So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures inside

[TristanC]

Ok I know this is a jewelry forum. Yes I know knives are not jewelry.

Yet I found Victor Canera on this site, simply because his work speaks to me through the intricate quality and pride of craftsmanship.

I enjoy this type of craftsmanship in other aspects of my life too when I'm fortunate enough to have the time and resources to enjoy it.

So I thought I would share my new kitchen knife with some forumers here.

It is a 300mm Sujihiki (or slicer), made of forged damascus steel, with a black G10 bolster, fiber spacers separating stainless steel spacers, mammoth tooth ivory (dead ages ago, not politically incorrect to use their teeth) and a piece of rich dyed burled maple wood that I selected. The artist that did it is a canadian knifesmith.

Hope Some of you see the beauty in it.

P.S.: Knives are cheaper than Jewelry.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

My DH is going to love this! It's gorgeous

 

[somethingshiny]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

It is gorgeous. My DH is a knife fanatic. He is going to love this.
Thanks for sharing!!

 

[rosetta]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Ok, that is AWESOME!

 

[yssie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Wow... that is art, it's a beauty Tristan!!


Possibly silly question, but is it intended for use - or just ornamental? And if the former - how do you care for something like that? Steel and occasional sharpen like any other - and I guess some sort of mineral oil on the wood? I'm guessing it's not dishwasher safe

 

[Scorpioanne]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

That is absolutley beautiful! It is not a knife, it is art!

 

[TristanC]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Haha. It is made for use. The bladesmith is really talented. So it IS usable, and very very much so. Whether I'll use it frequently or not depends. I do have about 15 knives in rotation when i cook, and I love the feel of different ones.

Care for knives is actually really simple.

1. NEVER EVER EVER put a knife in a dishwasher. It takes 10 seconds to wash a knife and wipe down the blade. You wouldn't put your ring in a dishwasher with extra rinse aid and detergent to get it clean would you? A knife is much easier to clean than a ring.

2. Don't cut on a glass chopping board. Always use wood or plastic boards.

3. Always wipe down your knives, don't leave them sitting in food crap for 2 hours.

4. German knives (what you see in most department stores - henckles, wustorf, forschners) are heat treated to be softer steels. So using a honing steel is fine. Keeps the edge keen longer between sharpenings.

Japanese style knives and steels (like this one) are heated much harder, so they retain their edges longer but are more brittle.

Amazingly, it is easier to explain this to people on a jewelry forum. Kinda like the hardness of certain gems, and how you wear them, and whether you need a bezel to protect the stone. Japanese steels are like diamonds - really hard wearing, but a bad blow will cause a chip. German steels are like erm... hmm... well they're just softer. So less chips, but less edge retention. You CAN steel a japanese knife, but it is usually not necessary. Strop it (like they do in barber shops of old) on leather and sharpen as required is best.

5. Sharpening is best done using waterstones and or oil stones. I personally prefer synthetic waterstones. They are really cheap. Takes a bit of practice though. Or send them out to a few professional sharpeners. There are many in the US. If you treat your Japanese knives well, you'll only need to sharpen them once/twice a year.

Thanks for looking

 

[minmin001]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

oh wow, I love this knife~ it's amazing!

 

[TooPatient]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Beautiful! The detail is just stunning.

 

[Imdanny]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

"That's not a knife, this is a knife." Wow. Congrats!

 

[yssie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Haha. It is made for use. The bladesmith is really talented. So it IS usable, and very very much so. Whether I'll use it frequently or not depends. I do have about 15 knives in rotation when i cook, and I love the feel of different ones.

Care for knives is actually really simple.

1. NEVER EVER EVER put a knife in a dishwasher. It takes 10 seconds to wash a knife and wipe down the blade. You wouldn't put your ring in a dishwasher with extra rinse aid and detergent to get it clean would you? A knife is much easier to clean than a ring.

2. Don't cut on a glass chopping board. Always use wood or plastic boards.

3. Always wipe down your knives, don't leave them sitting in food crap for 2 hours.

4. German knives (what you see in most department stores - henckles, wustorf, forschners) are heat treated to be softer steels. So using a honing steel is fine. Keeps the edge keen longer between sharpenings.

