# Sabatier rework becomes the foundation for a new design



## HSC /// Knives (Feb 2, 2018)

This was a vintage 10 sabatier knife. I worked on this last year to learn kitchen knives and made a sculpted handle for it. I reprofiled the blade again down to 8.5 and made the tip thin. I radiused the heavy choil which allows a close up pinch grip. 

comments and criticism welcome


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## Anton (Feb 2, 2018)

Thats a ton of work 
Nicely done


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## esoo (Feb 2, 2018)

That is a beautiful rework


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## bkultra (Feb 2, 2018)

I can't give my opinion until I get to use it, feel free to send it my way :devilburn:


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## inferno (Feb 2, 2018)

I'm not a knife maker but a very harsh critic of everything. My philosophy is this-> if its worth doing; do it the best way physicaly possible. Otherwise dont do it at all. And that what my father taught me. (obviously a very wise man)

Now I think it looks good. But if this knife is for you, I mean if you built it for youurself. 

then you should have gotten the best wood possible (according to you that is; and it can't possibly be that wood!) and polished and oiled that sh1t to eternity and back. 

Everything I build for myself I buiild to the very highest level, the level you cant pay for. this is why i have to do it myself. this is why all hobbyist do it themselves, since you really cant pay anyone to do it to that level. you simply couldn't afford it. 

but your knife still looks good though.


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## chinacats (Feb 2, 2018)

Very nicely done. I personally could do without the K-tip so when I send mine along you can skip that part


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## HRC_64 (Feb 2, 2018)

I'm curious on a user review of the tip,

and maybe a before/after discussion 
of why you went that route with the sab,
and maybe your other design cues.

The bolster area looks great, btw


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## ThEoRy (Feb 3, 2018)

inferno said:


> I'm not a knife maker but a very harsh critic of everything. My philosophy is this-> if its worth doing; do it the best way physicaly possible. Otherwise dont do it at all. And that what my father taught me. (obviously a very wise man)
> 
> Now I think it looks good. But if this knife is for you, I mean if you built it for youurself.
> 
> ...





We don't know why he chose that wood. Maybe he has his reasons? He did say it was a learning project. Maybe he didn't want to dump funds down the drain on exotic materials if there was a possibility he could f&^k them up. Maybe it was from his grandfather's cane for all we know. What's wrong with it anyway? Because it has two tiny f%%king checks in it? Who gives a s&$t? Fill it with some ca glue and polish that b%$ch up. I think it looks awesome personally. It's contours are very well sculpted and it looks extremely warm and comfortable. 

Unlike this boring slab with it's intrusive forward angle.










But enough about you. Let's hear more about what you think about you.


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## milkbaby (Feb 3, 2018)

inferno said:


> I'm not a knife maker but a very harsh critic of everything. My philosophy is this-> if its worth doing; do it the best way physicaly possible. Otherwise dont do it at all. And that what my father taught me. (obviously a very wise man)
> 
> Now I think it looks good. But if this knife is for you, I mean if you built it for youurself.
> 
> ...



Your criticism makes no sense to the point that I feel like you must be joking. The handle wood looks to be desert ironwood which is considered by many makers and knife fanatics to be the best wood for handles due to its strength, hardness, density, and stability in addition to its beauty. It actually will not absorb much oil though when sanded to a very high grit and buffed the chatoyance is amazing, but for a user knife, many prefer to sand to a lower grit for better grip and tactile response because a very smooth finish is more likely to slip in a wet hand.

Maybe you can't afford the highest level of craftsmanship, but there are many knifemakers making a living selling to those who can.


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## aaamax (Feb 3, 2018)

Love it.
Old Sabs are terrific blades (the elephant one being my favorite). Putting a wa handle on along with grinding down the bolster area is a fun project that leaves one with a much, much more usable (imo) knife for a fraction of what a cheap J-knife would run you. Not counting labour of course. That is the gift to yourself part.
Cheers to the Op.


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## Danzo (Feb 3, 2018)

You da man theory. Knife looks fantastic too. Makes me want to buy a sab


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## Benuser (Feb 3, 2018)

Very nice knife, even if it hasn't anything to do with a Sabatier anymore. Have you though been able to keep some of the distal taper, which is what I like most on old Sabs - and miss so much on a lot of other knives?


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## HSC /// Knives (Feb 3, 2018)

thanks for all the interest and comments.
I really feel good about this design concept and have made a sketch and taken the blade length down to about 7 1/4" [184]
Soon I'll forge out the first one

I'm a big fan of ironwood for several reasons, I have plenty of it and it's available to me at a favorable price. I believe Phil Wilson said - ironwood is nature's gift to knifemakers...
This handle does have a few flaws that I could have fixed, I hand sanded and finished with steel wool and left it as a warm look.

Other handles I finish differently.

