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Does this look familiar?AFAIK ebony. There was also a slightly lighter brown wood that was used (~1960s), which I'm not sure of and would like to learn what it was.
Does this look familiar?AFAIK ebony. There was also a slightly lighter brown wood that was used (~1960s), which I'm not sure of and would like to learn what it was.
My 1950s Dalman. But Sabman/Daltier is clearly fine too
That’s really beige, classy beige!Now that I know a little more about the topic... It would be beautiful if your blank was a Lion Sabatier.
I am going to suggest sticking with the Lion Sabatier heritage:
"Sabatier Château du Lion de Gripsholm
Fabriqué en Suède"
A virole, common with this type of handle, a Nogent. Rat-tail.A four star parer. Can someone tell me what the silver colored band on the handle is? I had thought silver or aluminum but they would have turned black by now. And this too was my entry point to knifeforums. It looked so innocuous at the time.
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How old is NOS? This doesn't have the pink in it I'm used to on german silver, so aluminum? I've had it about 15 years and I got it second hand, given how corroded the blade is why hasn't the band turned to oxide?A virole, common with this type of handle, a Nogent. Rat-tail.
Traditional handle before the full-tang become popular.
Used to be nickel-silver with original ones, and aluminium with NOS.
Are these really worth spending 200$ or more on?
Or how do i find a good one for a decent price?
I became a vintage Carbon steel addict about 6 months ago. In that time I have checked eBay just about every day for all sorts of knives. I now have 17 of them, mainly Sabatier, Henckels, Forgecraft, and a few other American ones. The average cost has been about $40, with some as little as $10 and the most I’ve spent is $70.i see some sabatiers on ebay but they have seemingly high prices for what they are. Are these really worth spending 200$ or more on? Or how do i find a good one for a decent price?
my impression is that the old style Sabatiers do not come up often in 'Straya (particularly in these sizes).
They do turn up occasionally. This is my 10” that I found in a second hand store in country Victoria.I am jumping on the Sabatier train. In fact... I was a bit hasty and didn't pack a parachute.
I purchased a Sabatier off ebay and won another at auction. Both varying degrees of 'vintage' (aka hand forged). No doubt I paid what a collector would consider an unnecessary premium. I think this is part due to market inflation; although the auction price did not seem too off previous sales. And part due to seller gauging; the usual suspects on Ebay are pitching sales higher than auction prices (I dont really have a philosophical problem with this).
My purchases have all been Japanese since I became interested in cutlery. And I haven't made a knife purchase in a while so why not!? I am hoping this experience will be newer and more fun than yet another variation on a 60+HRC gyuto/santoku. I haven't tried real french classics, only the modern, sad kind. I am looking forward to the aggressive distal taper which was the main requirement in my purchases. I am also curious about sharpening softer steel.
One is a 14" rat tail with a small amount of pitting. The handle is a dark looking wood. It is loose and cracked. I will likely treat this as a project knife. I purchased it for its height. It looks like it might have a very, very slight frown (0.2mm?) or changed of curvature in the middle. I might cut the length down and change the geometry of the tip. It has a small type bolster that I may get rid of. Sorry purists (on all accounts)!
The other is a 12" full tang (TI, **** elephant). Looks like it is in great condition. Lots of dirty patina and possibly a minor amount of pitting. There is a clean looking secondary bevel - hopefully that means the previous owner(s) knew how to maintain it. I can't tell if it is a POM handle or died wood. The images are too low resolution. Some pixelated detail looks like grain... but it could just be rough sanding marks... or dust... or pixel noise... or something else! This might just be a restoration project. Maybe I'll just clean it up and put nicer scales on it? Dunno yet.
I was looking for 12" models both for fun... and for insurance. I figure if there is anything wonky in the grind, the extra size in length, width and height will give me some latitude to correct the problems.
I went into this with my eyes open. I think I hedged my bets by being critical of the images and descriptions. Thanks to KKF for threads like this! There is enough archival information to help limit your risk! Neither look super warped. So long as the heat treatments arent stuffed or the edges arent burnt... I think I can live with whatever arrives (whenever they arrive... given current supply chains!).
[Edit: post note.... my impression is that the old style Sabatiers do not come up often in 'Straya (particularly in these sizes). We have a relatively small population. I factored this into my decision a bit. I didn't really want to spend months hunting for a local bargain... but my god!!... the shipping!!!]
They do turn up occasionally. This is my 10” that I found in a second hand store in country Victoria.
View attachment 181775That is gorgeous.
They do turn up occasionally. This is my 10” that I found in a second hand store in country Victoria.
View attachment 181775
Yeah, for the grand sum of twenty dollerydoos, I was rather pleased.Nice find!!
There is, but it’s so faint I can’t make it out.I haven't seen anything worthwhile in the antique stores I have been. Thats a steel ()!
Any visible stamps? Can you figure out who made it?
No one is without risks, as @Luftmensch rightly notes. Warps, oversteeling, the very common overheating by sharpening on grinding wheels, all issues you don't see but may make a blade totally unusable. Specific to Sabs: unpredictable in the steel that has been used. With Solingen or Sheffield makers you're quite sure about the provenance. But the best one, German or Sheffield steel from Swedish ore, wasn't always available to French makers, and the same maker may had six months later to go back to unpredictable local steel, depending on the vagaries of war and peace. The period in history we're interested in for vintage Sabs — between the end 19th century and halfway the 20th — wasn't exactly quite on the European stage.i see some sabatiers on ebay but they have seemingly high prices for what they are. Are these really worth spending 200$ or more on? Or how do i find a good one for a decent price?
I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother.
Looks great. Nice job bringing the bolster down to the sharpening angle. Exactly how I like to do them.Not the fanciest old Sabatier in the world, but a precious one.
This stainless 200mm Chef's knife belonged to my grandmother who passed away a few weeks ago. Quick sand down, then some SG500 + Washita time sorting out a little tipping, taking the finger guard down, thinning &c... and it's come up quite well. I've certainly sharpened some old carbon Sabs that don't take as good an edge, and it's straight as an arrow, which isn't something that can often be said of the former.
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View attachment 194368
Must be genetic.Ta. Very sad, as we were pretty close, so it's nice to have something like this from her. Her husband, my grandfather, also had a couple of nice natural whetstones, so I'll have to give it a spin on them sometime...
View attachment 194393
Nice job bringing the bolster down to the sharpening angle. Exactly how I like to do them.
Must be genetic.
Nice solution, to have the fingerguard flushing with the relief bevel.Down at my gran's house this weekend and it seems she was the World's No.1 Fan of the 200mm stainless Sabatier Chef's Kinfe, so here's a second nearly-but-not-quite identical one. This needed a bit more work; quite a few cracks/breaks in the handle, and some reprofiling from some slightly weird sharpening or steeling previously:
View attachment 195988
Bit of superglue to fill the handle, and some time on a worn Atoma 140 and SG500, and has come up pretty nicely I think. I left the handle just at 150 grit, and I rather like it - more matte and grippy than they are normally.
This one did say 'Sabatier' on the handle, but I couldn't see or make out any particular brand on the blade itself any more. Again - not the fanciest old sab in the world, but a keeper!
View attachment 195986
View attachment 195987
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