Don Nguyen Knives

[Don Nguyen]

Hello all :) Here you will find all updates on my knives and works in progress.

-----

Original Post:

Been working on a gyuto for a while now. I broke the previous one, and then revised my design since then also. Here is the (finally) finished prototype for a right hander.

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/Blacksmithing%20Projects/Prototype01.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/Blacksmithing%20Projects/Prototype03.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/Blacksmithing%20Projects/Prototype02.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/Blacksmithing%20Projects/Prototype04.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/Blacksmithing%20Projects/Prototype05.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/Blacksmithing%20Projects/Prototype06.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/Blacksmithing%20Projects/Prototype07.jpg

Forged from Aldo's 1084
237mm cutting edge (9.33 in)
50mm overall height at choil (1.96 in)
2.0mm thickness at spine above choil (0.080 in)
1.3mm thickness at spine one inch from tip (0.050 in)
0.05mm thickness above cutting edge (0.002 in)

Blended flat grind on right side
Slight convex grind on left side
Rounded choil biased on right side
Balance point right above choil
Fully tapered tang

Handle is Indian Mountain Laurel
147mm length (5.80 in)

Saya carved from Spanish Cedar

[ordo]

An outstanding start. Nice blade profile. I like it.
Not sure about the handle triangle design at the heel.
You should make it a pass around.

[wsf]

Beautiful knife, looks like perfect fit and finish.

Noob question: If it's ground flat on the right side and convex on the left, wouldn't that make it a left-hander's knife?

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks for the comments.

I think I was unclear with describing. I'm not very good with the terminology. The left side is almost flat with just a slight bit of convexity. The right side has a more pronounced bevel that is blended.

[wsf]

Great, thanks for the expanded explanation.

[aja]

It looks great. Indian Mountain Laurel? Is that also known as spoon wood? If so, my backyard is loaded with the stuff and I have just started a self bow with it. Is it stained?

[UA8]

Do you plan on selling these? If so could you pm me with a guestimate on price please.

[VHo]

bravo sir! gorgeous. and i will say genius! if you use a pinch grip, i don't think triangular end will affect, and i love the design element of that triangle flattening out toward the blade.

[rhinoknives1]

Very sweet looking blade design with interesting handle!

Great Work!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/

[MadRookie]

That knife rocks!

Looks good, lovely profile - cool handle - brilliant for a first knife!!!

:)

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks everyone for the kind words!


You should make it a pass around.

Since this is only my first proper knife that I've done, it won't be part of a large passaround. I'll have another one made for that purpose when I get better :)



MadRookie, this is actually my 5th knife (6th if you count the broken one), but it's the first decent one I've made :)



I just sharpened it up this morning (and apparently my skills are not that fantastic, despite what I thought; got scratches along the right side near the edge). Can't push cut a tomato, but it'll slice it clean with just the blade weight. I'll make some curry later and try it on potatoes and onions and stuff!

[Don Nguyen]

Some wedging with onions using the tip of the knife. Could be the knife, could be my non-existent skills. We will find out.

No potato wedging however. Glides right through, minimal sticking. Made me happy to see that it worked pretty well :)

[VHo]

took me forever to get a good edge in the beginning. keep grinding, you'll get it right. or get a thingy from ken, or an edge pro.

[gle1952]

Good looking start, thanks for sharing.
My first thought was the spine looked edgy.
Some rounding of the spine would make it more comfortable especially with a pinch grip and give it more of a refined look IMHO.

Glen

[rhinoknives1]

It finally came to me that the pattern and
Handle angles are reminiscent of those all metal Porsche culinary knives.
I like the look.

Laurence.

www.westsidesharpening.com/

[Don Nguyen]

Laurence. You must have eagle eyes.

I took a lot of my inspiration from those handles :P



Also, Glen, thanks for noticing. The spine is well rounded for the most part, but I must have leveled off some when I was shaping the handle. There is a good chamfer all along down the spine, however; the picture kind of hides it. I do have full intention of round off all spines and choils of my knives though.

[UA8]

Still loving the unique look and handle shape on this knife as well as the profile of the blade.

[Don Nguyen]

Tonight, I was ready to finish the blades of 2 gyutos, but burned the edges of both of them. Result of using new belts, impatience, equipment speeds, etc.

As frustrating as it is, losing so much time and compromising design, I'll get back and regrind them some time. They will have some height cut off, about half a centimeter or so.


http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00175.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00176.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00177.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00178.jpg

It was really unfortunate too, because they were turning out practically ideal to my expectations. Weight, grind, thin-ness. I've got one more from this small batch I'm going to straighten and grind in the future.

[ordo]

What a pitty. No possible rescue of that blade?