This particular Sabatier had a heavy thick heel and thick spine at the bolster, these dimensional features remain on this knife.
I estimate the hardness of this blade to being the 58-60RC range.

As far as the front kiritsuke style tip, in the rounded look the knife was not as dramatic. Also with the large radius choil I put in at the heel, the tip lends itself well to a push cut, 

warm regards
Harbeer


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## parbaked (Feb 3, 2018)

Really great work Harbeer...thanks for sharing!


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## daveb (Feb 3, 2018)

Like. The blade. The bolster. And esp the handle.

Inferno - Not sure what to make of that "critique". But could critique it for you.


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## merlijny2k (Feb 3, 2018)

Cool stuff. Used sabs are easy to come by affordably and this shows what can be done with them better than any i've seen


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## HRC_64 (Feb 3, 2018)

looks great in the pinch-grip photo...
+1 also on the distal taper....sooo

I wonder how this would work 
as a line knife ??

pls post up some more after you've
settled in with it for a while

cheers


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## buffhr (Feb 3, 2018)

WOW, nice work, really love that transition bolster/handle, really makes the handle pop for me. and well Ktips are just sexy!! Keep up the good work.


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## Nomsdotcom (Feb 3, 2018)

Is the bolster area also ironwood? Also wondering what the heel height is? 

Great job btw, coke bottle style handle looks super comfy


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## Benuser (Feb 3, 2018)

Indeed an impressive distal taper...


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## Danzo (Feb 3, 2018)

Hey what material is the front part of the handle? The thee rings?


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## laxdad (Feb 3, 2018)

Great job. I love the coke bottle contour of your handle. I'm also a big fan of natural wood. The checks in the handle add to the beauty because every piece of wood is unique.


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## HSC /// Knives (Feb 3, 2018)

Danzo said:


> Hey what material is the front part of the handle? The thee rings?



leather stack, 

to be honest these were used as a gap filling measure with the leather under compression.
Back then I didn't have the skills the get the back of the bolster perfectly flat, the leather allowed me to make up for a few thousands.

keep in mind there was a 3 pin slab handle on this Sabatier. I had to break off the slabs, then grind the full tang into stick tang.
I could not access the back side of the bolster well to get it flat with the tang sticking out.
the eye can see more than .001 gap difference.

anyway, the leather turned out to be an enhancement IMO and I''ve gone on to use the leather concept several more times as a way to break up the difference between a guard and the wood handle or stag.

when I make this pattern from raw material I will use silicon bronze and maybe SS together, cold press fit around the tang.


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## HRC_64 (Feb 3, 2018)

HSC3 said:


> I could not access the back side of the bolster well to get it flat with the tang sticking out.



is this doable with a swiss-pattern file or how do people go about it?


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## Godslayer (Feb 3, 2018)

HSC3 said:


> This was a vintage 10 sabatier knife. I worked on this last year to learn kitchen knives and made a sculpted handle for it. I reprofiled the blade again down to 8.5 and made the tip thin. I radiused the heavy choil which allows a close up pinch grip.
> 
> comments and criticism welcome



Could pass for a custom from many smiths, good job, the wa yo hybrid handle is slick, would make a stunning line knife.


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## HSC /// Knives (Feb 3, 2018)

HRC_64 said:


> is this doable with a swiss-pattern file or how do people go about it?



I guess I would have to square off the bolster and use a carbide file guide.
or grind some parallel small flats on the bolster for the file guide to be able to clamp and not slip
then after squaring up the back of the bolster you could leave the flats or smooth them back into round


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## Danzo (Feb 3, 2018)

HSC3 said:


> leather stack,
> 
> to be honest these were used as a gap filling measure with the leather under compression.
> Back then I didn't have the skills the get the back of the bolster perfectly flat, the leather allowed me to make up for a few thousands.



I just did a bolster wa conversion deal. Using a thin black spacer worked well for me. The epoxy job fills in between the spacer and the bolster, slight imperfections just disappear. In any case the leather looks fantastic.


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## HSC /// Knives (Feb 5, 2018)

HRC_64 said:


> is this doable with a swiss-pattern file or how do people go about it?



this is how to go about it - http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/4721-A-knife-for-Mark-by-Markman/page2?

that fixture jig is the key


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## Danzo (Feb 5, 2018)

Dang I want one of those jigs. Im assuming you gotta make it rather than buy it.


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## jessf (Feb 5, 2018)

I really like it. The thin waist of the bolster alludes to the french pedigree while the rest says asian influence. A thin layer of black wood veneer in lieu of the leather might have suited it better but everything can be made perfect in hindsight.


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## Friend_of_Epicurius (Feb 6, 2018)

looks alot like an old sax knife. what made you choose the blade profile you did?


