"Concordia" Custom Master Chef's Knife
A stunningly beautiful custom master chef's knife in my "Concordia" design,
with beautiful and useful accessories makes this the king of the
kitchen!
Knife Details:
The Knife: "Concordia"
- Size: Length overall: 14.0" (35.6 cm), Blade Length: 9.0" (22.9 cm), Thickness: 0.145" (3.7 mm)
- Weight: 16.2 oz. (459 grams)
- Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered, T3 Specialty Cryogenically treated to Rockwell C58, mirror polished
- Bolsters/Fittings: 304 High Nickel, High Chromium Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished
- Handle: Sodalite Gemstone (Brazil)
- Type/Purpose/Origin: The Concordia is a popular
pattern I've made for many years, because it's simply a great chef's
knife design. The knife is a classic "Sabatier" style, originating
in France and well-recognized all over the world. The Concordia is
large, and I've made this one with the finest treatment and
presentation possible for a singular knife, and a beautiful, bold and
useful hardwood case and accessories.
Knife Blade Materials/Treatment
- Blade Steel Alloy: The knife blade of this
Concordia is 440C, hypereutectoid martensitic
stainless tool steel, my most
requested steel for good reason. When properly treated, 440C is a
dependable, reliable workhorse of extremely high corrosion
resistance, good toughness and high wear resistance. The
tremendously
high chromium in 440C along with the high carbon and moderate
molybdenum results in profuse chromium carbides, increasing
corrosion resistance as well as wear resistance. There is a reason
that 440C is the steel that all other stainless tool steels are
compared to. This steel is a high performer in the kitchen,
requiring little care other than a light wash. Air drying is fine;
it's absolutely corrosion resistant.
- Heat Treatment: The blade has my
T3 heat treatment, yielding astounding blade
performance and incredible
condition through advanced processing protocols. How advanced is
this treatment? It's a multi-stage cryogenic treatment,
involving temperatures ranging in over 1800°F
to -320°F (-196°C). The process is an evolution of my
advanced heat treating processes, and consists of 33 dedicated
and specific steps and takes 172 hours. This means that just to
heat treat this blade takes over a week. The reason for this is
scientific and critical, but yields the most stable, most
wear-resistant, most durable and long-lived structure of this
steel, profuse with fine multi-element carbides and a uniform
and unbelievably robust structure. This is a testament to my
determination to make the very best knives, steels, treatments
and kits in the modern world. I know of no one else who has
advanced the treatment to this level; it's unheard of in the
metals and knifemaking field. This is, simply
put, 440C at its very finest advanced condition.
- Blade Finish: The blade and bolsters of this
knife are completely smooth and mirror polished. All the
hand-contact surfaces are rounded, contoured, and smooth, for a very
comfortable feel. The mirror polish not only makes the surfaces easy
to clean, it dramatically improves the corrosion resistance. I
mentioned before that this is the kind of blade and finish that I
use in my own kitchen, and cleaning is absolutely the easiest
possible, even with sticky foodstuffs like dates and dried fruits. A
simple brush with soapy water, a rinse, and air dry is all it takes
to clean these knives.
- Bolsters: I bolstered the knife with
my signature zero-care, high nickel, high chromium 304 austenitic
stainless steel bolsters, contoured and rounded for comfort of the
hand, and shaped and radiused in the front face for easy cleaning.
This is an extended length front bolster, and it allows a
comfortable "pinch" style grip of the spine when dicing, or fine
cutting when the knife user wants to "neck up" on the blade. The
bolsters are attached with multiple through-tang pins of 304 stainless
steel, and the mounting is permanent, as well as extremely
corrosion-resistant. This is the same steel used for stainless steel
nuts, bolts, and fasteners, and the bolsters are heavy, thick, and
solid, giving great balance to the knife. Did I mention that this
type of bolster is zero-care? Of course it is.
- Handles: The handle scales for the Concordia
are gemstone, chosen by my clients for a bold, blue color. Choosing
Brazilian Sodalite also added some fascinating pattern and light
play in the striking gemstone handle. Sodalite is a feldspathoid,
often used in jewelry, and this particular gemstone has a black
matrix for a bold, rich contrast. In the bright light, there is a
distinctive and striking shimmer that is difficult to show in any
photograph. The scales are bedded to the tang with a stress-free
mounting, locked under the bolster dovetails, rounded and smoothly
polished. The fit is flawless. The handle scales are solid and smooth, and simple to clean and
maintain, with just a soapy wash and rinse.
- Feel and Balance: The knife feels sizeable and
capable in the hand, with the balance point exactly at the heel of the blade. When
gripped with an overhand spine pinch at the extended front
bolster, this large knife feels light
and maneuverable, smooth and fresh, ready for any chef's task. A
simple rinse is all it usually takes to clean the bright, polished surface
in most functions, and the knife satisfies
food safety
requirements. While the spine is thick and strong, the
wide and deep hollow grind lightens the weight considerably.
