# My first knife rehandling



## merlijny2k (Oct 29, 2016)

Rehandled the 250mm sabatier I found in a bag full of knives I bought last week.
http://i.imgur.com/zRJiunb.jpg

Its far from perfect but im happy with the result. Feels great in my hand, silky feeling.


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## camperman (Nov 1, 2016)

Looks like a nice neat job.
What have you treated the wood with?


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## Dave Martell (Nov 1, 2016)

Nice work. It does indeed look silky smooth too.


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## merlijny2k (Nov 2, 2016)

Rubbed in some antique floor wax. Said wax i bought for 2 euro's in a discount store to wax my Brooks leather bicycle saddle with because i found the wax from the bikestore outrageously priced. Five years down the road and at least the saddle is going great. I figured most important is not to let it dry and take regular care which i have. Now to see how it holds up on the knifehandle. What can i say i'm exceedingly cheap on everything except what i eat and giving tips.


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## merlijny2k (Nov 3, 2016)

Some time ago i saw a Bob Kramer video where he was showing some system he sold for comfortable sharpening over a kitchen sink. Didn't like his prices but i did like the idea very much. Since i still have a big knife to thin and sharpen i figured i'd make something in similar lines for myself.

Screwdriver adjustable kitchen sink stone holder https://imgur.com/gallery/uodte


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## merlijny2k (Nov 6, 2016)

I thinned and thinned... until i dared not thin more. Now clocking at 2.5hrs manual labor at the course stone. Tomorrow i'm going to do some measurements and see how the thickness builds up compared to the Kanso


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## merlijny2k (Nov 7, 2016)

Ok so it is 0.5, 0.8 and 1.1mm thick at 3mm,5mm and 10mm behind the edge. If the Eden is any kind of reference about 1/10mm thinning to go or maybe i should just leave it like this as it is softer steel. Likely 56-57 range. Only problem area is the tip. Measures are 0.7, 1.2 and 1.4 there. Not that surprising when i think about it because the spine has hardly any taper towards the front.


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## merlijny2k (Nov 7, 2016)

I don't think thinning that tip by hand is much of an option given how slow it goes. Is there any kind of consensus as to what the thickness buildup is supposed to be like?


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## merlijny2k (Nov 7, 2016)

Doing some work on this old knife did give me more perspective as to why harder knives are so much more expensive. It's not the first knife i thin but the rest were always the supermarket housebrand grade ones so 50-51 or something? This is the first time i'm working something upper 50's and everything is just SLOW.


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## milkbaby (Nov 7, 2016)

Thinning a really thick knife on a stone sucks. I bought some cheapo silicon carbide stones from the asian market for major thinning, but they can easily make very deep scratches depending on the knife. For cheapo finds like a couple of asian cleavers I got from ebay, I've decided to just give them a go on a belt sander instead. The belts are probably a little more expensive than the cheap stones but the time saved will probably more than make up for it.


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## merlijny2k (Nov 8, 2016)

Yea i've been longing for one too but i'm in this small appartment and there really is no hiding a work bench with belt sander from the wife is there


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## merlijny2k (Nov 8, 2016)

But seeing how nicely you make yours work i just want one more. Maybe i'll figure something out in the storage basement but that must involve lots of cables as there is no electricity there. Joys of city life i guess.


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## milkbaby (Nov 9, 2016)

The other folks here talked me into the belt sander, and for sure it is the piece of equipment that I am most grateful to have! It makes so many knifemaking things easier, from the profiling, bevel grinds, surface finish (I am pretty much leaving scale and a 400 grit finish on the blades for a rustic look), and handle shaping a lot easier. I'm in an apartment too but with a front porch, so I leave the front door slightly cracked open and run the electrical cord there. I've spent a lot of time squatting, kneeling, or sitting crosslegged hunched over the belt sander, LOL!


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## merlijny2k (Nov 11, 2016)

Gave up on the tip, finished the rest of th thinning and put an edge on. It cuts a tomato sideways without touching it so that's pretty sweet. Tomorrow i'm going to try to slce some carrots real thin. With the tip that thick it will never rival my gyuto on detail work but i'm real curious houw it holds up on your regular veggies slice and dice. Also curiois how the steel holds up. My supermarket grade knives hold up for more than a month on daily use for in-hand cutting and peeling, but as soon as they see the board it's game over. And then i have the gyuto and that's a blue2 so i'm just curious how noticeable the difference is. Also tried some newspaper stropping for the first time and it really works! Edge reminds me of the edge you get from a Coti stone.


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