# Some new handles



## apicius9 (Sep 20, 2011)

Haven't posted any handle pics in a while, here are a few new ones, just quick snapshots with sub-optimal lighting. They are a bit darker in reality.

Stefan

Koa, marbled horn, fiber spacers



P1020499 by mgapicius, on Flickr

Redwood, horn, lapis spacers 



P1020501 by mgapicius, on Flickr


snakewood, spalted signature



P1020505 by mgapicius, on Flickr


Cooke pine, nickel silver, koa



P1020508 by mgapicius, on Flickr


Horn, M3, kauri



P1020510 by mgapicius, on Flickr

Amboyna, spalted hickory



P1020514 by mgapicius, on Flickr

2 x horn, Cooke pine



P1020516 by mgapicius, on Flickr

red bakelite, blackwood, mammoth tooth endcap



P1020518 by mgapicius, on Flickr

Marbled horn, amboyna



P1020520 by mgapicius, on Flickr

horn, double brass spacer, red dyed maple burl, mammoth tooth endcap



P1020522 by mgapicius, on Flickr

koa, brass-horn-brass spacer, black ash burl



P1020524 by mgapicius, on Flickr

Marbled horn, M3, acrylic



P1020526 by mgapicius, on Flickr


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## ecchef (Sep 20, 2011)

Well, whadda ya know.....Stefan _has_ been up to something! :bliss:
Aw crap, this means I gotta buy another knife? :slaphead:


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## mhenry (Sep 20, 2011)

Nice! That acrylic handle is cool.


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## obtuse (Sep 20, 2011)

Did you take a hike on the Nu'uanu Judd trail and cut that Cook pine?


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## geezr (Sep 20, 2011)

WOW Nice :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Will the Amboyna, spalted hickory be a good match for my small yanagi blade that is at Dave place waiting for a handle? :scratchhead:


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## wenus2 (Sep 20, 2011)

Just to clarify, were these made to order, or are they available?

Nice looking work, as always Stefan. That's a nice piece of spalted signature you came up with for that handle.


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## JohnnyChance (Sep 20, 2011)

That signature and snakewood combo is quite nice.


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## Eamon Burke (Sep 20, 2011)

You have gigantic cajones to be grinding at these kind of materials all day. I'd lose water weight from all the nervous sweating.


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## apicius9 (Sep 20, 2011)

Thanks guys. Still waiting for more of that signature wood in this quality to come in. Ken, the hickory handle is an order, but we could see if the signature handle works - or the ironwood one I had shown you. 

Most of these are orders. The ones that are available are the two koa handles, the large amboyna handle, and one of the pair of Cooke pine handles - not yet sure which one, we'll have to check which one works best for the knife it was ordered for. I have a few more finished that are free, and a few more will be finished soon. Right now my problem is that I don't have a car to get to the shop, still waiting for a new computer to be flown in for the crappy Sebring.:angry1: If I get the next weekend in the shop, I should have a few more and will update my 'available handles' info. I have a few more black ones similar to the one above, all with mammoth tooth endcap but it can be a correspondingly colored bakelite spacer or endcap. 

Stefan


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## apicius9 (Sep 20, 2011)

apicius9 said:


> T.... I have a few more finished that are free....
> Stefan


 
Aaeh, free as in 'not made to order', not as in 'no money involved' 

Stefan


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## Dave Martell (Sep 20, 2011)

Nice looking handles!

PS - You should've bought a German car - very reliable.


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## apicius9 (Sep 20, 2011)

O.k., since I got a few questions: 

- the first koa handle would be a great match for a 165-180 deba, also would work for a 200-210 gyuto but it is a bit stubby and not for a very anorectic knife.
- second koa handle with ns spacer is nice and slim, 159mm length, matches a 330 yanagi/fuguhiki; koa is curly but a bit on the wild and natural side, not regularly striped koa
- the marbled horn and amboyna handle is large, 159mm long, 22x26mm at the tip. for a 300mm wa gyuto? Maybe even for one of Nathan's knives  One of the nicest red-gold amboyna pieces I have worked with 

Stefan


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## geezr (Sep 21, 2011)

apicius9 said:


> Thanks guys. Still waiting for more of that signature wood in this quality to come in.
> Ken, the hickory handle is an order, but we could see if the signature handle works - or the ironwood one I had shown you.
> Stefan



OK thanks - staying with the Ironwood handle :thumbsup:


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## add (Sep 23, 2011)

Stunning work as usual... nice to see some bakelite in the mix.