The point is extremely thin and aggressive, yet tough and
well-supported by the blade geometry. This is a master
chef's knife made for accurate cutting, slicing, mincing,
and dicing, for generations. A true family heirloom.
The Case, Prise, and Sharpener
Knife Case
- Size: Length: 17.9" (45.5 cm), Width: 5.5" (14 cm), Height: 4.75" (12.1 cm)
- Weight: 9 lbs., 3 oz. (4.2 kg)
- Materials: American Black Walnut Hardwood, Sodalite Gemstone, Laser Engraved Leatherette,
Neoprene feet, Engraved Black Lacquered Brass, 304 Stainless Steel Hinges and Fasteners
- Description: I wanted to make a very nice,
especially useful case for my client and for this exceptional knife. American
Black Walnut is a classic hardwood, beautiful and tough, and I made
this case in solid black walnut, with finger-jointed corners. I oiled the
hardwood with a Tung-oil and polymer stabilizing sealer, and after
drying completely, used a lacquer for a beautiful, rich and
easy-to-clean finish. The lid of the case has all stainless steel
hinges and screws for zero corrosion and care, and I included an
engraved black lacquered brass materials plate on the inside, coated
with acrylic. I also included a blue/silver/black polyester and
PVC "leatherette" laser-engraved hinge opening stop with my maker's mark, and
an extra one, too. The lid overhangs the sides for easy opening, and
the bottom has inset foam neoprene feet to protect any countertop
and reduce skidding. Notably is a Sodalite Gemstone drawer pull on
the right side.
Knife Silicone Prise
- Inside: Knife Prise: My clients
requested a silicone prise for their knife, a particularly useful adjunct for the
knife. I make the prises myself, designing and making the molds and
using food contact-safe high strength silicone, hand-casting each one.
For this knife prise, I created a custom dye set that has deep royal
blues and wisps of black, working nicely with the black and blue of the
knife gemstone handle. Read more about this important accessory for
chef's knives on my
Chef's knives page at this link. The heavy prise sits on top of a
floating shelf inside the case. The knife prise can be removed from the
case by removing the bottom screw of the leatherette lid opening stop to
move it out of the way, pulling out the sharpener drawer, and pushing up
with the fingers on the shelf inside. The beautiful prise can be a
stand-alone knife holder, or can be used with the case, depending on my
client's preference. See the photos below.
- Knife Prise Size: Length: 16.5" (42 cm), Width: 4.5" (11.4 cm), Height: 1.0" (2.5 cm)
- Knife Prise Weight: 2 lbs., 7.7 oz. (1.1 kg)
- Knife Prise Material: Food grade-safe contact high density silicone rubber, hand-dyed,
hand-cast to fit this specific knife and case
Knife Sharpener Drawer and Prise
- Inside: Knife Sharpener: One of the important and critical needs
for the knife user, and the only maintenance he will perform himself
is knife sharpening. While my cryogenically treated knives have
incredible wear resistance, every knife will, sooner or later, need
sharpened. I detail this in great length on my
Kitchen, Chef's and
Culinary Page at this link. I decided to include a specialized
drawer for the sharpener, considering that the sharpener is
double-sided and needs a strong, non-slip, non-skid silicone prise
to use and to protect the counter, bench, table, or surface that the
knife is sharpened on. What better place to keep the sharpener and
prise than in the base of the case? I made a Black Walnut drawer,
and used the same gemstone as the knife (Blue Sodalite) and made a
polished drawer pull to add a very classy custom touch. The drawer can be
pulled completely out, the silicone prise removed, and the
double-sided sharpener fits perfectly in the pocket to provide a
non-slip holder while honing the blade.
- Sharpener Prise Size: Length: 14.8" (37.6 cm), Width: 3" (7.6 cm), Max Thickness: 0.5" (1.3 cm)
- Sharpener Prise Weight: 10.7 oz. (303 grams), with sharpener: 22.2 oz. (629 grams)
- Sharpener Prise Material: Food grade safe contact high density silicone rubber, hand-dyed,
hand-cast to fit this specific knife and case
- Sharpener (Hone): DMT double-sided diamond phenolic base, 325 mesh and 1200 mesh
- Drawer: American Black Walnut, Sodalite Gemstone, Stainless Steel drawer pull stud and fastener
My deepest thanks to my clients for their inspiration, guidance and
patience while I created this beautiful and useful project for their home.
May they use it in good health for the rest of their lives!
Thanks, M. and N. H.!
It’s amazing! We truly love it and it’s a beautiful piece of art! Thank you again so
much! Our kids are now campaigning to get it when we die!
Thanks again!!!!
Later: We are using and loving the knife—so sharp and precise!
--M. and N. H.