@plantgainz oh yes it is! It’s always a surprise and my favourite part when you cut a blank to see the inside. 
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First order from a member here and I'm really happy about it! I hope you will like it man and it was such a fun time crafting your handle. I don't have fancy stickers, but I think some finger stones will do the trick as a small touch 
- Mizukihara uchigumori
- Yaginoshima suita
- Shobudani
- Mizukihara uchigumori
- Yaginoshima suita
- Shobudani
I did a bit of R&D to try and come up with something different for my handles. I spent a lot of time drawing, playing with the square and the protractor. I even analyzed my hand to try new things. I finally found something that could be interesting and I obviously made one.
I chose a heptagonal shape: halfway between the handling of an octagonal handle and D shape. I am really amazed by the pleasure that I have in hand! The left side has only two sides and the thumbs fit perfectly there. With a pinch grip, it's super natural. I have a good amount of tampering and near the tang there is no superfluous wood to interfere with the grip. Each side is also rounded for better comfort.
I know that is not reinventing the wheel, heptagonal handles already exist, but I love the visuals and above all the pleasure I have in using my knife! Your thoughts about it?
Material - Leopard wood, spalted buckeye burl ring & black micarta spacers
Height [front to back] - 20,8 to 24,4
Width [front to back] - 17,2 to 21,1
Length - 134,5
Weight - 38g
Finition - 600 grit and linseed oil
I chose a heptagonal shape: halfway between the handling of an octagonal handle and D shape. I am really amazed by the pleasure that I have in hand! The left side has only two sides and the thumbs fit perfectly there. With a pinch grip, it's super natural. I have a good amount of tampering and near the tang there is no superfluous wood to interfere with the grip. Each side is also rounded for better comfort.
I know that is not reinventing the wheel, heptagonal handles already exist, but I love the visuals and above all the pleasure I have in using my knife! Your thoughts about it?
Material - Leopard wood, spalted buckeye burl ring & black micarta spacers
Height [front to back] - 20,8 to 24,4
Width [front to back] - 17,2 to 21,1
Length - 134,5
Weight - 38g
Finition - 600 grit and linseed oil
A new handle is finish and this one is going to Singapore 
!
I'm really glad this customer chose my new heptagonal handle shape. The grip is really comfortable, you have a preview of the finger placement in the video below. A nice taper makes the handle fits just right and I'm sure it will be perfect for his 210mm gyuto.
Material - Bolivian rosewood, synthetic buffalo ring & micarta spacers
Height [front to back] - 23 to 24,1
Width [front to back] - 19 to 21,6
Tang opening - 4,4 x 12,6
Length - 134,5
Weight - 40g
Finition - 600 grit and linseed oil
! I'm really glad this customer chose my new heptagonal handle shape. The grip is really comfortable, you have a preview of the finger placement in the video below. A nice taper makes the handle fits just right and I'm sure it will be perfect for his 210mm gyuto.
Material - Bolivian rosewood, synthetic buffalo ring & micarta spacers
Height [front to back] - 23 to 24,1
Width [front to back] - 19 to 21,6
Tang opening - 4,4 x 12,6
Length - 134,5
Weight - 40g
Finition - 600 grit and linseed oil
A new handle is finish and a lovely one! I really like the rustic side of this wood in its texture and the elegant side with its dark color. I chose my new heptagonal shape and the grip with this Nakiri is really how I like it. I'm really glad I worked on the drawing board to come up with this shape. It won't be the last handle I'll make with this wood!
Material - Roasted oak, spalted Buckeye burl ring & cocobolo spacers
Shape - Heptogonal
Height [front to back] - 22,8 to 23,4
Width [front to back] - 18,1 to 20,2
Tang opening - 5,3 x 13,6
Length - 133,5
Weight - 33g
Finition - 400 grit and linseed oil
Material - Roasted oak, spalted Buckeye burl ring & cocobolo spacers
Shape - Heptogonal
Height [front to back] - 22,8 to 23,4
Width [front to back] - 18,1 to 20,2
Tang opening - 5,3 x 13,6
Length - 133,5
Weight - 33g
Finition - 400 grit and linseed oil
Beautiful!
Do you use pure linseed oil, or diluted? Also I wonder why you prefer linseed oil to tung oil?
I've never used linseed oil myself, but many woodworkers don't like working with it... so I'm curious.
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Thank you so much, this handle is drop-dead gorgeous!!!
