# my first nogent handle



## andre s (Aug 19, 2013)

Hi all,
Here's my first attempt at a nogent style sab handle. The original knife is a find from an antique store a few months back. It's from my Raoul Sab? thread asking if others had come across that name. Well, the handle was split so i figured it would be a good candidate. I was careful when taking the original apart so as not to damage the ferrule. and was able to reuse it. The new wood is african blackwood. The original is.. very porous and seems to take a stain very deeply:scared4:...
here are pictures:

figured some would be curious to see an older nogent's guts;






I see why they call it a rat tail;





new handle;





made sure to capture some of the light wood in the handle...curious to see how it would come out;










like a birth mark;


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## EdipisReks (Aug 19, 2013)

Very nice!


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## mhenry (Aug 19, 2013)

Lovely job sir


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## chinacats (Aug 19, 2013)

Wow!


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## Von blewitt (Aug 19, 2013)

Great job, you managed to keep it looking vintage


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## ecchef (Aug 19, 2013)

Wow! Great job! Nice to see you kept the original ferrule too.


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## scotchef38 (Aug 20, 2013)

Awesome.


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## banjo1071 (Aug 20, 2013)

very nice indeed


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## Benuser (Aug 20, 2013)

Great work! Does the balance have changed because of the new handle?


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## Lucretia (Aug 20, 2013)

Beautiful work!


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## andre s (Aug 20, 2013)

Hey thanks for the comments! 
Although it didn't take much time to complete, it was a trick to get the shape (almost) right. I could have done better with the butt. The tenon (to the ferrule "mortise") wasn't as bad as i had expected, just a bit of elbow grease. and the blackwood...a "tad bit messy" and really clogs up sandpaper/file. But, it finishes nicely. I'm happy you (ecchef) appreciate the minor detail of reusing the ferrule and find it still has a vintage look (thanks VB).

Benuser,
The original knife weighed 171g and this one weighs 178g with the new handle. It feels like the balance shifted more than the 7g delta. It's slightly longer (approx 1/4", in order to avoid dealing with the end of the tang which used to be exposed). That probably helped move the extra weight back a bit. Unfortunately, I didn't balance the original. But, it now balances at almost exactly 1" north of the finger guard. In my limited and yet unrefined experience, it feels better in hand.

As an aside, although my wife was uncomfortable with my 10" TI nogent (225grams), she can't get enough of this one (which is also 10", but much more nimble). She prefers it to her 8" gyuto...just goes to show that length doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to comfort in use, as others have mentioned here before.

Thanks again all!
cheers


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## sachem allison (Aug 21, 2013)

so, what your saying is length isn't everything.


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## sachem allison (Aug 21, 2013)

it just looks comfortable


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## Johnny.B.Good (Aug 21, 2013)

The shape looks great. Well done.


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## Geo87 (Oct 14, 2013)

Looks great, really appreciate this. 
I've been dieing to know what the rats tail in nongents looks like. 
Great work


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## miketayl0r (Oct 15, 2013)

looks great


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## cord_steele (Oct 15, 2013)

The finish looks great. Could you tell us what you used?


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## andre s (Oct 16, 2013)

hey thanks!
apologies for the late response
...not sure why i only got a notification today of these comments...ah well

_"The finish looks great. Could you tell us what you used"_
sure. I sanded up to an 800 grit. Then, i used watco's teak oil as directed on can (heavy use, let dry for 45mins. wipe off, re-apply, wipe off after 15 mins. then let dry over night). After that, it's ready to use. i usually wait a few extra days and apply howard feed-n-wax over it. I'm fairly certain that's what i did here. i like ending up with something closer to a satin (instead of glossy) finish. And this routine seems to get me there.


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