Stefan's Some extra handles available

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apicius9

Das HandleMeister
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Hi, while I am still working on a load of orders, I do have a few extra handles available. I will take better pics if I get to it, just thougt I'd give you a preview:

Left column

1. lignum vitae handle with marbled horn, probably on a short gyuto or better on a short yanagi
2. amboyna and marbled horn. This is probably the nicest piece of amboyna I have ever worked with, and the ferrule is also excellent. Large handle, best for a 300mm gyuto. I wanted to make it smaller, but the wood looked so great that I just didn't want to sand away more...
3. koa, ns spacer, spalted ferrule. slim yanagi handle, on hold for now but may become available

Right column

1. blackwood, black horn ferrule, black & honey streak horn endcap. The ferrule was supposed to be honey streaked also, but by the time I had sanded it, the honey streaks were gone. Looks like there is a glue line at the end cap, that comes out stronger in the pic than in real life, I hadn't even registered it before. should work on a gyuto 240
2. blackwood, dyed box elder ferrule, light wood burl spacer, I think it was black ash (I am writing this without having them in front of me...). small gyuto or maybe even a smaller deba
3. spalted Hawaiian signature and snakewood. This may be on hold, maybe I re-work it, there is a small flaw that I could sand away and it would then be really small, think ajikiri or petty
4. blackwood & koa, slim handle, best for a shorter yanagi
5. blackwood, horn ferrule, jasper spacer and color coordinated red & white mammoth tooth end cap. for a smaller deba or a smaller gyuto if you don't mind that it is a little bit on the stubby side
6. mango and ironwood - sorry, this one is gone already
7. two-tone amboyna and a lightly marbled horn ferrule, the pic shows the uglier side. strong taper at the ferrule, should work for a light gyuto 210-240 (need to measure it again). Has a little bit of light discoloring where the horn meets the wood.
8. koa, red fiber spacer, spalted ferrule. for a heavier gyuto, think Watanabe 240


P1010892 by mgapicius, on Flickr


There will be a few more that I am still working on. Also, there are still a few that have been around for a while, they should all be described on my website. They grey and yellow one is on hold for now but may become available again. Let's do this: You will get 33% off the original price for each of the ones in the pic below that you buy with one of the ones in the pic above.


P1010900 by mgapicius, on Flickr



If anybody is interested in one of them, please let me know.

Stefan
 
In the discount rack, what is the 3rd one down in the left column? I dont see it on your site. sizing?
 
In the discount rack, what is the 3rd one down in the left column? I dont see it on your site. sizing?

Thanks for catching that, Chris. That's a spalted maple handle, the wood is actually a light green which does not come across in this picture. It has a thicker copper spacer and black horn ferrule. If you like shorter (around 137mm, I think) and slightly thicker handles, it should work on a 240 gyuto even though it's a little shorter than I usually make them for that size. A not too anorexic 210 should work also. One caveat: I have to check that one again, last time I had it in my hand, the transition from metal to wood was not perfectly flush anymore, so the maple may have shrunk just a tiny bit - we are talking fractions of a mm here. But I may want to resand and refinish it before sending it to someone.

I have gotten a few PMs already, thanks for your interest, guys! I will answer them as good as I can and when I am home tonight I can get more specific with measures and pictures.

Stefan
 
I don't need that Amboyna handle, but I sure want it.
 
I love the red/white mammoth tooth one with the jasper spacer.

These are all going to be for sale?
 
Yeah, and that piece of horn is amazing.

I also really like the "blackwood, black horn ferrule, black & honey streak horn endcap" handle

(replying to mhenry)
 
Thanks guys. Yep, all the ones here are for sale although I have questions on a few of them. I need to do one more thing and then will try to take a few pics and follow up on all the PMs tonight. These are all handles I either had for a while or made as extras while I worked on others. There won't be too many extras for a while, I just need to get through the orders first.

O.k., I might as well do that now: There are a few more that are close to being done and that are also up for grabs. Too busy this weekend, but I am confident that I can send those out before the end of the year:


P1010895 by mgapicius, on Flickr

Second from the bottom left is on hold, second from the top on the right is sold.

Stefan
 
Stefan what's second from the top on the left? Do you think it would fit a Nakiri?
 
Stefan what's second from the top on the left? Do you think it would fit a Nakiri?

Hi Brian, most of these are a bit larger, 2nd from the top is thuya burl but too large for a nakiri, more for a lighter gyuto. This is unstabilized thuya, so not for everyone. Thuya is pretty oily and doesn't stabilize all that well, also loses a lot of its beauty when you stabilize it. For size reference, the 2nd one from thr top on the right goes on a 270 gyuto.

Stefan
 
Stefan, would either of the top two on the left work for a 270mm suji? What are the dimensions of the slots on those two?
 
Stefan, would either of the top two on the left work for a 270mm suji? What are the dimensions of the slots on those two?

The second on the top (unstabilized thuya burl) could work for a suji, the first one is too slim and is best for a long, not too massive yanagi. In general, the slots are on the small side and can be filed open to match the tangs. The inside of the handle is drilled out slightly oversized, so that it will accomodate tangs of all sizes.

I just have gotten caught up in things over the past few days, and tomorrow I will be at graduation most of the day. I will follow up all PMs as soon as I can.

Stefan
 
6434145335_aa27784ccc_b.jpg

Can you tell me about the fourth one down on the left and the one all the way at the bottom on the right?
 
The third one down on the left looks like the one I requested for my 175 Carter Wabocho.