I use tried and true polymerized linseed oil with natural resin, work perfectly well! I use this product since a long time and I never had any problem. It's food safe, environmental friendly, goes deeper into the wood and smell so good too
Oh yeah! So happy that you received the baby. With the KU I really like the match, good choice for the wood manThank you so much, this handle is drop-dead gorgeous!!!
Working on my current project and this is the wood combination I choose to match my honyaki gyuto. I think it will look awesome after bringing that hamon back to life 
A new handle finished and this time I had fun doing something new and I love it! I added an angle to the end of the handle and had fun making it simpler with a small ferrule. Visually it's super balanced and the color and texture of the Cocobolo is really magnificent.
Material - Cocobolo, stabilized buckeye burl and micarta
Shape - Heptogonal
Height [front to back] - 23,2 to 25,6
Width [front to back] - 20,3 to 22,4
Tang opening - 4 x 11
Length - 140
Weight - 41g
Finition - 600 grit and linseed oil
Material - Cocobolo, stabilized buckeye burl and micarta
Shape - Heptogonal
Height [front to back] - 23,2 to 25,6
Width [front to back] - 20,3 to 22,4
Tang opening - 4 x 11
Length - 140
Weight - 41g
Finition - 600 grit and linseed oil
WIP on two handles today! Oh man, I deeply love this zebra wood and can't wait to give this one the final shape. I also received some really nice blanks this week and the the first cocobolo in the picture is by far my favourite. There's a lot going on in this piece with a nice chocolate/red/yellow tone. A nightmare to drill, but so warm and stylish 
Another handle is complete and this one is currently available right here on KKF
Believe me or not, it's the first time working with walnut. It’s good to see the band saw not crying its life because of too dense wood
Believe me or not, it's the first time working with walnut. It’s good to see the band saw not crying its life because of too dense wood
I just received some exceptional wood.. I can't wait to make handle with these beautiful pieces!
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plantgainz
Well-Known Member
Crazy!
A new handle for my personal knife! Here is the story:
This handle at the base was for a customer's knife, the honyaki that I am polishing. I had the idea of doing something different and incorporating brass. I told myself it was going to be a simple... haha nope!
Firstly I was not equipped to work with this material. It was really painful and as with any first attempt, the handle is not perfect. There is a small 0.5mm notch underneath, the tang hole is 4° to the left and that bothered me a lot. The blade is still centered, but hey, when you're not satisfied with your work!
So I kept working on it and figured I'd put it on my own knife to see the vibe. And I fell in love! I can live with these little flaws and I will make another one for my client. Because this morning I went to look for the right tools and I think I'll be able to make it the "perfect" handle. I always continue to learn and small defeats ensure that we can progress
This handle at the base was for a customer's knife, the honyaki that I am polishing. I had the idea of doing something different and incorporating brass. I told myself it was going to be a simple... haha nope!
Firstly I was not equipped to work with this material. It was really painful and as with any first attempt, the handle is not perfect. There is a small 0.5mm notch underneath, the tang hole is 4° to the left and that bothered me a lot. The blade is still centered, but hey, when you're not satisfied with your work!
So I kept working on it and figured I'd put it on my own knife to see the vibe. And I fell in love! I can live with these little flaws and I will make another one for my client. Because this morning I went to look for the right tools and I think I'll be able to make it the "perfect" handle. I always continue to learn and small defeats ensure that we can progress
OkayMode
I am the pig Daveb's mama was talking about
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Mate this is gorgeous. Could I tempt you to make me an octagonal one for my Wakui Seiryu?A new handle for my personal knife! Here is the story:
This handle at the base was for a customer's knife, the honyaki that I am polishing. I had the idea of doing something different and incorporating brass. I told myself it was going to be a simple... haha nope!
Firstly I was not equipped to work with this material. It was really painful and as with any first attempt, the handle is not perfect. There is a small 0.5mm notch underneath, the tang hole is 4° to the left and that bothered me a lot. The blade is still centered, but hey, when you're not satisfied with your work!
So I kept working on it and figured I'd put it on my own knife to see the vibe. And I fell in love! I can live with these little flaws and I will make another one for my client. Because this morning I went to look for the right tools and I think I'll be able to make it the "perfect" handle. I always continue to learn and small defeats ensure that we can progress
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Thanks man! Yeah I'm really happy with it and every time I pick my knife it feel special! Crazy how a handle can change the vibe and the feel of the blade
I finalized another one yesterday with some texture on the cap and it's really nice too, with roasted oak. This handle is already sold but of course I can always make custom. Don't hesitate to reach me via DM if you want to chat about it.
Oh my, I really like this design! I am starting to feel more and more comfortable and above all to find my style for my handles.
