Old Sabatier thoughts?

[Logan09]

Not really a sabatier guy. This came with a few other knives I bought. Was covered in rust when I got it(I'm sure it doesn't look much better to you guys) the more I held it the more I started to like it. It's very well balanced and just feels right in the hand. It seems like the original bevel is still there, so I'm not sure how much the blade has been ground over time.

Blade is 10"
Spine is 4.7mm and tapers down to 1.2mm(I imagine it originally had a sharp point to the tip)
Blade at its widest is 1-3/4"

I'm sure it's near impossible to know the maker, but worth a try. Blade also has a bend in it, which I can NOT get out. I have straightened several blades(and swords) and it just flexes back with no change.

 

[McMan]

The bolster on this is a little different from regular sabs because there is no ferrule. These were made for export to Canada (or so the story goes).
Here's an example:
https://www.sabatier-shop.com/canadian-12-in-cooking-knife-stainless-steel-wood-handle-icac30.htmlLooks like it's lived a useful life If you wanted to rehab it, you could adjust the profile (raise the bolster a bit) and thin it. Even if you don't want to monkey with the profile, it looks like it would definitely benefit from thinning.

 

[Logan09]

Thanks for the quick reply! I didn't even think about the bolster style. Probably won't reprofile it, but thinning and cleaning up the rest of it will probably happen in the future.

 

[cotedupy]

The bolster / fingerguard style is an interesting one... I have a pair of old Sabs bought together by my wife's gran, I'm 90% sure in Paris in the 1950s. The 9" Chef's knife has the integrated bolster/ferrule thing, the slightly longer slicing/carving knife doesn't. It's like yours - just the finger guard.

At first I was going to say that that could possibly mean that yours was originally a slicer. But looking again - particularly at the height of yours - it looks like a Chef's knife that's seen a bit of steeling. (I'm no great expert tbh though).

Mine were also covered in rust when I found them and cleaned them up to the level of yours. I think it'd be rather a shame to take it any further and start removing that lovely patina. I was surprised by how little pitting there was, I've refurbed Japanese knives in a similar condition that had considerably more, and deeper.

I know what you mean about the bend too. The metal on these old Sabs seems incredibly 'springy' for want of a better word, unfortunately I don't really know the solution (and you're far more experienced doing it than I am anyway).

It's rather nice though! Do post more pics if you do touch up the profile...

 

[Noodle Soup]

The bolster on this is a little different from regular sabs because there is no ferrule. These were made for export to Canada (or so the story goes).
Here's an example:
https://www.sabatier-shop.com/canadian-12-in-cooking-knife-stainless-steel-wood-handle-icac30.htmlLooks like it's lived a useful life If you wanted to rehab it, you could adjust the profile (raise the bolster a bit) and thin it. Even if you don't want to monkey with the profile, it looks like it would definitely benefit from thinning.
View attachment 109291

"Useful life" As in its seen a lot of hard use and been to the sharpening stone many many times. Nothing wrong with that. It can be restored to a functional state but it won't be the tool it started life as.