[thombrogan]

Am directing Don to respond about all future works for sale to either use the Trading Post or do so offline (PMs, email, facebook, etcetera). All raves about how excellent his prototype looks and the mad skills he has are fine.

[Don Nguyen]

What a pitty. No possible rescue of that blade?

I'll have to grind off about half a centimeter or so off the edge, so the height will be slightly less. The grind angle will also be slightly less acute, though, I think that actually might work better. Giving it a quick test, it glides through onions pretty well, but sticks because of the really high bevel. Shortening the bevel height should relieve it some.

I'll also post future works in the correct place :)



Here are some pictures demonstrating how thin the blade is and how thin the tang tapers.

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00179-1.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00180.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00181.jpg

They're rough in the pictures, and will be shinier and cleaner once the knife is finished.

[rhinoknives1]

Don,
I am not sure what is causing your sticking but I don't think it's the height of your grind? 5mm shouldn't change anything?
Great looking WIP, Keep us posted.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/

[Don Nguyen]

Laurence, the way I do my convexity is I blend my bevels together. If the bevel is too tall, it makes an acuter angle, but leaves the convexity lower and at a higher point on the blade.

5mm really wouldn't change much at all though. I'm only grinding that off because I burned it, but maybe as a result it'll help the convexity in the way I want it to. Ideally I should be doing the grind correctly in the first place, but since I haven't made many knives at all, I thought a higher grind would work better. We will see.

[rhinoknives1]

Don,
I can usually get that great cutting effect by con-vexing the bottom third of a knife.
After that it's mostly just looks as far as convexity is concerned, unless you are making circle type cuts?
Then it helps all the way to the spine!

Keep Grinding!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/

[VHo]

impressive.

[Don Nguyen]

Just got this knife back from a small passaround.

Overall (still waiting on one person's feedback), they seemed to have liked it. Some revision on handle design is needed, but from I have been told it performs well. Grind works well, sharpens up nice.

It was a snug fit in the saya before I sent it out, but after it's come back it's not quite as snug as before. Saya is also coming apart at one end. The wooden handle actually expanded a noticable amount it seems; you can feel a little divot over the pins now. Lots to learn, lots to improve, but I think I'm off to a good start.

[thombrogan]

You started off with an awesome handle, great steel, and a whippy-thin blade. Looks like further refinements and occasional adjustments are all that's needed.

[rhinoknives1]

Tonight, I was ready to finish the blades of 2 gyutos, but burned the edges of both of them. Result of using new belts, impatience, equipment speeds, etc.

As frustrating as it is, losing so much time and compromising design, I'll get back and regrind them some time. They will have some height cut off, about half a centimeter or so.

It was really unfortunate too, because they were turning out practically ideal to my expectations. Weight, grind, thin-ness. I've got one more from this small batch I'm going to straighten and grind in the future.


Don, What kind of grinder do you have? 2 x 72? Variable speed? Please let me know, I may be able to give you some grinding tips.

New bwlts work better!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/

[Don Nguyen]

Don, What kind of grinder do you have? 2 x 72? Variable speed? Please let me know, I may be able to give you some grinding tips.

New bwlts work better!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/

I don't have a grinder of my own at the moment. When I burned the edges of those knives a couple months ago, it was on the school Wilton grinders; single speed, huge drive wheel. I think it was going at 9000 SFPM.

Now whenever I do my grinding I go to my good friends place with a variable speed KMG, which makes things much, much better. All the existing issues with the school grinders are a thing of a past. It's just a case of getting my own now so I can get more time grinding knives...

[rhinoknives1]

I don't have a grinder of my own at the moment. When I burned the edges of those knives a couple months ago, it was on the school Wilton grinders; single speed, huge drive wheel. I think it was going at 9000 SFPM.

Now whenever I do my grinding I go to my good friends place with a variable speed KMG, which makes things much, much better. All the existing issues with the school grinders are a thing of a past. It's just a case of getting my own now so I can get more time grinding knives...


Don,
Take a look at these machines.

http://www.cootebeltgrinder.com/prices.html
It was my first, 15 plus years ago and I still own and use it along with my Hardcore products 1.5 hp Variable & a KMG that I run with step pulleys.
Quite easy to set up. And very inexpensive. Norman will help you and I will too!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/

[Don Nguyen]

Finishing up 2 lasers soon. Extreme lasers.

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/mms_picture.jpg

All I gotta do is clean up the choil and do the handles, which will be black paper micarta. These will be plain-jane cutters.

EDIT: I dunno if I like the shape of the tip on the bottom one. I might tweak it so it's a little more acute. The top one will keep the square tip, but I might make it more acute too.

[thombrogan]

Whoa!!!