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## apicius9 (Oct 25, 2011)

I took a few pics of this one just before I shipped it out. Used the most expensive piece of wood I ever bought for this handle. I hope DC doesn't find this thread  Handle goes to a Polish chef who works in Japan for a 360 custom yanagi. It has this one sapwood spot, and I wasn't sure whether to think of it as a flaw or an asset. I decided to call it character... Last picture is next to my 5.8 sun nakiri.

Stefan





P1020670 by mgapicius, on Flickr




P1020665 by mgapicius, on Flickr




P1020674 by mgapicius, on Flickr


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## Dave Martell (Oct 25, 2011)

Nice Stefan! Is that coming here?


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## apicius9 (Oct 25, 2011)

Dave Martell said:


> Nice Stefan! Is that coming here?


 
Nope, that went to Japan. The buyer has a knife maker - and I don't know who it is but I will ask again - making a blade for him. The maker wanted the handle first so that he can match the tang to it. That should be interesting... I just hope it isn't too bulky. It's a long blade and the buyer is a bigger guy, so I hope for the best.


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## Dave Martell (Oct 25, 2011)

Oh boy - good luck with that.


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## SpikeC (Oct 25, 2011)

That sap wood is just excellent! Really good call making use of it! Really sweet piece of work!


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## mhenry (Oct 25, 2011)

Stunning Stefan, I like the character spot


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## Eamon Burke (Oct 25, 2011)

What its it? Why was it so exPensive?


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## apicius9 (Oct 25, 2011)

It's a great piece of ironwood burl. That wood just has become pretty pricey in the past few years, and I needed a slightly oversized block for this one. Oh, tip and ferrule are koa. 

Stefan


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## bcrano (Jan 4, 2012)

Hey Stefan.

Just wanted to see how things were going in the shop. Hope all is well and here's to a happy new year!


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## apicius9 (Jan 4, 2012)

Thanks Brian, same to you. Things are going slow as usual, but I just got some wood I had been waiting for, so I am back in business, now. I have actually just offered a currently unemployed friend in Germany that I would fly him into Honolulu and give him my guest room if he helps me out in the shop for 2 weeks, just to catch up and move forward. Haven't heard back from him, yet... I had a few people here who said they wanted to help me, but they are all academics or students and seem to have either 2 left hands or a very low commitment to manual labor  

Stefan


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## Mingooch (Jan 4, 2012)

Stefan, if I wasnt employed, I would so be pretending to be from Germany right now. Scary thing is I am not sure what I would enjoy more, being in Honolulu or making the handles. Ah...being in Honolulu making handles, life is just good.


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## ThEoRy (Jan 5, 2012)

:sofa:










I'd love to start my next season with a new sexy handle on my Tanaka. lol


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## apicius9 (Feb 9, 2012)

Hi Rick, when does your season start? Anyway, working on it this weekend...

Here are a few new ones, all 4 for the same customer:


















This last one is a bit embarrassing - someone wanted that but I forgot who and can't seem to find my notes, maybe I deleted the wrong PMs... So, if you are the one, please let me know..:sofa:






Stefan


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## ThEoRy (Feb 9, 2012)

Wow, these are really incredible. I keep looking at them saying, "no I like this one the best, no this one, no it's this one." There's some crazy 3d holograph going on in the 1st one that I just know the camera doesn't do justice. The second one seems like it's has sort of an imperial dynasty design. The white with black and gold looking swirls is just crazy. Something about those white ones, just clean and classy looking. 

Can't believe I'm getting closer now too!!  Do you have all the materials picked out? I wanna look but I don't wanna spoil the surprise! I go back in a couple of weeks, so it's enough time for me to send it to Dave, have it done and returned before I really "need" it. I have my sujihiki to slice with if need be so no biggie.

