Making my wife 2 kitchen knives. What WHITE handle material?

Macchina

Macchina

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I know how to make O1 knives, so my wife is getting carbon steel kitchen knives ;). She is an avid cook and big fan of Julia Child who was a proponent of carbon steel knives and she is very interested in using them. As a bonus, we don't own a dishwasher. I've attached a picture of the CAD I will use to laser cut the profiles from a sheet of O1. I'm going to go with .093" stock (2" wide), should I go thicker or thinner for general kitchen knives? Any general advice on making a kitchen knife? I've only made hunting and outdoors knives until now.

A couple of questions:
-My wife's one request is they have white handles. I was thinking white Delrin, but I'd be happy to go with something a bit more exotic. No Mother Of Pearl or Ivory, it has to be washable and non-porous.
-Should I epoxy and pin the handles or make them removable with stainless hardware? Which is easier to keep from rusting?

KitchenKnives_zps8ad061f1.png
 
Alpha knife supply has white g10. Coupling that with some black or metal pins would look good.
 
White G10 or "Ivory" Micarta. I can't remember now, but it seems one of the white micarta materials will yellow with age. I'm sure someone will chime in and let me know which it is. Just something to remember before glue up.
 
The older white paper Micarta would yellow with age. Not sure about the new stuff.
If you use white Micarta, make sure to get paper, not linen. Linen will always have dark spots in it.
 
I think white paper micarta would look very nice and clean and it can take a very nice high polish :) I think, although I'm not an expert in this area, that you should use a good epoxy and to make sure to get a nice solid coat of it over the whole tang which I believe would help it to last longer by sealing out any water/moisture. Hope that helps :) -Paul
 
holy white paper or G10
removable handles might be nice but the will often need to take them apart to dry them or it will become a huge haven for rust to happen and pit under the scales
try not to over think this as carbon blades with non stalibized handles last for years and years when taken care of

as far as sizes i liek taller blades for chefs shapes (more knuckle clearance ) and the .093 is nice and thin. i full flat grind to a thickness about .010 or thinner before sharpening depending on the type of use the knife wil see
 
I experimented with white Corian when I started making knives. Had some 4" sq. samples I had when I remodeled our kitchen. It buffed to a brilliant white and still looks great. People can't believe it's Corian. The best part is you can get the samples for free at any kitchen remodeling outlet.
 
Corian will work. If there is a cabinet place near you that also does Corian countertops, you may be able to pick up some scraps for cheap. One sink cut-out would do several knife handles. You can also check a certain auction site for Corian scraps.

randy
 
Don't use delrin or UHMW because they will expand and contract with temperature changes of 20* or less. Be sure to epoxy on the scales to keep moisture out from between the scales and the tang - it will rust like Butch says.

Tim
 
Corian, Elforyn, Juma and even Casein (Milk protein) will make white knife handles easily and all look good.
 
I thought about Corian several times. But I was afraid that it would crack if dropped. Anyone have any experience with dropped knives with Corian scales?
 
I made a set using alternate ivory, its a plastic material that is very easy to work with and looks great, it has a very slight yellow hue to it. You can get it at texasknife.com
 
The problem with Corian, Fountainhead, etc, is that those materials weigh a TON. As for your knives, i would put less belly in the big one.
 
Sorry, I can't help with the handle material but I am curious to know how you cut out the two blanks the way you have them laid out?
 
I takes two cuts. Use a bandsaw at a steep angle at the butt of the larger blade, drill and hole (3/8) between the butt of the small and blade of the large cut in with the bandsaw and turn inside the hole (you can drill a 1/2 if you want but 3/8 is probably big enough to make that bend with a 1/2" blade. I do some kitchen knives with a similar layout maybe not as tight.
 
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