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## HSC /// Knives (Feb 8, 2018)

Friend_of_Epicurius said:


> looks alot like an old sax knife. what made you choose the blade profile you did?


it was both dramatic IMO and functional


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## inferno (Feb 16, 2018)

ThEoRy said:


> We don't know why he chose that wood. Maybe he has his reasons? He did say it was a learning project. Maybe he didn't want to dump funds down the drain on exotic materials if there was a possibility he could f&^k them up. Maybe it was from his grandfather's cane for all we know. What's wrong with it anyway? Because it has two tiny f%%king checks in it? Who gives a s&$t? Fill it with some ca glue and polish that b%$ch up. I think it looks awesome personally. It's contours are very well sculpted and it looks extremely warm and comfortable.
> 
> Unlike this boring slab with it's intrusive forward angle.
> 
> ...



I wasn't trying to be mean or in any way disrespecting! I was jnust kinda drunk and wrote what I wrote. **** happens.

You put pics on here since you want critique right? be it good or bad. i did that (while drunk). I dont sugar coat (not even while sober).
I also make knives for myself on a very "hobby" level and basis. I put these up here too and I want all critique i can get. I DONT want people jnust telling me everything is the best **** ever, because I know its not true. i know theyre just BSing. then its better to be honest.

regarding the white kurosaki. this one I obviously made "for show" or mostly for show at least. but its silky smooth finished, like a fleshlight from mars, and actually very ergo. I made this one for myself. so no corners cut, and it feels awesome. ****** mateial to work with though being g10. but it looks good  and you would probably **** your pants how good it feels. 

I actually l,ike when people tell me why my **** is ****, and why, so I CAN IMPROVE.

I like the OPs knife though I just would have made out out of the most bad ass wood I could find if it was for my own use. hey you only live once.


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## ThEoRy (Feb 16, 2018)

inferno said:


> I wasn't trying to be mean or in any way disrespecting! I was jnust kinda drunk and wrote what I wrote. **** happens.
> 
> You put pics on here since you want critique right? be it good or bad. i did that (while drunk). I dont sugar coat (not even while sober).
> I also make knives for myself on a very "hobby" level and basis. I put these up here too and I want all critique i can get. I DONT want people jnust telling me everything is the best **** ever, because I know its not true. i know theyre just BSing. then its better to be honest.
> ...



Critique is fine. It's how we can learn and improve. But it's not what you say it's how you say it. Your post was pretentious and condescending. Uncalled for. So hopefully you can learn from my critique of your post.

Being drunk is no excuse for poor behavior either. My father was a drunk. He would say the most abusive s%^t while he was on one and then get all "I'm so sorry" whenever he'd sober up. GTFOH. Haven't talked to that piece of s$#t in at least 20 years.


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## inferno (Feb 16, 2018)

ThEoRy said:


> Critique is fine. It's how we can learn and improve. But it's not what you say it's how you say it. Your post was pretentious and condescending. Uncalled for. So hopefully you can learn from my critique of your post.
> 
> Being drunk is no excuse for poor behavior either. My father was a drunk. He would say the most abusive s%^t while he was on one and then get all "I'm so sorry" whenever he'd sober up. GTFOH. Haven't talked to that piece of s$#t in at least 20 years.



"Critique is fine. It's how we can learn and improve. But it's not what you say it's how you say it. Your post was pretentious and condescending. Uncalled for. So hopefully you can learn from my critique of your post."

yeah you are right, maybe it was. But I didn't really mean it to be. Here in scandinavia we talk and behave a bit different than the rest of the world. in sweden where I'm from were "honest" call it as you se it kinda. But where i used to live for like 10 years in norway they are "brutally honest" and dont suger coat sh1t, not even in the newspapers or on tv, its just "straight, it is what it is" and I kinda liked that. I'm colored by that. I lived there for a long time. on the other hand. the norwegian society is probably the best functuioning in the entire world. because of the honesty. no one is going to lie to you there just to make you feel good. it just doesnt happen.

I'm biased.

I get drunk sometimes and I'd say there is a difference betwwen taht and being an alcoholic. My grandfather was an alcoholic, and he died from that at about 65y. I dont think that being drunk and being an alcoholic is the same thing, and I'd say no one else who lives here does either. 

Again. I'm sorry for upsetting people, i was drunk and thats how it was. i called it as I saw it. thats it. I'm not trying to stir up some sh!t here.

or basiccally if you thin k it was so it was so. and for that I apologize. Sorry. I'm a fukln douche when drunk. what can I say?


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## inferno (Feb 16, 2018)

I'd like you to critique my newest builds (well, rehandlings actually). be it good or bad. I want it. you have 4k posts so you must have used some knives in your days.


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## inferno (Feb 16, 2018)

I'm sorry I made everyfuknbody pissed off and had known this I wouldnt have posted jack sh1t.


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