And whoever the lucky owner of the last handle is, hurry up and claim it before it ends up on a wa gyuto round here


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## apicius9 (Feb 9, 2012)

The set of four was mostly based on the customer's ideas and a little input from me. I was not totally sure about them when I started, worried that the white might be too easy to show dirt etc. But I have to admit, I really like them now that the are done. Strange materials, some of them.The first one is acrylic with brass and copper, really interesting. 

Rick, all pieces are cut and drilled, I just have to stick it together. I can show it to you this weekend before I glue it, but it's pretty much like on my order list. 

Stefan


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 9, 2012)

Pretty wild Stefan. The fourth one down is my favorite of this bunch. Looks like it belongs on an ancient Roman short sword.

The white does have an "imperial" look to it (that's what made me think of ancient Rome). What is the white material?


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## geezr (Feb 10, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> Pretty wild Stefan. The fourth one down is my favorite of this bunch. Looks like it belongs on an ancient Roman short sword.
> 
> The white does have an "imperial" look to it (that's what made me think of ancient Rome). What is the white material?



lus1: re. reaction to white and the 4th one on a Roman sword.
Really nice Stefan :doublethumbsup:


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## mhenry (Feb 10, 2012)

Stefan, Some of the coolest and most unique handles ever


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## WildBoar (Feb 11, 2012)

Stefan -- you and the customer need to team up -- those handles look incredible!


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## stevenStefano (Feb 12, 2012)

Do you know what knives these handles are going on? They look really good, they really are totally different to any others I have seen


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## apicius9 (Feb 12, 2012)

Thanks guys. Nope, no idea what the final knives will be. I may have known but I deleted the info when I shipped them out. Let's hope that Dave gets a few photos taken after he put them on. They are three gyuto handles and one yanagi handle, all for larger hands. 

Stefan


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 12, 2012)

Maybe I missed it, but what is the white material that you used Stefan?


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## apicius9 (Feb 12, 2012)

The white is Elforyn, a material that was developed as an alternative to ivory, mostly for pool cue making. There is a bit of a controversy around it because it claims to be closer than others to the structure and appearance of ivory to justify its higher cost, and some testers have not confirmed that. I like it for what it is, easy to work with and gets absolutely smooth. I contacted the maker and they told me that the chemical structure was not too different from car paint, so as long as I sand it high enough, it doesn't need any protective finish. These were sanded to 2000 grit and then finished with higher grit metal polish. Came out really nice IMHO.

Stefan


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 12, 2012)

Interesting.

Sure looks like ivory in your photos.

I hope we get to see pictures of them mounted.


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## apicius9 (Jul 15, 2012)

Just without many comments, here is what finally got finished this week. After pixel peeping the pictures, there are a few where I may go back to sanding out micro scratches that I didn't even see before. But then again, maybe the customers don't see them either 






















































































I think I missed a few, but you get the idea...

Stefan


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jul 15, 2012)

Productive week!

There are some _beauties_ here Stefan; well done.


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## The Edge (Jul 15, 2012)

Wow!!


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## Dave Martell (Jul 16, 2012)

Someone needs to score that quilted maple one - trust me.


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## apicius9 (Jul 16, 2012)

Dave Martell said:


> Someone needs to score that quilted maple one - trust me.



Aah, I should have been clearer about that: These are only for showing off, all handles in the last post are orders and spoken for, sorry. But there will also be a bunch available, I have to discuss a few details with Dave before I list them all individually. And I still have plenty of quilted or curly maple for new orders...

Stefan


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## JMac (Jul 16, 2012)

Nice!


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## obtuse (Jul 16, 2012)

The pictures came out great, I love the choice of backdrop material.


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## apicius9 (Jul 16, 2012)

obtuse said:


> The pictures came out great, I love the choice of backdrop material.



Yeah, thanks for suggesting it and thanks for your help on those!

Stefan


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## Jim (Jul 16, 2012)

I know one guy in Bayside just hit the floor mumbling something or other.. nice......


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## Dave Martell (Jul 16, 2012)

Jim said:


> I know one guy in Bayside just hit the floor mumbling something or other.. nice......




hahahahahaha


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## Lawrence (Jul 21, 2012)

Beautiful work...!


