'New' Knives
I just picked up this scimitar at an estate sale for $5. The cleaver I got off ebay a few years ago for $10. Great deals, just need to find a way to display them. The scimitar is a 12" blade and 17.5" overall. The cleaver has an 8" blade and is closer to about 15" overall.
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Chuckwagon
- Veteran
- Posts:4494
- Joined:Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
- Location:Rocky Mountains
Good quality, heavy duty cutlery Jer! The cleaver was made by Johann Friedrich Dick. He founded his famous company in 1778 in Esslingen, Germany. (F. Dick is the same company that makes that superb vertical stuffer everyone loves). I remember you posting info about your own Dick stuffer http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=5027 ... so I know you're well acquainted with this fine company.
In another life, I owned and operated a cutlery shop for over 40 years. I saw many pieces like this and I believe the steel you have is probably good ol` 01 oil-hardening, hypereutectoid .85+ carbon steel. I would imagine that the hardness is just below 57 Rockwell "C". In my opinion, it`s still the best all-around cutlery steel if you are not comparing it to today`s stainless steels. It`s easy to sharpen and just takes a few strokes on a steel to sweeten the edge again after using it for some time. You can make it look great by using a little scouring powder and some 00 steel wool on it. When you get it all cleaned up, rub a little vegetable oil - (not animal fat oil) into the surface pores. (Yes, believe it or not, steel has microscopic pores). Citric acid will turn the steel black if you don`t wipe it off immediately after cutting fruits and vegetables. Put a new edge on them after you put some moisture back into the wood on the handle with something called "French Polish" - a homemade finish you can make yourself. The handle will look terrific again by mixing a little boiled linseed oil into orange shellac and then using a small wad of cheesecloth to rub little circles of the mixture into the wood. Allow it to dry, sand lightly, and rub more mixture into the wood. This is called "French Polish" and it will make those babies look terrific. As you know, the cost (new) of these two heavy-duty, quality items is about $150 in a retail store. It`s hard to find that quality cutlery anymore. I`m glad you`ve got some of the "good stuff".
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
In another life, I owned and operated a cutlery shop for over 40 years. I saw many pieces like this and I believe the steel you have is probably good ol` 01 oil-hardening, hypereutectoid .85+ carbon steel. I would imagine that the hardness is just below 57 Rockwell "C". In my opinion, it`s still the best all-around cutlery steel if you are not comparing it to today`s stainless steels. It`s easy to sharpen and just takes a few strokes on a steel to sweeten the edge again after using it for some time. You can make it look great by using a little scouring powder and some 00 steel wool on it. When you get it all cleaned up, rub a little vegetable oil - (not animal fat oil) into the surface pores. (Yes, believe it or not, steel has microscopic pores). Citric acid will turn the steel black if you don`t wipe it off immediately after cutting fruits and vegetables. Put a new edge on them after you put some moisture back into the wood on the handle with something called "French Polish" - a homemade finish you can make yourself. The handle will look terrific again by mixing a little boiled linseed oil into orange shellac and then using a small wad of cheesecloth to rub little circles of the mixture into the wood. Allow it to dry, sand lightly, and rub more mixture into the wood. This is called "French Polish" and it will make those babies look terrific. As you know, the cost (new) of these two heavy-duty, quality items is about $150 in a retail store. It`s hard to find that quality cutlery anymore. I`m glad you`ve got some of the "good stuff".
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! 
We have a family recipe called Kickapoo Joy Juice that is somewhat similar to your French Polish. It's equal parts sheep tallow, beeswax and linseed oil and a brick of bow rosin. I used flax oil because all you can get of linseed these days is the chemical "boiled kind". The application is the same as the French Polish. However, I'm not going to use these knives for anything other then display. I might clean up the scimitar to get the rust off then re-oil.
Linseed oil is flax oil, same stuff. For wood finishing, you want boiled linseed oil (commonly known as BLO), which has chemical drying agents added. Plain linseed oil will take forever and a day to dry and harden; BLO cures much quicker.JerBear wrote: used flax oil because all you can get of linseed these days is the chemical "boiled kind".
Standard safety notice: linseed oil is a drying oil, which is exothermic. Hang the rags in the open to dry, not in a closed container for they will self-combust.
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Cheers,
Rob
The Amateur Woodbutcher
I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
This was an old school recipe that was passed down through my dad's side of the family starting from at least my great-grandfather. The original version called for linseed oil but it took me a little time to figure out that in modern terms it's flax oil. Because it's applied by rubbing it into the wood with just your hand (no rag) I didn't want the chemicals so opted with the old-school version.
