape that allows it to be used for all agro-pastoral uses, the ones in the photo (Which I sent by way of examples of what I was asking) are the richest models, with side inserts in brass and with engravings, intended for Signorotti and gifts for the holidays, but the most used type was the simple one, the handle was monolithic in jujube wood or ram's horn, with a double ring and a thin, pot-bellied blade in carbon steel. I will draw a drawing these days to show you which model can be not too expensive, but useful for good use. Soon David"

View attachment 2092853

View attachment 2092854

Within less than a week of receiving this beauty the blade was so loose as to fall open with an easy shake. You might recall another discussion about tightening the pivot on these Sardinian friction folders. It had been recommended by GIGI SECHI to lightly peen the pins on a hard stable surface with a layer or 2 of tape top protect the pins. I have done that and it works well. Still, this time I decided that I would confirm with Davide that this was his technique as well.

TECHNIQUE SHARE ~

This was his reply ~ "Hi Ray, don't knock the pins, I sent the knife right away, it's a living material and has yet to settle the clutch, in the morning I'll show you a simpler video how to do it without hitting the pins."

He followed up with these images ~


View attachment 2092860 View attachment 2092861

View attachment 2092862 View attachment 2092863

"Make sure you don't tighten too much, go gradually until you find the type of clutch suitable for your use, over time and with use it will become uniform with the settling of the horn which is always alive "

I didn't have any brass plate so I simply attached a pair of brass hinges to my vise jaws with tape.

• Image #2 is important - before you start to squeeze, make certain the pins are perpendicular to the jaws - not tilted.
• Light tightening of the jaws a few times to get the tension you prefer.
• Was less dynamic than pounding on the pins and worked very well, as you would expect.

Cheers and happy pivot tightening.
Click to expand...
What a stunningly beautiful knife! Thanks for showing something I might soon need. 🤣
 
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