D. Martell Gallery- Martell Knives

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Dam Dave you were holding out on me when you told me you didn't have any crazy cool wood! love hackberry, nice score Jon
 
Holy crap, that came out awesome Dave. All your trouble was worth it!! I am very glad we decided on this wood and bolster combo.
 
Glad you like it John, it'll be in your hands in just a couple of days, it's all set to sail tomorrow morning.

Thanks! :)
 
That's just simply stunning, one of a kind looking wood, and great execution by Dave. Congratz Johnny...
 
Did someone say he did not want number 13? If so, call me, Dave!

Keith
 
Here's #12 & #17. One is ironwood burl and the other is black ash burl.

Please excuse the raindrops and lint (again) in these pictures. :bashhead:


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I know I've seen it one at least 2 dozen knives but I love the ironwood burl.
 
Wow that photo really shows off the taper! Looking good Dave!

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Ok, here is a little bit of feedback from an owner.

I haven't used the knife as much as I would like yet because of out-of-the-house obligations, but I am slowly getting more cutting time in.

First of all the good:

* The fit and finish was amazing and I really love the handle (old-growth redwood) with micarta bolster (which was better than expected). The spine was nicely rounded. It feels exceptionally comfortable in my hand, and is probably more natural feeling in my hand than my other western handled knives.

* I'm really a fan of the profile. I like flatter profiles, and this knife is the right balance and very much in my comfort zone. I find that the edge is such that I (would) use the whole length of the blade and I actually use the tip more than any other gyuto I have. I find it offers great tip control.

* The edge was excellent out of the box (as I expected), and I just strop it before use.

* The blade is pretty thin. Thinner than my TKC and Hiro, and the patina is developing.

* In terms of performance, I have been comparing it to my TKC. They are both about the same weight, and the Martell performs similarly. Wedging and food release so far seem about the same, but as the patina develops things are changing a bit.

Now the bad (yes, I am sorry).

* At first I was a bit confused how the blade would cut through some foods. I didn't know why exactly, but sometimes it wedged more than others, while other times it seemed fine. After examining the blade closer, I noticed that the middle of the blade seemed to be a bit 'chubbier'. Near the heel on the spine the blade was about 1.85mm but just short of mid blade the thickness was just over 2mm. Even measurements at mid-blade showed some bulge. I often like to chop more near the heel, and I think some of my cuts were running into this area of the blade and caused a slight snag.

So, even though the profile is to my liking and I find myself wanting to move from heel to tip while cutting, in reality I cut more mid-blade up to the tip to avoid the heel area. It was difficult to notice at first, but sometimes when I hit just the right spot there seems to be some added resistance when cutting. It wasn't until I took my calipers out that I really noticed it.

All in all, I love the knife. F&F and profile are superb, but the unique blade grind seems to be uneven on my knife towards the heel.

Just my late night thoughts.

k.
 
Karring, I'm pretty sure that I know what I may have done and also how to correct it. I tell you when grinding a knife the slightest thing you do sure can have big consequences. I'd bet that on your knife I spent time trying to thin the heal and inadvertently thinned the spine and mid section above the heal at the same time. In any event I'd love the chance to fix this issue and make the knife better, there's no sense in having you live with an issue that I can likely fix.

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you.

Dave
 
Dan's Suji with (Stefan supplied wood) black ash burl handle.


PS - I'm mad as hell with this stupid maker's mark screwing me up every other time I do it. This one was perfect until I washed the knife and the black etch washed away. I've been working on this problem and thought I solved it but I guess not. :bashhead:


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That's a great looking knife! Makes me wish I could afford a gyuto suji set.
 
Bummer about the logo... I think it would look great without the black.
 
Thanks for the compliments guys.

Do you think the logo would look OK without being black at all? I love it when it black but I hate this in between BS I've been getting so I'm thinking that maybe leaving it un-blackened might be best until I know for sure I can get it set good. I'm going to clean this one up better before shipping it out.
 
Looks great Dave, the wait was worth it. Now to get this thing in my hand and put to use.

As far as the makers mark, I have a Kono petty that had the same problem some of the mark wasn't blacked in. Is it just a tradeoff of the marking process? Would applying some type of lacquer/sealant over the mark resolve the issue with the wash away
 
I'm glad that you like it so far Dan. It'll be shipping off tomorrow morning and should get to you pretty quick, probably the next day I would think.

I'm not exactly sure what the problem is with the mark. Butch helped me get passed one tricky problem last week and I thought that was the end of it yet here I am again. :(

Please let me know what you think of it in use, I love to get the feedback. Thanks again for being so patient!

Dave
 
Here's Aaron's 240mm gyuto in O-1 with ringed gidgee (supplied by Burl Source) & a black ash burl bolster (supplied by Stefan). It's got a tapered tang, stainless pins, and black G-10 liners.

Hope it suits you Aaron! :)

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Wow, very nice. I like the contrast between the Ash and the Gidgee, great call. I bet she looks even better in person. Can't wait! Thanks for the teaser pics :)
 
obtuse said:
Wow, very nice. I like the contrast between the Ash and the Gidgee, great call. I bet she looks even better in person. Can't wait! Thanks for the teaser pics :)
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My pictures aren't so great so it has to look better in person, that's a given. I'm glad that you like it so far though. :)
 
I think that's the nicest looking knife you've done so far. Can't wait until number 100.
 
Thanks guys :)

The ringed gidgee worked nicely. This one showed 3 little holes that needed filling but this isn't uncommon for any wood really. One thing that surprised me is how it got lighter when I buffed it which is opposite of every other wood that I've seen. I was happy for this though because it looked real dark brown until it was buffed and then turned sort of reddish-brown which I think looks better. The wood has mucho character going on too, just can't capture this effect in pictures though.
 
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