Japanese style knives and steels (like this one) are heated much harder, so they retain their edges longer but are more brittle.

Amazingly, it is easier to explain this to people on a jewelry forum. Kinda like the hardness of certain gems, and how you wear them, and whether you need a bezel to protect the stone. Japanese steels are like diamonds - really hard wearing, but a bad blow will cause a chip. German steels are like erm... hmm... well they're just softer. So less chips, but less edge retention. You CAN steel a japanese knife, but it is usually not necessary. Strop it (like they do in barber shops of old) on leather and sharpen as required is best.

5. Sharpening is best done using waterstones and or oil stones. I personally prefer synthetic waterstones. They are really cheap. Takes a bit of practice though. Or send them out to a few professional sharpeners. There are many in the US. If you treat your Japanese knives well, you'll only need to sharpen them once/twice a year.

Thanks for looking

Thanks for the rundown!

Nicer (read: non-Ikea) knives are a relatively new interest for me, and I'm still learning. We have Wusthofs. I took a couple of evening classes on care and use at the local cc - and I must say, it's really quite astounding how much easier it is to manoeuvre a chef's knife once one actually knows how to *use* the thing! In any case they were adamant about using only end grain wood boards, no dishwasher, clean right away, steel after every use and sharpen once a year. I just kinda figured that was how all brands were best maintained - which in hindsight really doesn't make much sense!

 

[TristanC]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Nice to hear that you're taking classes! I'm not fortunate to be in the USA, so I am mostly self taught. And well, internet taught. When you're ready for it, there is a whole world out there with kitchen knife forums populated mostly by passionate chefs and a few avid home cooks.

German steels are amazing stepping up to them from Ikea knives (or Ginsu knives if you are unfortunate). Imagine then that stepping up to Japanese steels are as big a jump from German steels as Wustorf is from Ikea.

After use and care, the next key skill is sharpening. I am a novice, but I can sharpen a knife enough to make it move through a sheet of A4 paper without any resistance and also make transparent slices off a ripe tomato. The pros can cut a leaf floating on water just by touching it with their knives. A bit 'ninja' and all, but you have to experience it to realise what they do.

If you go to very high end sushi/sashimi places, you'll get a feel for how these people treat their knives and what they can do with them.

Thanks to everyone else for all the nice comments

 

[kenny]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

I love it.
That's a work of high end craftsmanship and art!!!

I feel like sending you a basket of tomatoes to cut.

I'd love to dive in and get Japanese Damascus knives but am going to hold tight for now with my 25 year old my Henckels 4-Stars which are still like new.

I was reading a lot on the knifeforums you told us about.

I'm considering buying an EdgePro Pro sharpener with an Anglecube and chosera stones - as in this video http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/902019/
Are you also thinking of some system to keep the angle between the blade and the stone consistent?

This is someone else's pic of their set up.

 

[kelpie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Wow moneybags, I can't believe you have anything left after that FCD. It's beautiful! Woolly mammoth ivory is just about the my luxuriously sounding thing a knife handle could be made of. I had no idea it could be used in such a practical application. I love all things knifey. My only good kitchen knife is a Shun paring knife but I use it for everything because it's about a hundred times better than my next nicest knife.

 

[kelpie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

I love it.


I'm considering buying an EdgePro Pro sharpener with an Anglecube and chosera stones - as in this video http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/902019/
Are you also thinking of some system to keep the angle between the blade and the stone consistent?

This is someone else's pic of their set up.

I got my husband this a few christmases ago at his request. He doesn't use it often but it does put a great edge on. I need him to dust it off and sharpen my Shun.

 

[TristanC]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

I love it.
That's a work of high end craftsmanship and art!!!

I feel like sending you a basket of tomatoes to cut.

I'd love to dive in and get Japanese Damascus knives but am going to hold tight for now with my 25 year old my Henckels 4-Stars which are still like new.

I was reading a lot on the knifeforums you told us about.