[MadRookie]

Yes, the tip of the bottom one might present better & excel with fine tip work if made a dash more symmetrical.

Nice going.

:)

[Don Nguyen]

Here is that bottom one all finished up, and smudged with fingerprints.

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00295.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00299.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00300.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00302.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00303.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00304.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00305.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00307.jpg

[Don Nguyen]

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00309.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00311.jpg

[MadRookie]

Wow, ok, very neat - steel???

Spine thickness?

Thickness behind the edge???

Handle material????

Grind....convex.......????

:)

[thombrogan]

Wondering if it's still Aldo's 1084 (aka American Shironiko).

[Don Nguyen]

Why yes, it still is infact 1084 :) I'll be using 1084 for quite a while actually. For a newbie like me it's ideal to get a fine working knife without adding too many complications to my plate.

Don't have exact measurements, but I sure do have some estimates...

Spine thickness is about 2mm at choil, 1m around the tip. Edge thickness is about 0.005", very thin. Handle is black paper micarta - about the most affordable stable material out there. I think it's pretty fantastic for a plain-jane knife, and it feels great in the hand. I do have ideas of fancy handles in the future, but for now I'm keeping them simple and focusing on how it works.

Grind on the left side is a full, but slight convex. On the right side is a blended bevel, although it is quite high up the blade. Food release might not be as good as it could be, but cutting should be impeccable.

[Pensacola Tiger]

Very nice work, Don. Your handles are evolving, although I have to admit that I like the one on the 237 mm a little bit more.

Do you have plans for a suji or petty?

Rick

[Don Nguyen]

Hey Rick!

Just curious, what elements of the 237mm do you like more?

It'll be quite a while before I add more knives to my repertoire to be honest. Eventually I'd like to do some, but at the moment the new university semester has got my work pace down the drain.

[Pensacola Tiger]

Hey Rick!

Just curious, what elements of the 237mm do you like more?

It'll be quite a while before I add more knives to my repertoire to be honest. Eventually I'd like to do some, but at the moment the new university semester has got my work pace down the drain.

Don,

The shape of the handle on the 237 is unique, setting it apart from other knives. The handle on your latest knife is more conventional. I'd have to hold the new handle to tell you which one I favor, but I will say that the handle on the 237 is very comfortable. The new knife also lacks a mosaic pin, which I feel is a nice touch.

Is the new handle shape the result of passaround feedback?

Rick

[Don Nguyen]

Don,

The shape of the handle on the 237 is unique, setting it apart from other knives. The handle on your latest knife is more conventional. I'd have to hold the new handle to tell you which one I favor, but I will say that the handle on the 237 is very comfortable. The new knife also lacks a mosaic pin, which I feel is a nice touch.

Is the new handle shape the result of passaround feedback?

Rick

Only slightly is it influenced by feedback. Overall the shape of the handle is very similar to the prototype, but the handle material itself is thinner, so I don't get the dramatic long triangle taper that you see on the 237mm. If they had the micarta in thicker sheets, then the handles would certainly be more similar to the prototype.

Although... the handle on the prototype is actually only tapered so much due to accidents - I never intended for it to do that :)

[Don Nguyen]

240mm Gyuto with K-tip, finished!

Aldo's 1084FG
2.3mm spine thickness at choil
0.8 spine thinkness one inch from tip (the square angular part)
0.2 thickness behind edge
Balance point right at the triangular front on handle
Fully tapered tang
Black paper micarta handle

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00318.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00319.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00321.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00323.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00324.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00332.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00334.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/DSC00336.jpg

[MadRookie]

Very neat indeed!

Like the tapered tang to compensate for balance.

:)

PS:........now maybe a brightly colored spacer in the next unit......??

[Don Nguyen]

MadRookie, it's definitely on the list of things to do. I have a bunch of other wild ideas for handles eventually too! Might take a while, with this extremely slow work rate with school, but I'll get there.

Thanks for the comment :)

[rhinoknives1]

MadRookie, it's definitely on the list of things to do. I have a bunch of other wild ideas for handles eventually too! Might take a while, with this extremely slow work rate with school, but I'll get there.

Thanks for the comment :)

DON,
Looks like things are moving along fine on your blade patterns & handles.

The one thing that has influenced my handle shapes the most is the fact that it doesn't matter how great of a blade design I have, if the Handle isn't really comfortable? People just won't use it very much.

Keep up the great work!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com

[Don Nguyen]

DON,
Looks like things are moving along fine on your blade patterns & handles.

The one thing that has influenced my handle shapes the most is the fact that it doesn't matter how great of a blade design I have, if the Handle isn't really comfortable? People just won't use it very much.

