Where to find an old carbon steel chef's knife?

[Macchina]

My wife is in the throes of writing a cook book (she has been a food blogger for years) and had tasked me with sourcing an old chef's knife and possibly a paring knife, preferably with lots of wear and patina for pictures. This book will be based on Michigan recipes so I'd love to go with an old Michigan-made kitchen knife but I don't think Marbles or any of the other Michigan knife makers did chef's knives...

I've searched eBay and old knives are actually very hard to come by. Any input on where to look would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[pyreaux]

Foster Bros chef knife on the Bay now

 

[Stringplucker]

Personally, I'd go for Old Hickory...they're about as traditional as you can get, readily found and available, and highly recognizable for their heritage and history.

 

[Ernie1980]

If the Bay is not producing anything, hit the local antique stores and flea markets. You should be able to find somthing that will work with some searching and luck.

 

[afishhunter]

Try the second/third hand stores. They usually have Old Hickory or other carbon steel kitchen knives. You might even find a nice wood cuttingboard for cheap.

 

[meako]

Charity shops round here usualky have an under the counter knife box for the big knives. Usually rubbish but sometimes there is treasure.

 

[Jack Black]

Despite my extensive rummaging, I think I've only ever come across one carbon steel Chef's Knife on my travels. Meako has it

 

[W.M.B.]

There are a couple junk stores around here where I can usually score one. Or you could ask to borrow one from a member. What part of Michigan?

 

[Rich S]

Go for an Old Hickory. They are still being made, carried by several dealers and are great kitchen knives. Knifecenter carries them among other dealers online. Dexter-Russell also make carbon kitchen knives; that big book store online carries those.
Rich

 

[screened porch]

Trouble with the Old Hickory is the fake hammer marks that all the carbon producers did at one time. [No offense intended, and it's only a trouble if it troubles you.] The older ones are flat. I could send some pics of some of mine, see if there's anything she likes.
My favorite is a 10-inch Dexter that's almost black but very lightly worn. I have chefs, butchers, boners, and a couple of parers, but not so many parers. Maybe the parers get used up.

I used to find carbon kitchen knives at garage and especially estate sales, but I think the carbon-users are pretty well died out now.

 

[meako]

Never ever say never ever.
JB the Wiztards blade is still going strong

 

[screened porch]

I meant lightly worn, not lightly worm.

 

[me2]

Go check at the local tech school's culinary program. That's where I got mine. Myou friend was in class there and snagged us 3 old chefs knives that were used for scraping out barrels. 10 " blades, bolsters, etc.

 

[ndmiller]

Lee valley used to have a carbon steel french peasant chefs knife.

 

[scott.livesey]

i would check here first http://stores.ebay.com/ralph1396?_trksid=p2047675.l2563, he has old carbon blades from everywhere. next choice would be go to eBay and look for Old Hickory. I have not seen an old high carbon(non-stainless) knife in a thrift store in 10 years.

 

[Macchina]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. We actually have a full set of old hickory at our cabin as our kitchen knives (I bought them new about 5 years ago) but that's not really the look she's going for. We were hoping for a more traditional chef's knife instead of the pioneer trail style that Old Hickory has. They are amazing users and I love them but they are definitely not a chef knife...

 

[deltaboy]

I used them Old Hickory knifes in my kitchen every day. Garage sales or Ebay.

 

[screened porch]

As I recall, the carbon chef's knife had a brief vogue in the American home kitchen. In the mid 1960s Julia Child told us we needed one and we should ask our food service professional where to find one. Not much later ice-quenched stainless was widely available and everybody except Julia had withdrawn their objections to stainless. [I realize some of us still prefer carbon, but we are the few and the peculiar.]
Anyway, I have only four of them, and nothing under 10 inches.

 

[scott.livesey]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. We actually have a full set of old hickory at our cabin as our kitchen knives (I bought them new about 5 years ago) but that's not really the look she's going for. We were hoping for a more traditional chef's knife instead of the pioneer trail style that Old Hickory has. They are amazing users and I love them but they are definitely not a chef knife...

I would check this forum and places like Etsy for carbon steel knives. maybe someone can make what you are looking for.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Most carbon steel kitchen knives are sold on ePrey as "bowie" knives.