This one will adorn the magnificent 195mm honyaki santoku in w2 steel made by the talented @MSicardCutlery . In my opinion, this is his most beautiful hamon ever made! But hey, Matt and I are always too critical of ourselves, so according to him, he can do better..
Speaking of Matt, I'm really happy to be able to announce that he and I will be collaborating together on the honyaki blades! In my opinion, his work is impeccable and the quality of his creations is beyond reproach.
I am really happy to be able to unite our passions in our respective fields of expertise. I will polish his knives and create a custom handle before putting them up for sale. I've always dreamed of doing this kind of collaboration and it's really great to have discovered his work, in Canada no less!
This one will adorn the magnificent 195mm honyaki santoku in w2 steel made by the talented @MSicardCutlery . In my opinion, this is his most beautiful hamon ever made! But hey, Matt and I are always too critical of ourselves, so according to him, he can do better..
Speaking of Matt, I'm really happy to be able to announce that he and I will be collaborating together on the honyaki blades! In my opinion, his work is impeccable and the quality of his creations is beyond reproach.
I am really happy to be able to unite our passions in our respective fields of expertise. I will polish his knives and create a custom handle before putting them up for sale. I've always dreamed of doing this kind of collaboration and it's really great to have discovered his work, in Canada no less!
Wood burls are beautiful but it's always a surprise when I cut a block. Here for this handle, there was a knot and unfortunately it was not just visual, we could definitely feel the crack. So I said to myself, why not make kintsugi! (in an amateur way so as not to offend the purists). I love this beautiful scar and what's more, it makes a nice reminder with the brass.
I have a certain fascination with things that shine. The mirror effect, a well-contrasted kasumi and also iridescent objects. I love opals and it has been on my mind for a very long time to be able to use this kind of material in my handles. But hey, semi precious stone cost a lot of money and are really not easy to work with in addition to having special care to respect.
So I searched everywhere on the internet to find an alternative and I discovered these synthetic opals created in a laboratory in Germany. It's just too magnificent. The way the color changes is super organic, you don't see any glitter, like in some resin blocks for example.
It's not a semi-precious stone, but it's not cheap! It's about $35 for each piece, before shipping and duty taxes of course. But I think it will give a really interesting result..
So here is the prototype that I will make this weekend. I love what I see in the sketch and I can already imagine myself turning the handle in all directions to see the reflections change colors. I can't wait to show you the result!
So I searched everywhere on the internet to find an alternative and I discovered these synthetic opals created in a laboratory in Germany. It's just too magnificent. The way the color changes is super organic, you don't see any glitter, like in some resin blocks for example.
It's not a semi-precious stone, but it's not cheap! It's about $35 for each piece, before shipping and duty taxes of course. But I think it will give a really interesting result..
So here is the prototype that I will make this weekend. I love what I see in the sketch and I can already imagine myself turning the handle in all directions to see the reflections change colors. I can't wait to show you the result!
Uncle Danny
Sorry about that pineapple pizza thing
it looks beautiful my man! Really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
I’ve never heard of pheasant wood before! Looks beautiful - is it expensive or hard to get a hold of?
I’ve never heard of pheasant wood before! Looks beautiful - is it expensive or hard to get a hold of?
Thanks Uncle! It's honestly now one of my favourite wood. The grain, the weight and the colour is really awesome! I have a supplier in Indonesia for this particular species.
Uncle Danny
Sorry about that pineapple pizza thing
Woah! I’m sending you a pm. We need to talk 
That's it, my handle "prototype" with synthetic opal is finished. I LOVE what I see! I find that the combination is perfect with ebony, brass and pheasant wood.
This material is simply magnificent and I must admit that I played at least 10 minutes with the handle to discover all the color palette in the reflection. A small minor defect in the brass separator but I know why, it will be corrected on the next one. Very happy with the result and this one, I will keep for myself! But I already have another one that will be the same for a client
This material is simply magnificent and I must admit that I played at least 10 minutes with the handle to discover all the color palette in the reflection. A small minor defect in the brass separator but I know why, it will be corrected on the next one. Very happy with the result and this one, I will keep for myself! But I already have another one that will be the same for a client
And here's some candy shot of that rainbow
Just too pretty! Amazing work.
plantgainz
Well-Known Member
Handle porn
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Is the synthetic opal very pricey? Like that a lot
Thanks man! Really appreciated
Haha kind of! It depends on everyone's taste but I love the result..Handle porn
I mean..unfortunately yes it's pricey. Not like a real opal of course, but a block of 112mm x 29mm x 41mm cost 288$cad..
