Thread: A nice kitchen knife

Not too long ago I finished a prototype of a san mai kitchen knife. The core is Japanese white paper steel (very clean steel with very high carbon content). It's not something for the razor gallery obviously, and I thought people might enjoy it here.

It was the first time I used san mai. I really like the end result (or rather what the end result should have looked like) and it has the added benefit that the end result makes it extremely visible what I did during the forging process, and (after etching) how many mistakes I made



Because of all the handsanding it is really flat near the edge and it cuts extremely well. As a matter of fact, I haven't even honed it after sanding. The edge is so fine and sharp that I'd like to keep it as is

Wow! That looks great.

Excellent work! What are the scales made of?

Originally Posted by Ozarkedger

Excellent work! What are the scales made of?

It's 'typhoon' pattern kirinite.
It is wonderful material to work with, doesn't smell like working normal acrylic, and feels warm and non slippery in the hands.

Finished another 2 kitchen knives.
This one is a personal keeper. The steel is san mai of 1086 and antique wrought iron. I got a bunch of that stuff from Howard Clark. This blade was my first attempt to do something with it. I worked it too cold around the shoulder, causing some delamination by my own fault. This also meant it came out of heat treatment warped. I fixed that warp by tempering under strain several times, and then soldering the delamination in the tang shut. Etching really brought out the organic nature of the wrought iron. I am also not unhappy with how the core steel exposes. No blobs of core steel come through the sides, though at the shoulder it is getting a bit wide. I chose the Toxic Orange and Black kirinite for scales simply because I really like the flashy color. It also feels great in my hand, and it is now my favorite kitchen knife.





This one I made in suminagashi. It is supposed to be a simple kitchen knife, though I admit it has a bad attitude But it's to thin to be a combat knife or general purpose blade so kitchen knife it is. . I didn't properly control the way the shape evolved, and when this started coming out, I decided to just run with it. The core steel is Japanese white paper steel, and sides of mild steel with contrast layers. After polishign and etching, I am actually happy with how the core steel is exposed. It is a thin organic line with 2 small divots. This knife is far from perfect, but I think the result is acceptable.

Looks good Bruno. You're years ahead of me when it comes to the whole forging thing. I've yet to try my first forge welding.

Also...I've yet to try my first kitchen knife. Where do you buy your Kirinite? I've been wondering about whether I want to try that stuff sometime. So far I've stuck to Micarta and (Stabilised) woods.

My kirinite comes from USA Knife Maker - Knife Making Supplies
I buy everything by the sheet, which is more economical than buying pairs of scales.
In Belgium, I also have to pay import fees, so by the time I get it, there is a 30 to 50% tacked on to the price, depending on which pencil pusher looks at the package.

The bolts are called corby bolts. they're fairly expensive (1.5$ each) but they are very good imo. You can screw everything together, with some epoxy in between, and then grind / sand away the pieces that still stick out. that gives the feel of a continuous handle.

Kirinite is acrylic based, but doesn't smell when grinding and sanding, as opposed to the normal acrylic blanks I used initially. Those stank so bad that you could smell the fumes in the attic after working it in the basement.

Ah, yes, the joys of synthetic materials. I hear people complain about bone, antler, horn, etc, but they have nothing on stinky plastics!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Bruno

My kirinite comes from USA Knife Maker - Knife Making Supplies
I buy everything by the sheet, which is more economical than buying pairs of scales.
In Belgium, I also have to pay import fees, so by the time I get it, there is a 30 to 50% tacked on to the price, depending on which pencil pusher looks at the package.

The bolts are called corby bolts. they're fairly expensive (1.5$ each) but they are very good imo. You can screw everything together, with some epoxy in between, and then grind / sand away the pieces that still stick out. that gives the feel of a continuous handle.

Kirinite is acrylic based, but doesn't smell when grinding and sanding, as opposed to the normal acrylic blanks I used initially. Those stank so bad that you could smell the fumes in the attic after working it in the basement.

hm...I've been tempted into ordering from them for years. Maybe next time I run out handle materials I'll get some. (yeah right....next time I run out. )

I buy most of my stuff in the US. There is usually a bigger selection of stuff to choose from, and quite often it is a lot cheaper than what you find here.
Shipping is a bit more expensive, but not that big that it makes a difference.