Unmarked Plate-Semelle 11.5” Chef Knife Hand Forged Carbon Steel France 1920’s-50’s?

Unmarked but definitely French chef knife with hand forged carbon steel blade, walnut handle with brass and steel pin birdseye rivets. This is nearly identical to the new old stock slicers we were getting from K Sabatier in Thiers that dated to the 1950’s. The handle and forging style is identical, this one has seen a lot of use however.

It has been lightly buffed and sharpened 11.5” blade, 2” wide at heel, just shy of 16.5” overall length 7.7 oz

Plate-Semelle knives represent the last, large scale commercial application of a very old forging technique. First, a bar of steel was drawn out to form the blade on an old mechanical trip hammer. Next, a softer, lower carbon steel or iron tang is forge-welded on to the blade to form the handle. This would save steel and make it easier to drill holes through the handle and into the tang. The tang (handle area) is also drawn out on the hammer; making for a tapered blade and tang, with a thick area where the two meet.