# Still kickin' - and pics to prove it



## apicius9 (May 20, 2015)

Hi, the older ones among you may remember me: My name is Stefan, and I used to make knife handles, occasionally. In fact, some of you may have grown very old while waiting for a handle from me... :O Don't want to bore you with my life story - the short version is: It sucks but is better than 2 years ago - but I just did not find a way to making woodworking a priority with everything else going on. But recently I have been getting back a bit - last but not least because Keith (keithsaltydog) has been kicking my butt for which I am very thankful. So, I still have a long way to go, but at least there is a little bit of movement. Just wanted to send a sign of life and some proof that I made it into the shop. These pictures are all of handles that had been ordered a loooong time ago - to the point that I will now contact people in the next couple of days to find out whether they are still interested. In the meantime, a few others have started making handles, and I can blame nobody if they checked in with these guys who do excellent work. In fact, most of mine will almost look a bit simplistic compared to others you may have seen here recently. Anyway, If you think you see yours, send me a PM, but I will also contact everyone over the next few days. These are phone pics, so the colors may not be 100% but you get the idea. Tbc. soon.Thanks,



Stefan


2-tone amboyna, D-shape

 


Small petty handle, redwood burl & Hawaiian signature wood




Bog oak, horn, nickel silver




koa and marbled horn - mine, all mine 




figured African blackwood & Hawaiian signature wood




koa & spalted myrtle burl




Spalted Hawaiian Norfolk pine & marbled horn 




Belize rosewood & horn




koa & spalted maple (I think...)




Spalted Norfolk pine & blackwood, similar to Marko's style




pre-WWII bakelite, horn, nickel silver




premium amboyna burl & marbled horn, D-shape




amboyna burl, bog oak, reconst. malachite, oval shape




thuya burl & horn




amboyna burl, horn, nickel silver, a la Marko




koa, horn, nickel silver




desert ironwood burl, horn, bakelite spacer




Honduran rosewood burl & blackwood

 


Hawaiian signature wood & rosewood burl




myrtle burl & horn




spalted Hawaiian Norfolk pine & horn


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## Godslayer (May 20, 2015)

Everyone a masterpiece. Honestly you may mâke thé Moost colerful and expressive handles in the world, Nothomg looks over the top. Just pure class.


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## Dave Martell (May 20, 2015)

Hot damn! Nice to see you back in the saddle again Stefan!!! :doublethumbsup:


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## chinacats (May 20, 2015)

Oh yeah! Nice to see you back in the saddle! BTW, that marbled horn looks great in every combination.


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## jimbob (May 20, 2015)

Digging the norfolk pine


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## mkriggen (May 20, 2015)

Oh man, Stefan I'm so going to hop over to Oahu one night, bust into your shop, and steal your entire stash of signature wood, and marbled horn, oh, can't forget the Norfolk pine, and that myrtle wood (such nice color)...damn, I'm going to need to check a bag on the way back:scratchhead: . As always, beautiful work Bro. Haole handle makers ROCK!:viking:

A hui hou,
Mikey


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## apathetic (May 20, 2015)

Great to see you back in action!


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## daddy yo yo (May 20, 2015)

Stefan, these are ALL mine, aren't they?!


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## ecchef (May 20, 2015)

For those of you that may not be familiar with Stefan's work, it is absolutely first rate.
I have 8 Stefan handles (down from 11), some of them from when he was first starting out. All kinds of material combinations; some exotic woods, horn, metals, abalone shell, mammoth tooth, etc. Not one of them ever came apart or had the materials shift or lost their color. Two have outlasted their host blades, and all of them have seen commercial kitchen action; they're not 'drawer queens'. 

Welcome back Big Guy!!!! :wink:


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## Bill13 (May 20, 2015)

Wow!! That premium amboyna is the nicest I have ever seen. All the handles look really, really nice.


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## echerub (May 20, 2015)

Wow! Good to see you're back with gusto! As has been said previously, absolutely classy & elegant work. Beautiful as always! (And I say that even with the Hello Kitty handle in mind  )


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## Castalia (May 20, 2015)

Those handles are No Ka 'Oi. Glad you are back in the shop.


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## apicius9 (May 20, 2015)

Thank you very much for the praises and endorsements, everyone! They mean more to me than you may know... 

Stefan


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## antbanks (May 20, 2015)

Must feel good to post these pics and see all the love you have here on the forum...It's well deserved. As stated above, nothing is over the top, but all of them are very classy and beautiful. I absolutely love your work as you know, but more than anything I love to see you back, even if it's just a little at a time. Keep fighting, stay strong, and know that you have a lot of people who care about you and believe in you. Your work will always speak for itself.


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## aboynamedsuita (May 20, 2015)

Welcome back Stefan! Glad to see the official announcement and looking forward to when it's my turn in the queue.


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## daveb (May 20, 2015)

Glad to see you back doing something you do so well and hopefully find as rewarding as it should be. 

Dave


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## Mrmnms (May 20, 2015)

As beautiful as ever Stefan.


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## statusquo (May 20, 2015)

All really classy and creative!


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## Chefu (May 20, 2015)

OMG, they don't get any better than yours!! Freaking beautiful style, materials, and above all craftsmanship.


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## apicius9 (May 20, 2015)

Thanks again, especially to Anthony for the encouragement. The nice thing is that we now have a few people who make handles, and from what I have seen we all put our hearts into them and craft them as good as we can without shortcuts. At the same time, there are some differences in style, so that people have choices and there is something for every taste. Let's all have a beer on Fish'n'poi/Greg tonight who started this madness....