I'm considering buying an EdgePro Pro sharpener with an Anglecube and chosera stones - as in this video http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/902019/
Are you also thinking of some system to keep the angle between the blade and the stone consistent?

This is someone else's pic of their set up.

Oh dear. I'm afraid I've been disingenuous Kenny. The Correct forum is actually http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/forum.php

The one you linked to imploded a while ago due to turf wars about advertising revenue and sponsorship. So most of the founding members and valuable posters left to go to the forum that I just linked to. You'll find that the threads are more honest and informative here.

I don't even go to the forum you linked anymore - too many sponsored vendors with self serving interests playing around on threads there. Which is why i'm impressed with PS moderators and rules.

Part of the forum collapse was also about the fights between freehand sharpeners and 'system' sharpeners. Too long a war to summarise, but ultimately I'm in the purist camp, which is the freehand camp. One of the advertisers sold a 'system' called the Gizmo - and was spewing factually inaccurate crap about his system to newbies. The edgepro is fine, but I would recommend a simple stone startup set that won't set you back more than $50 to start with. It is therapeutic too.

Most of the amazing stuff is done by the freehanders anyway. The best smiths use freehand to complete their work too. And the Japanese, who are the spiritual leaders of the knife world - are freehanders to the very end.

 

[TristanC]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Wow moneybags, I can't believe you have anything left after that FCD. It's beautiful! Woolly mammoth ivory is just about the my luxuriously sounding thing a knife handle could be made of. I had no idea it could be used in such a practical application. I love all things knifey. My only good kitchen knife is a Shun paring knife but I use it for everything because it's about a hundred times better than my next nicest knife.

Erm... I put half down BEFORE I bought the Pink. Now that its virtually done i need to pay up the other half. It is getting uncomfortable to say the least.

I only have a wee bit of mammoth ivory. There is narwhale ivory handle, camel bone, stag horn, lapis lazuli, whale bone... I like mammoth cos they are all dead. So nothing needs to suffer for my luxury.

Oh you have a Shun! And an Edgepro! You are virtually on the doorstep to amazing knife geekness! Haha. I'll post my other knives someday soon. Promise. Didn't know there was an audience here. Whowouldathunkit.

Yeah, a simple synthetic King Brand Whetstone in 1K/6K grit is a good place to start. It takes up less space than a edgepro, is light, and quick to set up, and is enough to put an edge on a knife that would make the hairs on your arm stand on end when you touch it. And it has a tiny footprint in the cupboard when not in use.

 

[TristanC]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Silly me. This is the talented gentleman that made my knife.

Lots of pictures of his work on his webby: http://www.rodrigueknives.com/

 

[yssie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

DH doesn't much like sushi, so I haven't been in a long time - and I don't recall paying any attention at all last time! I'll have to check it out, you make it sound magical!

 

[kelpie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

I about gagged when my husband linked me to the edge pro to buy. I wish he used it more because it's so pricey. I agree that a stone is probably just fine. But he is an uber geek and loves his toys. He is always embarrassing me in airports, museums, and courthouses when he either gets caught with a knife, stashes it in some bushes while he pretends he's tying his shoes (um, did this on our first date), or completely gets away with it. Seriously, we almost didn't get our marriage license because he had to run back several blocks to the car to put away his knife which he brought to the door even though I reminded him to leave it back in the car. I was like, "Hello? This is a criminal court in Baltimore!".

We recently went to Zanzibar for the weekend and I was mortified and ignoring him at the security check (he thought they'd be lax, I said they were like any other airport) and he ending up being like, "Oh this knife? I forgot I had it" and checked it. When we got to the departure lounge I rolled my eyes and said "I told you so!" His reply, "What about the three they didn't find!?!?!?!

WHAT??? Why does a man need four knifes to go lounge on the beach?

Dudes and their knives.

 

[TristanC]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

DH doesn't much like sushi, so I haven't been in a long time - and I don't recall paying any attention at all last time! I'll have to check it out, you make it sound magical!

