Sharp & to the Point The Hock Tools Newsletter

Photo Album: Kitchen Knives & Lessons in 01 Tools Steel #6/2016

B ack in June, Dan Kratville sent a couple of snap-

shots of his Hock Tools 8” Chef’s Knives, along

with these words, “here are a couple of pic-

tures of the knife I made using your knife

kits. They are the best knives I have ever

used by far!”

By day Dan is a busy salmon biologist working for Cali-

fornia’s Fish and Wildlife Department. He also happens to

be quite the foodie who loves to cook. As scientist,

woodworker and cook, Dan understands and respects

good knives.

Dan has since made a 5” Chef’s Knife to go along with

the 8” inch, and thoughtfully sent me pics of his process

putting it together at his bench — this time, before using

it!

This is to say that Dan ’s first photograph was of a knife

already used, its blade showing the tell-tale gray patina

of worldly use; the second knife still possessing it ’s un-

fulfilled flash and shine.

What an opportunity to discuss what is so pure and proud

-worthy about “owning” that Chef’s Patina.

— Linda at Hock Tools

Dan Kratville’s Chef’s Knives

handily located and waiting

to perform their Job.

No flashing blade here! A Chef’s Patina is what we call this gray-blue matte finish. After a few uses, Dan Krat-ville’s 8" Hock Tools Chef’s Knife Kit completed with its Thuya burl handle.

A lthough Dan did not take any process shots of his first 8” Chef’s

Knife, he was able to find time to take snapshots during the mak-

ing of his next one, a 5” Chef’s Knife.

And so it begins: the kit is simple, and arrived just as simp-

ly in it package. You can even see how sharp the blade is, though, right

through the plastic! Please take that as a warning — that blade is surgi-

cally sharp!

Fortunately, as you will see, Dan Kratville is the model

of caution. When you make your kit, please take all pre-

caution, too!

Of course, once he had his kit in hand, Dan had to ad-

dress the age-old woodworker dilemma—which wood to

use for the handle. He describes that choice and the

rest of his process, too:

“The choices available for knife scales are astronomical!

I settled on Thuya burl for both knives because I like

the way Thuya looks. These knives will last a long time,

so I picked wood I like. Thuya is also a wood with a lot

of resin in it, and since this is a high carbon knife that

won’t be carelessly left in the sink, I think the Thuya

handles will last.”

Time for Tape: First Dan taped the blade, insuring

against acute blood loss and ugly pitting on the blade

from such blood loss. He oriented his Thuya scales so

that the surface he wanted

to see was on the outside

and then flattened the inside

surfaces of the scales with

120-grit to provide a rough

surface for the epoxy.

Then, with the tang on top,

Dan stacked the two scales

and tang together, and care-

fully taped the three pieces

together along their outer

edge. Using the holes in the

tang as a guide, Dan drilled ¼" holes through

the scales. To keep everything aligned, he in-

Before: In its wrap-

ping, Dan Kratville’s

5” Chef’s Knife Kit. Dan’s piece of Thuya burl, waiting

to be made into scales, the slices

or blanks that he will fashion into

the knife’s handle.

serted a dowel-pin into each hole as he went along with the drill. He then

traced the outline of the tang onto the top scale, and, keeping the pins in

the scales to keep the holes

aligned, he removed the blade

from the stack.

What came next: Using the

pins for alignment, Dan dry-fit

the scales to the tang. He

made sure that he masked

the blade in front of the

scales, which helped him

when he cleaned the epoxy

squeeze-out from the blade.

He then scuffed the tang with

120-grit and cleaned it thor-

oughly with acetone so that the

epoxy would stick. And, as you

can see from the picture

above, Dan really got into the

epoxy; which, in this case, is a

very good thing!

What we don’t see is how Dan managed both scales and the tang. But, we

can see from the results that he followed the instructions provided. This

means Dan mixed his epoxy according to the manufacturer’s instructions,

smeared it onto the tang and the

mating surface of one of the scales.

He then dipped the pins one-by-one

into epoxy and pushed them, each in

their turn, into the scale.

Once the pins had been pushed into

the scale, Dan aligned the scale with

the tang and, from the outside,

pushed the pins in — just enough—

barely through the tang.

On to Side Two: Dan then applied

the epoxy to the other side of the

tang and to the mating surface of the

other scale. He positioned it over the pins and pushed the pins into the

You can see that Dan read the instructions that ac-

company his kit. The instructions are thorough, and a

basic lesson in knife-making. One of the most im-

portant things to take seriously when the blade is al-

ready keen beyond belief, is to take good care of

yourself and the blade by taping it thoroughly with

masking tape. Tape that sucker from here to there

and back again! And, yes, that’s a lot of epoxy—not to

worry!

The well-taped and pinned knife kit all

clamped up.

second scale, centering the them between the two scales. After that, Dan

carefully clamped the now emerging handle together, as seen on the previ-

ous page.