Stefan


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## Anton (May 20, 2015)

About damn time!


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## dough (May 20, 2015)

If this were a movie I'm pretty sure a slow clap would be happening.
Hope things continue to improve for you so you can continue to share your talent.


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## Dubrdr20 (May 21, 2015)

makes me wanna get some quality knives just to have these handles on em... :2thumbsup:


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## Keith Sinclair (May 24, 2015)

In person that Spalted Hawaiian Norfolk Pine & Horn is translucent really cool handle.


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## aboynamedsuita (May 24, 2015)

keithsaltydog said:


> In person that Spalted Hawaiian Norfolk Pine & Horn is translucent really cool handle.



You know it's funny after seeing these most recent handles I was wanting to get a couple more added to my order in the queue for my two Carters, and Hawaiian Norfolk pine was for one of them. (It's a sign!!!)


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## apicius9 (May 24, 2015)

Better get some more Pine stabilized then...  Btw, I will put some 'extras' up for sale next week, just saying...

Stefan


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## daddy yo yo (May 26, 2015)

Now is "next week"!!!:viking:


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## apicius9 (May 26, 2015)

daddy yo yo said:


> Now is "next week"!!!:viking:




Wednesday or Thursday is also next week. &#128535; Still got to sort them out and take pictures. 

Stefan


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## jimbob (May 26, 2015)

Damn it, now checking kff 50 times a day as opposed to 30.....


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## apicius9 (May 26, 2015)

jimbob said:


> Damn it, now checking kff 50 times a day as opposed to 30.....



I just looked at my schedule for this week - no chance to get them posted before Thursday evening Hawaiian time, so you can relax for a little bit 

Stefan


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## daddy yo yo (May 26, 2015)

My boss was already looking at me pi**ed off as I always had my smart phone in my hands (KKF is blocked by our firewall, reason: category "weapons")...


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## daveb (May 26, 2015)

I know a little about Hawaiian time. :whistling: Daytime and nighttime. Specific days? Who wants to be that constrained? Specific months? That's for paper. Specific years? Depends on the harvest, the tides, the stars...

Look forward to what you post, when you post it.


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## apicius9 (May 27, 2015)

So, here is one made of a very unusual and rare material - any guesses what it may be? 

Stefan


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## jimbob (May 27, 2015)

Coral?


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## Dinsdale (May 27, 2015)

prehistoric fossilized paramecium


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## apicius9 (May 27, 2015)

Good suggestions, but not quite 

Stefan


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## chiffonodd (May 27, 2015)

Hawaiian shirt?


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## daddy yo yo (May 27, 2015)

pasta? rice?


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## apicius9 (May 27, 2015)

daddy yo yo said:


> pasta? rice?




dingdingding! We have a winner  pasta cast in white acrylic.


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## jimbob (May 27, 2015)

Ha! Apt for a kitchen knife. Stabilized chicken next?


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## aboynamedsuita (May 27, 2015)

I was almost thinking rotini when I saw it earlier, but thought that was too wild a guess. I think you could probably apply the technique with some various vegetables and make a pretty interesting handle for a Nakiri with a lot of character


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## apicius9 (May 28, 2015)

Two more finished ones.

oval amboyna with desert ironwood ferrule

old stuff: bog oak, interior mammoth ivory, spacers from NZ kauri and fossil coral. Secured the end pieces with a mosaic pin; should have made a kauri dowel but did not think of that in time.


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## mr drinky (May 28, 2015)

jimbob said:


> Digging the norfolk pine



Wow. Wowser. The Norfolk Pine is worthy of just buying for the handle alone. I don't think any post has made me (fuzzy) happier in the last year. 

Keep truckin' Stefan. 

k.


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## apicius9 (May 28, 2015)

Thanks Karring! 

Got one more proof of accomplishment  Top are custom orders, bottom are 'extras'. May be too many to put them all up individually tomorrow but I will try.


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## daddy yo yo (May 28, 2015)

apicius9 said:


> Thanks Karring!
> 
> Got one more proof of accomplishment  Top are custom orders, bottom are 'extras'. May be too many to put them all up individually tomorrow but I will try.


I assume that box is my prize for guessing the handle material pasta! Stefan, I will send you my address where you can send the box incl. ALL handles to! :knife:


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## mark76 (May 28, 2015)

Donk. This many handles of such beauty? This is better than when I was a kid and visited a candy store...

I'll be watching your site, Stefan! At this moment it says there are no handles available.


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## apicius9 (Jun 2, 2015)

Well, I had good intentions... Lots of work last week, and then I managed to knock myself out with food poisoning over the weekend. I never felt that sick in my life before, really don't recommend it... But I will try put up extra handles in the next few days. 

Stefan


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## Dave Martell (Jun 2, 2015)

Spam?


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## apicius9 (Jun 2, 2015)

Dave Martell said:


> Spam?



LOL, most likely questionable ground beef. I am embarrassed, should have known better...

Stefan


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## TheOneHawk (Jun 22, 2015)

Oh man, I haven't had money to afford knives in a while so I stopped coming around KKF because, well, temptation. I ordered a handle from Stefan a little while ago and now I'm just as pumped as I was the day I ordered it. These are amazing. So glad to hear things are improving for you and to see you making progress again. You're an absolute artist.


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## apicius9 (Jun 23, 2015)

Thanks for the kind words everyone, I still think you are all crazy and I am totally overrated... Maybe I should up my depression medication a bit  

Stefan


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