Keep up the great work!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com

Of course that's in consideration, as is anything else. How it performs is first on my priorities, and the visual appearance is then worked off of that. I was curious as to what people thought about these angular handles, but they have been well received so far. It is indeed personal preference, though.

I think they look and feel good at least.... :)

[Don Nguyen]

My knifemaking will be on hiatus for quite some time now. This is my first semester at the University and it's kicking my butt! So progress on DTN Knives will be very, very slow.

I have no estimates for when any knives will be finished, but I have a personal petty for myself finishing hopefully this weekend. A gyuto and santikiri (santoku nakiri type hybrid) are heat treated and straightened, but who knows when I'll get around grinding and finishing them.

Thanks for the support everyone! I hope to get more and more time working on this, but right now the classes are priority :)

[Don Nguyen]

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/IMG_0940.jpg
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad18/dthenguyen/IMG_0943.jpg

Poor pictures (different camera).

Just some pictures of handle material for knives I will be working on during winter. Stay tuned :)

[thombrogan]

Winter?! But that's months away! :( Are those blocks for yo-debas and western-style cleavers? Because they look very burl-y. :p

[Don Nguyen]

Sadly knife work will have to wait until this semester is over :( And then I'll only have about 3 weeks to do knife stuff, but I'll try to get all the heavy stuff done then so that during the next semester I can do finishing touches all I want.

I'll be using these for hybrid handles. The black and blue blocks will probably be cut off at some angle with a micarta "ferrule" type deal. Maybe the gold and green ones will be for my first Wa attempts?

[thombrogan]

You don't need wa handles for a winter wonderland, but they sure don't hurt!

[MadRookie]

oooooh dem is nice!....


:)

[Don Nguyen]

This one has been sitting around for about half a year, and I finally had some time a little bit ago to get some progress. Hopefully I can get it completed soon.

I don't like santokus, but what the hey (actually, the idea of a K-tip santoku isnt that bad). Thus far this one is my best construction wise. It'll have the tightest fit, most consistent grind, and thinnest area behind the edge. It's a weird profile, and maybe weird knife in general, but it's going to be one serious cutter. Food release isn't the best, but it won't stick to potatoes.

http://i.imgur.com/zkHO5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DRMnf.jpg

It'll have a black micarta handle with orange g10 spacers - original prototype handle shape.

EDIT: Excuse the fingerprints and physics homework :) These photos were impromptu.

[Don Nguyen]

Some teasers - I'll have some more pictures by tomorrow when there's better light :)

http://i.imgur.com/CBrF3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JW4gr.jpg

[Don Nguyen]

This is my 9th knife I think. I've made 2 little non-kitchen knives prior, so it's my 7th kitchen knife. It was an older forged 1084 blank I never got to finishing earlier this year, so I decided to finally get it done. The profile isn't my favorite (I'm also not a general fan of Santoku's) since I've lately had new ones drawn out, but I'm proud of how it turned out.

-Forged from Aldo's 1084fg
-3.26mm (1/8") Spine Thickness with distal taper
-Asymmetrically blended flat grinds, biased for right handers
-0.005" Thickness behind Edge
-Brown G10 Liners with Black Paper Micarta Handle, hidden pins

The handle shape is based off my original prototype shape, but slightly larger (and shorter, for this short knife). It's kind of a D shape on both sides, heavily tapered, and rounded bottom.

http://i.imgur.com/Y4uvZ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CpCrA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bAr8Y.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GTDfI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hniZ4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/f5oI5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eX18G.jpg

[Don Nguyen]

http://i.imgur.com/QhQUn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/W9KRI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BMVA4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Ju5sO.jpg

[MadRookie]

Very neat dude - unique actually with very good lines!

:)

[Don Nguyen]

Two new ones, a 210mm laser chef's with black micarta handle and 210mm k-tip gyuto with desert ironwood and buckeye burl inlay.

http://i.imgur.com/Yxiz2mx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DEoLcNf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DEoLcNf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PS8C7CC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BqS1h5S.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uTALMuh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QDlEc7U.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RWYIGmA.jpg

[Don Nguyen]

http://i.imgur.com/YXQXwTP.jpg

[thombrogan]

You keep getting better and better, Don. Thanks for showing off the awesomeness.

[MadRookie]

Looking good - what steel?

You need to send it to me to see if it can withstand the harsh SA conditions.....

:)

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks guys!

Steel is 1084 still. I have some new steels in mind to try out some time, but 1084 is what I'm working with most of the time.

[rhinoknives1]

Don,
Sweet pair of knives, They keep looking better.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com

[gle1952]

Nice work!
I see you are staying with your distinctive handle scales.

Glen

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks Glen! I've become pretty fond of the handle at this point :)

[MadRookie]

The handle is a good "trademark"

:)