Western Chef in K110 (D2) and Purple Flat Bean

[Ant_Topps]

Hi all,

Just wanted to post a pic of a recently completed chef knife that was snapped up at the 2017 Durban Easter Knife show.

Blade: Bohler K110 (D2) with forced patina.
Handle: Purple Flat-bean, Copper and black G10.
Pins: Copper and Graphite

Thank you for viewing.
Feed back welcome.

 

[littleknife]

As a decorative piece of art, it is beautiful.
The D2 steel is a great feature. I bet it will hold a decent edge for a very long time.

As a chef knife, I think it has too much belly up front. I think a less pronounced curve would be much more functional when chopping with the knife tip down.
That way, a much larger portion of the back portion of the edge would dice with less rocking motion.

Regarding the materials, IMHO the copper pins are not the best choice for a kitchen knife.
I have never held “purple flat-bean” wood. If it is very slick when wet or greasy, a less polished finish and/or some checkering might help to get a firm enough hold without gripping too strong.

Finally, the recurving (fish tail?) end of the handle might position the grip too much when the knife is picked up. A straighter end might help with a more relaxed/less positioned grip.

I am not an expert in any way, these are just my thoughts regarding what design would I prefer as a user rather than a collector.

Once again, these are just minor issues, the knife is BEAUTIFUL!
Congratulations and thanks for sharing!

 

[Ant_Topps]

Thank you for the feedback L littleknife . It's always appreciated
I do focus on chef knives as they do get used everyday and not put in a display case.

This is more the "German style chef knife" so they tend to have more of a belly. My gyuto / asian styled knives have that flatter edge profile you suggested.

Purple Flat Bean is the same family as African Blackwood. It's hard, not as oily but a bit rarer to come across even down here in South Africa.
The handle was inspired by a traditional bowie style that Nick Wheeler is known for. Really does fit in the hand well. For the user who uses a "pinch grip" the front was tapered to the front of the bolster to make it as comfortable as possible. However, I'm still going to tweak this a bit more to accommodate larger handed individuals.

 

[littleknife]

Hi Ant_Topps,

Thanks for your detailed response. I am familiar with the German style chef knives, and yes, they have more belly than the French style ones, but it seems to me that the knife above has even more belly than a typical German style chef knife.
Having said that, I am not a knife maker.
You are, and besides being an artist, you have to make a living too.
You know way better than me what is in demand in this very competitive market. It very well could be, that if you were to offer a Henckels clone, there wouldn’t be much demand for it.
On the other hand how many D2 steel chef knives with fighter inspired handles made of Purple Flat Been wood are on the market?
That is as unique as it gets, and it is BEAUTIFUL as well.
Also, I am sure it works very well as a chef knife too.
What else could one ask?
Had I had the money, I would have gladly snapped it up myself too, or another (or several) of your knives.
Thanks again for your response.
I wish you good health and a steady good business!

 

[milkbaby]

To add another opinion: That's an AWESOME looking chef's knife! The edge profile looks to be between a Henckels Pro and a Wusthof Classic, with the Henckels having slightly more belly, the Wusthof slightly less, so your knife is definitely in the ballpark of a classic German chef's knife!

I actually prefer that a western style handle have some curve at the rear to aid in grip when using a hammer or index finger pointing grip, though to be honest I choke up with a pinch grip for the majority of things I cut with a chef's knife. That handle wood looks beautiful and I love the shape and contours of the handle.

Interestingly, I've used copper pins and copper and black G10 liners and spacers on a couple of knives I've made for myself and really like the look. They did develop patina, and I wonder if brass hardware will show less patina? Not that it bothers me, but just interested in info. I've made a few with brass pins and liners/spacers but all those I've given away!

I understand the use of forced patina, and many people like it, but I personally love the ones that develop naturally from use, kind of like a constantly changing history of what the knife has cut.

Sweet knife!