With the blade taped, scales marked, epoxied, and pinned onto the

tang, what came next: When the epoxy was “rubbery,” or what Dan

likes to call “gel,” it was easy to peel off the squeeze-out from in front of

the scales. When the epoxy was fully cured Dan removed his clamps and –

using all his restraint to not peek at the

blade — he left all that tape well in place

and proceeded to shape the handle.

Not having a belt sander, Dan shaped the

handle using sandpaper, rasps and files.

(He even drilled the first knife very care-

fully with a hand drill—so you know you

can improvise here ). He shaped to match

the steel, checking the “feel” often to

make insure a

comfortable grip.

If you use your

belt sander,

though, be mind-

ful of how much heat you create when sanding.

Grind the pins slowly and intermittently, letting

things cool down a bit after each approach and

before going back again.

In the home

stretch: After

shaping to his

heart’s desire, Dan

finished the handle

Once the epoxy was fully cured, Dan removed the clamps, and then put the knife into his vice .

Dan cut a rough profile of the handle along the lines he’d originally marked on the scales.

Although many woodworkers use a belt sander, Dan shaped the handle of his 5" Chef’s Knife with rasps, files and sandpaper. He got just the shape he wanted to fit his hand and grip.

with spray lacquer because of its ease in quickly building layers and be-

cause it is reasonably waterproof. Plus, Dan’s knives do not get left in the

sink!

After finishing the handle, and only after that, Dan carefully stripped off

the tape.

And, voila, Dan Kratville’s new 5” Chef’s Knife was born!

Dan Kratville’s shiny new 5” Chef’s Knife, top, and his used 8” Chef’s Knife, with the

customary chef’s patina — telling the tale of loving work in the kitchen.

C ooking was a big

part of my family

growing up and

that has stuck with

me through adulthood. Us-

ing poor quality or just plain

dull knives is not only ag-

gravating it can also be

dangerous. I love my fin-

gers. I have always wanted

a fancy knife, but they can

get really expensive and I

have no experience with any of the makers of that kind of thing. Buying

one would be a large outlay of money for a knife I might not end up liking.

As a woodworker I already have some experience with Hock plane irons

and saying they are amazing is an understatement. So for a small outlay of

cash to get the blade, the most important part, I could slap a handle on

there and have a fantastic knife that will be around for generations.

I use my knives almost every day and they are wonderful to use. Equally

as important, though, is that they are easy to sharpen — these blades

quickly take an incredible edge, and hold it for months.

If you are worried about putting a handle on your new knife, my recom-

mendation is to relax; it’s easier than you think. Just drill three holes, ap-

ply some glue, and sand. Those are literally the biggest steps. The instruc-

tions that come with the kit are very clear and give you a good step-by-

step list to follow. And, since this knife won’t be left in my sink for days

while I ignore the dishes, the finish does not have to be some kind of

space age waterproof stuff. So, I just use spray lacquer for the finish. But,

you can do whatever you want. It’s that easy.

I like to think that I am the caretaker of this knife for someone not yet

born, and so I should take care of it for them. After I am done cooking din-

ner I always wash and dry my Hock Tools chef’s knife and return it to the

knife block. Once you get in this habit you will fid it is only about one mi-

nute of work.

A word of caution though, once you start using a knife like this, you will

never use any of your other knives again. I’ve now made two, and they are

just that good. — Dan Kratville

Toolmaker Ron Hock’s

4 Tips for

Making & Using Hock Tools’

Chef’s Knife Kits

1. Once you’ve read Dan Kratville ’s

knife building odyssey and many great

woodworker-to-woodworker tips, you’ll find

that he built his two Chef’s Knives without

the aid of a belt sander. However, if you do

have a belt sander and use it to shape the

handle of your knife, it’s important to mind

how much heat you create when sanding.

Grind the pins slowly and intermittently, letting things cool down a bit after each

approach and before going back again.

2. The forward-facing (toward the tip of the knife) edges of the scales

must be shaped to suit and finished before gluing the scales to the tang. You

won’t be able to shape or finish them after gluing without damaging the blade.

Also, I always make sure that the front "ramps" of the handle scales are com-

pletely sanded and oiled before glue-up, because after glue-up, any work on

those faces risks scuffing the blade. Small point but confounding if not followed.

You might sand against the masking tape...

3. Remember that these blades are not stainless. Dipping the blade in water

as you slice the more reactive foods is a helpful trick to keep apples, potatoes,

and onions from changing color. Rinse your knife and wipe it dry after each use,

and never ever put it in the dishwasher.

4. Your knife's blade will acquire a beautiful blue-gray patina that distin-

guishes it from stainless steel, and helps creates that “heirloom effect.” If it

should happen to rust, or if the patina becomes unsightly, use a bit of steel wool

or some mild cleanser, such as Bon Ami, on a cork (to protect your fingers) to

scrub it clean.

Thank You for Choosing Hock Tools

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