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## apicius9 (Nov 15, 2012)

Just a few recent ones. Shop snapshots, need to handpolish them a bit but then they are done. I always want to take better pictures of them but never seem to get the timing right, but you get the idea... These are all orders, so they are NOT available. But if you recognized your ordered handle here, we should talk in the next few days, just too tired tonight.


Bakelite handle with an elforyn (art. ivory) ferrule.








For one customer (Tu): Ebony with divided dyed maple burl ferrule and mammoth tooth end cap; black ash burl with redwood burl ferrule and brass end cap with a mosaic pin.







For one customer (Zach): Replacement handles for Shigefusa knives  Premium ebony, nickel silver spacer, horn ferrule. 








Redwood burl (provided by customer, Scott) with bakelite ferrule and end cap.







Not sure what happened to the colors here. This is a pair with reversed elements. Handle 1 is Mark's turbo redwood burl with ferrule and end cap of Masur birch burl from Craig Stevens and copper spacers, the other one has the woods reversed and brass spacers. Those were made by and for Aaron when he helped out in the shop, I just added a few touches here and there.







Cross-cut spalted Hawaiian signature, horn ferrule. I hope the customer (Rob) likes it, I used cross-cut instead of ripped signature wood. Cross-cut spalted woods often crack, but this here happened to be a very nice and stable piece, and it just jumped out at me.... 






Stefan


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## ecchef (Nov 15, 2012)

Nice, Stefan!! :doublethumbsup: Like the turbo burl set.


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## Dave Martell (Nov 15, 2012)

Very nice handles there Stefan! :thumbsup:


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## statusquo (Nov 15, 2012)

So creative and elegant


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## mhenry (Nov 16, 2012)

Stunning as always Stefan


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## Don Nguyen (Nov 18, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> Bakelite handle with an elforyn (art. ivory) ferrule.



I went looking around for this elforyn material, and came across a whole new bundle of stuff I wanna try out. How is elforyn to work with? Looks fantastic.

EDIT: Also, what materials are in these? They look _*sweeeeeet!*_


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## Andrew H (Nov 18, 2012)

Don Nguyen said:


> I went looking around for this elforyn material, and came across a whole new bundle of stuff I wanna try out. How is elforyn to work with? Looks fantastic.
> 
> EDIT: Also, what materials are in these? They look _*sweeeeeet!*_



I think the top one is blue bakelite with horn.
Great work, Stefan.


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## cookinstuff (Nov 19, 2012)

That bottom one looks like a copy of my handle, mine is redwood burl ferrule and endcap, copper spacers, satinwood burl. I got mine from Stefan so it's probably the exact same materials, and it is beautiful. I'm feeling the bakelite handles though, wow. Keep up the good work Stefan.


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## apicius9 (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks guys, and correct on all accounts with the handle IDs!

Elforyn is quite easy to work with. It was developed to resemble different ivory qualities, mostly for pool cue building. There is some discussion among the pool cue people whether it really resembles the real ivory qualities enough to warrant the high price, but that's not really relevant for us. I like it because it comes in plain white, but also in a little off-white and marbling which resembles mammoth ivory. But it is quite pricy compared to paper micarta etc. 

Bakelite, in the end, is just a plastic, as far as I know the first plastic produced on a larger scale in the 30. of the last century. What makes this here desirable is that this is from old stock from the 40s. My source had bought up a few hundred pieces from old stock found during the disassembling of a factory. This stuff usually gets bought by jewelery makers who make expensive little things from it. Accordingly, the prices are considerably higher than most stabilized woods out there. I seem to be the only crazy person to use larger pieces for handles... But my source has dried up and I am thinking about only using it for accents in the future because when I'm out, that's it. 

Stefan


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## Don Nguyen (Nov 19, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> Thanks guys, and correct on all accounts with the handle IDs!
> 
> Elforyn is quite easy to work with. It was developed to resemble different ivory qualities, mostly for pool cue building. There is some discussion among the pool cue people whether it really resembles the real ivory qualities enough to warrant the high price, but that's not really relevant for us. I like it because it comes in plain white, but also in a little off-white and marbling which resembles mammoth ivory. But it is quite pricy compared to paper micarta etc.
> 
> ...



