Boring

[Bill Burke]

Work with Hoss?

Something Ive missed?

No it's roots are in his shop because of the spirograph damascus blade. I made the steel but it is thanks to Hoss that I was able to do so.

 

[oivind_dahle]

Bill:

What are the most popular knife people order?
If a kitchen knife what lenght are most common?
How many knives do you make a year?

 

[Bill Burke]

Bill:

What are the most popular knife people order?
If a kitchen knife what lenght are most common?
How many knives do you make a year?

Right now the most ordered knife is a western handled gyoto in 240-270 mm blade length. I make between 50-60 knives in a years time.

 

[mhlee]

Right now the most ordered knife is a western handled gyoto in 240-270 mm blade length. I make between 50-60 knives in a years time.

Those little knives are fantastic looking knives. Is the knife that's the second one from the bottom a fillet knife or slicer?

What is the best way to order?

 

[Bill Burke]

Michael, It is a fillet, just email, pm or call and I'll get you on the list.

 

[mhlee]

Man Bill. I know a lot of people shun using thin fillet knives, but, when I was cutting fish for a living, I could have really used one of those for all the damn starry flounder and rex sole I was cutting. Starry flounder has a ridiculously tough skin, with an almost rubber-like texture with sharp points. It would destroy the edge of our cheap fillet knives so fast.

That is such an amazing knife. I've never seen a custom fillet knife EVER, let alone one with that much attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Great stuff Bill. Glad that you're around here. Many of us, including me, have admired your knives from afar. I certainly hope to be able to own one of your works soon.

Thanks again!

 

[Bill Burke]

Michael, thank you so much for the kind words. That is the first fillet that I made. I just made another, and I have a fivr bar composit fillet in the works.
How about one like this?

 

[oivind_dahle]

Your San Mai is out of this world!

Pcture tells more than word:

This is how I feel....

 

[mhlee]

Michael, thank you so much for the kind words. That is the first fillet that I made. I just made another, and I have a fivr bar composit fillet in the works.
How about one like this?

Another great piece. Is that a cross between a boning and fillet knife? Is it flexible? There are a number of people here who have been looking for a boning knife. I'm sure you'll get an order from someone to make a similar knife.

Is that composite fillet a special order? Could you show us a picture when you're done?

 

[Bill Burke]

Yeh it is actually more of a boning knife than a fillet. It is flexible enough to do double duty but is probably a better boning knife than fillet. The composite is just one i am putting together out of some twisted w's that I had lying around.

 

[Marko Tsourkan]

here are a few more...

52100 and Iron wood.

more 52100 and Iron wood.

...

Absolutely love these two. Everything - profile, handles shape and most likely geometry of the blade too. As somebody who wants to try his hand at making a knife, knife like these make a great reference point to gauge one's progress. Guess many years of practice ahead.

Keep posting 'em Bill.

Marko

 

[Dave Martell]

Marko, I was thinking the same thing myself. These are VERY clean - something to aim for.

 

[Bill Burke]

Thanks alot you guys. Marko I hear there is a chance that you will coming out here in the near future? I could assist you in the production of one of these.

 

[Marko Tsourkan]

Thanks alot you guys. Marko I hear there is a chance that you will coming out here in the near future? I could assist you in the production of one of these.

Yes, it is definitely in plans. I would like to get a little bit of practice before that, but boy it would be fun.

M

 

[oivind_dahle]

There is a fillet knife on sale on EE
http://www.epicureanedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=88943


And yes I love those 2 knives Marko and Dave likes!
However I have this strange feeling a guyto out of this world soon will appear in this vendors subforum
(what, when and where is only known by the master himself)

 

[Bill Burke]

thanks for posting this Oivind. for anybody interested here is a picture.

 

[oivind_dahle]

No problem Ive been surfing around on the web for a while, consuming everything about your knives
I also see that CKTG is going to sell your knives?


For those waiting for a wip from Bill:
http://www.king5.com/on-tv/evening-magazine/Every-chef-needs-a-sharp-knife-107273454.html

 

[Chef Niloc]

Bill why does forging a knife to shape make for a better preforming knife vs stock removal regarding 52100? Is it the added thermal cycles or the hammering, or something else? Also what does bronzing do to a blade?

 

[Bill Burke]

Hi Guys,

Colin to the best of my knowlege Bronzing dose nothing to help a blade. I know that some have claimed different but the testing that I have done has shown different. But that is me and my methods. I did make every attempt to follow the exact proceedures that others used but CVan only do what was told to me and it is entirely possible that some little but sgnificant step or hiccup could have been left out. the only place I found it usefull was filling voids in cable damascus and ther it looks and works good.

As far as forging an edge I truley believe that if the smith does things just right the forged edge has smaller grain structure and smaller carbide size. I like using an anallogy of concrete to explain this. if you have two batches of concrete one with the aggregate made up of 1 inch minus rocks and the other with 1/4 inch minus rocks in it and you file an edge on a slab of each it is going to be much harder to grind an edge in the 1 inch aggregate than the 1/4 inch and after you have this edge on you concrete the one inch rocks will have less cement holding them into your slab and there will be more of the rock exposed by the grinding, where the smaller 1/4 inch rocks will require less of the rock to be ground away to get the same tthickness and they will have more support from the cement with more rocks in the edge. proper forging with suffecient gran refining steps sets the steel up for fine grain production during heat treat.

 

[oivind_dahle]

Bill:

Could we have some pics when you use your uchigamori hato?
And where did you find it, I have a hard time finding a stone thats not insane pricey....

 

[Bill Burke]

Mine was almost in the insane range. the tantrum that I threw when I dropped it and broke it was insane though.

 

[kalaeb]

Ouch, I would have gone pretty insane too. :angry1:

 

[oivind_dahle]

Bill: How come you post so few pics, when you once wrote a book on the topic?

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIGNED-Want-Tak...fiction_Book&hash=item41556509f4#ht_500wt_922

 

[Bill Burke]

Sorry Oivind that is not me. nether am I the Motor cross racer or the 4x4 enthusiast.

 

[Chef Niloc]

Mine was almost in the insane range. the tantrum that I threw when I dropped it and broke it was insane though.

Are you kidding? Is it still usable? A few things I have learned about taking care of J-nats
1) obviously keep them in a safe place
2) brush the outside parts (except the top) with lacquer and then a piece of tissue paper, Japanese washi paper would be the most authentic and the fibers stronger. When the thin paper is applied it is so transparent that you can not notice it but the added strength of the paper lacquer is amazing
3) glue it down. I glue them to stone/ granite but wood is also common. I got the idea from the yellow Belgium nat stones. They come thin so they are glued to slate.

There is a good chance that your stone can be salvaged in some way so I hope you did not throw it out. Even if just for finger slips to polish blades. Expensive stones like yours are used by sword polishers and the finishing touches are done with thin slivers of stone.

 

[Bill Burke]

It was glued ti a wooden block but it popped loose when it hit the floor. the whay that it landed on the wood seemed to give it a good spring back into the airand when it hit from the bounce the stone broke. I do still have the pieces and have looked to see it there is some way to put it back together bot the crack is too big. This was from my sword polishing stones the larger piece is still barely usable for polish and the small piece for finger stones or tojiri production.

 

[Marko Tsourkan]

Bill,
a broken stone can be glued together, even if a crack is wide. Here is a post on a subject.
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php?964-Stone-repair

I use bases for my stones, but I prefer friction fitting rather than gluing them to the bases. It's easier to maintain a stone (flatten, clean, dry, soak, etc) this way.

These are prototype cedar bases I made.

M