Im just curious, do you make these handles then forget who they are for?:lol2:
 
Can you tell me about the fourth one down on the left and the one all the way at the bottom on the right?

The fourth one on the left is a piece of Masur birch burl from Craig Stevens, one of my last peices of this great burl wood. It has a black horn spacer and marbled horn ferrule, should work on a 240 gyuto. The bottom one on the right is a dyed maple or boxelder burl handle (I didn;t mark them, now I can't kep the dyed ones apart...). This one ois a bit over 152mm long and would be best on a 270 gyuto, because of its heft maybe even a sturdier one like a Watanabe. I hope this helps,

Stefan
 
The third one down on the left looks like the one I requested for my 175 Carter Wabocho.

Im just curious, do you make these handles then forget who they are for?:lol2:

Hey, I am a very confused man, things like that can happpen. But not in this case, I sent you a PM. The handle here is a koa handle that is more for a 240 gyuto.

Stefan
 
Stefan what kind of wood is number 3L? i would be interested in that one too if Hattori doesn't snap it up. :D
Hey, I am a very confused man, things like that can happpen. But not in this case, I sent you a PM. The handle here is a koa handle that is more for a 240 gyuto.

Stefan
 
Stefan what kind of wood is number 3L? i would be interested in that one too if Hattori doesn't snap it up. :D

That's koa. That wood comes in all kinds of shapes, colors, and figures. This one here will work for a 240 gyuto. It has a very nice 3-D effect, but it's more on the wild side, not the regular stripes that many people associate with koa. Hattorichop is getting a buckeye burl handle unless he changes his mind ;)

Stefan
 
I'll take that one and #2L as we have previously discussed. Let me know via PM what the total is and all of your pertinent paypal info. Thanks
That's koa. That wood comes in all kinds of shapes, colors, and figures. This one here will work for a 240 gyuto. It has a very nice 3-D effect, but it's more on the wild side, not the regular stripes that many people associate with koa. Hattorichop is getting a buckeye burl handle unless he changes his mind ;)

Stefan
 

P1010900 by mgapicius, on Flickr


Hey Stefan! I'm interested in the grey and yellow one and or the green and brass. Would either work for a rather. Blade heavy Nakiri?
 
I have a newbie question for you. All things being equal, is weight/balance the primary factor in determining which type of knife these "off the shelf" handles are suitable for? I know that there is a basic correlation between handle and blade length, but the choice of thickness is what I am wondering about.
 
I think that's a very complex issue. First, many people aer very tolerant to changes in balance or since most knives are blade heavy, they don't mind a slightly heavier handle to make it more balanced. There are personal preferences for length or thickness that may be more important for some than balance issues. My personal approach is to have an approximate length as a fixed variable, and then consider the materials (e.g. some stabilized woods are heavier than others) and the thickness (especially the 'height' of the handle) when I make a recommendation for a knife that could match the handle. So, these recommentdations are very individual, and people may be happy with doing it differently, but I keep hearing from dave that I have a decent eye for the matches. And I do my best to talk people out of buying a handle if I have strong feelings that they would be a bad match. So, in the end it's about balancing a number of variables and hoping to come out with a good match.

Stefan
 
And once you have mastered these skills, you then have to figure out a completely different set of parameters for western style handles, right?:D
I think that's a very complex issue. First, many people aer very tolerant to changes in balance or since most knives are blade heavy, they don't mind a slightly heavier handle to make it more balanced. There are personal preferences for length or thickness that may be more important for some than balance issues. My personal approach is to have an approximate length as a fixed variable, and then consider the materials (e.g. some stabilized woods are heavier than others) and the thickness (especially the 'height' of the handle) when I make a recommendation for a knife that could match the handle. So, these recommentdations are very individual, and people may be happy with doing it differently, but I keep hearing from dave that I have a decent eye for the matches. And I do my best to talk people out of buying a handle if I have strong feelings that they would be a bad match. So, in the end it's about balancing a number of variables and hoping to come out with a good match.

Stefan
 
Hey, I am a very confused man, things like that can happpen. But not in this case, I sent you a PM. The handle here is a koa handle that is more for a 240 gyuto.

Stefan

If I had a back log of handles to make like you I'm sure I'd get a bit confused as well.
Any idea on how many handles you would likely produce in a year?
 
How large do you generally drill your tang pilot hole?
 
If I had a back log of handles to make like you I'm sure I'd get a bit confused as well.
Any idea on how many handles you would likely produce in a year?

There is a gap between how many I want to produce and how many I do produce. I am a very bad business man, and never much looked at it from that angle, but I came to realize that at my current prices I have to make about 120 per year to break even (and that is not fully counting my wood addiction expenses...). Last year I did not get to even half of that number.

Would it work with a 6" deba?

I think it would. I find it a touch stocky for a thinner knife unless you have larger hands, but a small deba should work.

How large do you generally drill your tang pilot hole?

I try to keep the pilot hole - or better: slot - small enough to accommodate thinner tangs (something like < 1/8" x 3/8") unless it is a larger handle that will need a large knife anyway. I have to admit, I don't spend much time on making the slots look pretty because they will be filed open to match the tang anyway. The inside of the handle is drilled a bit oversized because sometimes the tangs are twisted, bent etc. That's the advantage if you have a new knife and a handle in front of you, you can make a perfect match. Since I often don't know the exact size and shape of the tang, drilling it oversized seems like the best solution.

Stefan
 
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