I know some people have finishing issues with white micartas because it can stain easy with other materials - with elforyn do you have to be careful in this regard too?

I noticed that I couldn't find any sources for bakelite like yours. That explains it. They just look so good though


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## apicius9 (Nov 19, 2012)

I talked to the makers about finishing elforyn, and they told me that the product was chemically related to car paint and would not need finish except sanding to a high grit. I was worried a bit also because it did get dirty while working with it, but once it is sanded and buffed, is seems o.k. and things wiped off in the shop. Maybe I should test it with beet juice or something...

Stefan


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## makanouchi (Nov 19, 2012)

beautiful handles, one of these days, I'll get one.


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## apicius9 (Nov 21, 2012)

Two more with Mark's turbo redwood lace burl


Redwood burl and creme colored ferrule. 










Redwood burl, musk ox ferrule, fossil coral between black fiber and copper spacers. The coral is a bit of work, very porous, needs several rounds of filling with CA glue before finishing it. But I like it when it's done.
















Stefan

P.S. No idea why embedding pics sometimes works and sometimes doesn't...


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## Don Nguyen (Nov 21, 2012)

HOLY COW. Dat fossil coral, with everything else, is _*incredible.*_

That's my favorite one from you to this day.


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## Lefty (Nov 22, 2012)

Great to see a bunch of new stuff from you, Stefan. That blue Bakelite...man!


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## apicius9 (Nov 25, 2012)

Here are a few more:

Small signature and marbled horn handle for a paring knife. 







Blackwood handles with M3 'white mokume' reconstituted metal, bakelite, and spalted mango












These are all koa handles. The first one is my current favorite, a dark, almost quilted koa. Usually the darker koa either comes from higher elevations of from older trees. This one here has a marbled ferrule and a musk ox spacer (btw, that one is available, sized for a 270 gyuto, PM me if interested). The middle one is kind of premium-heirloom on one side and spalted on the other, really nice combo. The third one is unstabilized koa (it will remain here on the islands, so I am not too worried). All three look much better in reality and have a nice chatoyance even though not the craziest I have ever seen. 














Stefan


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## kalaeb (Nov 25, 2012)

Nice, is the one with the blue bakelite spoken for?


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## apicius9 (Nov 25, 2012)

kalaeb said:


> Nice, is the one with the blue bakelite spoken for?



Yep, only the left koa handle is available.

Stefan


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 25, 2012)

Some beauties here, Stefan.

Nice work.


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## brainsausage (Nov 25, 2012)

Andrew H said:


> I think the top one is blue bakelite with horn.
> Great work, Stefan.



That bottom one looks REEEEALLLL familiar...


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## brainsausage (Nov 25, 2012)

Oops- didnt show the pics!


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## ecchef (Nov 26, 2012)

Stefan's back....with a vengeance! That coral/musk ox/redwood is amazing!


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## Dave Martell (Nov 26, 2012)

Nice handles Stefan. :thumbsup:


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## jmforge (Nov 26, 2012)

Stefan, if that one on the left with koa, musk ox and buffalo is still available, I'll take it. I feel another 270mm ladder pattern gyuto coming on.:biggrin:


apicius9 said:


> Yep, only the left koa handle is available.
> 
> Stefan


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## apicius9 (Nov 26, 2012)

Thanks everyone. And the koa handle is now sold, thanks Joe!

Stefan


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## jmforge (Nov 27, 2012)

Woot!!!


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## jmforge (Dec 5, 2012)

Got mine. Looks better in person!!!


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## mhlee (Dec 5, 2012)

The blackwood handle with mokume is beautiful! Excellent work, Stefan!


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## apicius9 (Dec 5, 2012)

******* said:


> Got mine. Looks better in person!!!