Umm... it IS magical. 1min. Just watch this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm3oEqutOf0&feature=player_embedded

 

[TristanC]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

I about gagged when my husband linked me to the edge pro to buy. I wish he used it more because it's so pricey. I agree that a stone is probably just fine. But he is an uber geek and loves his toys. He is always embarrassing me in airports, museums, and courthouses when he either gets caught with a knife, stashes it in some bushes while he pretends he's tying his shoes (um, did this on our first date), or completely gets away with it. Seriously, we almost didn't get our marriage license because he had to run back several blocks to the car to put away his knife which he brought to the door even though I reminded him to leave it back in the car. I was like, "Hello? This is a criminal court in Baltimore!".

We recently went to Zanzibar for the weekend and I was mortified and ignoring him at the security check (he thought they'd be lax, I said they were like any other airport) and he ending up being like, "Oh this knife? I forgot I had it" and checked it. When we got to the departure lounge I rolled my eyes and said "I told you so!" His reply, "What about the three they didn't find!?!?!?!

WHAT??? Why does a man need four knifes to go lounge on the beach?

Dudes and their knives.

HAHAHAHHAHA.

Ahahahahhaaaaahaaaahaaa. Your husband is an amazing class act . More amazing is that you went out with him the second time. (I mean this in a good way of course)

Seriously, I check all my knives. And they are only for cooking, so they don't go on holiday unless we get a villa with friends and I am the designated cook.

A stone is more than fine. There are natural japanese stones mined hundreds of years ago that sell for $30,000 for the size of a brick. So, erm, yes. I know the edgepro is cool, but mastering knife sharpening with basically a fancy brick and a knife is infinitely cooler.

 

[MerryMary]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

Wow, that is one amazing knife! I LOVE the swirl effect on the steel blade and it is truely a work of art. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[April20]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

That knife is beautiful! No way am I going to let DH see this. He will want one NOW. He loves a good knife. Filing away for anniversary gift.

 

[kelpie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

A stone is more than fine. There are natural japanese stones mined hundreds of years ago that sell for $30,000 for the size of a brick.

My initial reaction was: WHAT? 30k for a stone?

But wait a minute....if I had a spare 30k a stone is exactly what I'd spend it on, and it'd be quite a bit smaller than a brick.

 

[AmeliaG]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

This is so cool, Tristan! I love knives and I love your knife.

I'm a bit of a wimp with mine and take them to a professional sharpener about once a year. I haven't looked into any Japanese knives so I'm still using the trusty Henckel's and Dehillerins.

 

[dragonfly411]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

That is a gorgeous knife! Enjoy it!

 

[VapidLapid]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

That is a very pretty knife.

I have my knives made to order too, from a smithy on Waldron Island, Washington

http://www.northbayforge.com/

I also have his curved bent knives for carving wood and a huge drawknife from him as well.
Next one is going to be a Scorp!

 

[yssie]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

I about gagged when my husband linked me to the edge pro to buy. I wish he used it more because it's so pricey. I agree that a stone is probably just fine. But he is an uber geek and loves his toys. He is always embarrassing me in airports, museums, and courthouses when he either gets caught with a knife, stashes it in some bushes while he pretends he's tying his shoes (um, did this on our first date), or completely gets away with it. Seriously, we almost didn't get our marriage license because he had to run back several blocks to the car to put away his knife which he brought to the door even though I reminded him to leave it back in the car. I was like, "Hello? This is a criminal court in Baltimore!".

We recently went to Zanzibar for the weekend and I was mortified and ignoring him at the security check (he thought they'd be lax, I said they were like any other airport) and he ending up being like, "Oh this knife? I forgot I had it" and checked it. When we got to the departure lounge I rolled my eyes and said "I told you so!" His reply, "What about the three they didn't find!?!?!?!

WHAT??? Why does a man need four knifes to go lounge on the beach?

Dudes and their knives.

 

[lyra]

Re: So I just commissioned a kitchen knife... Pictures insid

That is awesome! I'm glad it is being used too. I'm big on practicality of material things. It's silly that a good knife will literally last a lifetime, but most of us never buy new ones. Our 30 year old Henckels are falling apart and have chipped blades, need sharpening often, etc. It would be great to have some custom knives. I don't think we'd even need that many. I'm going to look into it...I'm so easily swayed.