Forgecraft Chef tuneup advice appreciated!

[drsmp]

What have you learned working with Forgecraft chef knives? Advice on thinning, best way to start a patina ?,angle to sharpen, refinishing handles (anyone tried stains ?) might even tackle changing to a wa handle. Thanks for any and all advice, Steve

 

[brainsausage]

It really depends on the literal year they were made. The batches from the late 50’s/early 60’s are fairly consistent grind wise and need very little work depending on how they were maintained and/or if you’re lucky enough to find an NOS. As you get into the middle to late 60’s they get fatter and less consistent across the board, distal taper suffers quite a bit, and the grind becomes fairly rudimentary. I think that’s around the time they were bought out and they ran the trademark out till the end of the decade. I’ve had a couple from both ends of the spectrum and prefer the earlier samples. There’s a thread from 4-5 years back that shows the stamps from different years to aid in identifying the birth date. One great thing about Forgies is that they are pretty easy to work on. And therefore don’t hold an edge for ****. But the profile is excellent IMO, and the early grinds are pretty damn decent too. The handles though are pretty junk, which is why you see so many conversions. The 1095 takes and holds a patina very well IME. I played around with all different kids of methods and none really stood out, so I wouldn’t really overthink that aspect.

 

[29palms]

Some of these Forgies have great heat treat in the 58 - 60 HRT. Can only test with files, but I think Dave tested a couple a few years ago. As said not hard to work on and if converting a good metal band saw works great . . . wait for it . . . till you get toward the choil area - then it gets hard fast. Rather than burn up a band blade I'll switch to the grinder and cool as I go. Totally slamin' profile and will take a steep edge and IMO they hold up quite well for home use especially after thinning.

 

[Bensbites]

As far as the wa conversations I have done, I suggest a dremel with a thin cut off blade to minimize heat buildup. A 4 inch angle grinder well blue steel.

 

[gic]

I have seen forgie chefs at HRC 61 (the guys at Bloodroot tested some of mine as a favor...)

 

[PappaG]

Right now I'm practicing using sandpaper on Forgies, mostly for seeing how sandpaper impacts the steel, but also for thinning. I'll probably try etching next when I can find the time.