One of my favorites also, much nicer than I can capture in a snapshot. Some handles just deserve studio lighting 

Stefan


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## jmforge (Dec 5, 2012)

Or some mosaic damascus perhaps.:biggrin:


apicius9 said:


> One of my favorites also, much nicer than I can capture in a snapshot. Some handles just deserve studio lighting
> 
> Stefan


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## Julian Nell (Dec 5, 2012)

I have a question, what is that blue matirial in the handle that is mostly blue with some black and is it natural? Thanks in advanced


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## Crothcipt (Dec 5, 2012)

I would say Bakelite, worlds first production plastic. So no to the natural coloring.


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## Julian Nell (Dec 6, 2012)

Thanks Crothcipt. 

I also really like your handles, Stefan.


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## apicius9 (Jul 9, 2013)

Just showing off some more finished handles. These are NOT available because they have been ordered by customers. However, I uaven't heard back from these guys in a while and hope that maybe the peek in here (Anthony & Chris).

A set for 210-240-270 gyutos in redwood, cascara, and spalted mango



Camera Roll-934 by -mgapicius-

Here a gyuto handle from a premium blackwood piece (very subtle figuring) and mammoth ivory. 




Camera Roll-950 by -mgapicius-



Camera Roll-946 by -mgapicius-


Hope to hear from you guys soon...

Stefan


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## Fran Rendina (Aug 6, 2013)

I'm new to his but I love your handels , it would be an honor to oun one of your handels


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## apicius9 (Aug 6, 2013)

Fran Rendina said:


> I'm new to his but I love your handels , it would be an honor to oun one of your handels



Thank you Fran. I enjoy making them, wish I had more time for it. On one side it means a lot to me to hear nice words about them, on the other hand there are so many more talented craftsmen on this board that I really feel quite humble about them...

Stefan


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## fizamalik (Nov 7, 2013)

Nice! That acrylic handle is looks cool.All handle pics collation is amazing. Keep it up for this great shearing.


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## apicius9 (Mar 7, 2014)

Just playing around, sorry - crappy phone pics. Sticking an octagon handle on a 10" VG10 damascus blade with a bolster and a stick tang, then sanding the tip flush to the bolster, having the handle flare out into an octagon at the butt. Next time I would keep it a little thicker right behind the bolster, but it still feels good and looks much nicer than the pics show. Wood is spalted maple, black horn and amboyna spacers. 

Stefan


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## mkriggen (Mar 7, 2014)

Nice, and you know I love me some amboyna

Be well,
Mikey


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## icanhaschzbrgr (Mar 7, 2014)

looks awesome even on phone pics!


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## Dave Martell (Mar 7, 2014)

apicius9 said:


> Just playing around, sorry - crappy phone pics. Sticking an octagon handle on a 10" VG10 damascus blade with a bolster and a stick tang, then sanding the tip flush to the bolster, having the handle flare out into an octagon at the butt. Next time I would keep it a little thicker right behind the bolster, but it still feels good and looks much nicer than the pics show. Wood is spalted maple, black horn and amboyna spacers.
> 
> Stefan
> 
> ...





Stefan, that's fantastic, excellent job!


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## ThEoRy (Mar 7, 2014)

For a second there I almost thought you made a Western handle.... oke1: lol

This looks crazy good though. Really cool how you went from bolster to handle shape.


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## Erilyn75 (Mar 8, 2014)

Your work never disappoints Stefan.


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## daddy yo yo (Mar 8, 2014)

beautiful - now we all know what you plan to do with the hiro you recently grabbed from BST...:spin chair:


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## ecchef (Mar 8, 2014)

Stefan, great to see you back on point!! Fabulous job!!


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## chef101 (Mar 12, 2014)

Nice work how can I buy ur handles I would like to buy 5-10 of them


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## hobbitling (Mar 12, 2014)

Nice handles. What sort of blade is that?


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## Johnny.B.Good (Mar 13, 2014)

Awesome work, Stefan!


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## apicius9 (Mar 13, 2014)

hobbitling said:


> Nice handles. What sort of blade is that?



Thanks, guys! This is a VG10 blade, similar to the Shuns, that one of the knifemaking suppliers used to sell. Unfortunately, they faded out all the ones for wa handles, this was the last one I had and a friend took it to Germany with him. 

Stefan


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## chef101 (Mar 14, 2014)

Which blade


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