New Old Stock 14cm 5.5" Plate-Semelle Office Knife Hand Forged Carbon 3 Rosette Rosewood 1950-60

These ‘Plate-Semelle’ or ‘flat plate’ flat forged knives were made in Theirs, France, in the 1950s. These were the working-class knives of their day. They lived for action in the back kitchen, or ‘office’, where game would be processed in large homes. They also served as work knives in more humble homes. They are thin and light, yet stiff and strong, with a good toughness and an excellent sharpenability.

These are handled in rosewood with three brass and steel rosette rivets, the handles are tight and secure and the wood will continue to develop a mellow tone with use and oils. Rosette rivets were largely phased out in the 1950's in Thiers with the adoption of versions of todays tubular cutlery rivets.

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 martinet mechanical hammer. The tang (handle area) is next drawn out on the hammer; making for a tapered blade and tang, with a thick area where the two meet at the neck. When forging a large bulge in the steel would remail hat would be hanmered and ground to a small bulge.

The origins of the nearly ubiquitous bolster on western knives lies in this bulge of steel where the blade and tang meet. During the Middle Ages, fine cutlery offered at noble and church banquets were an important mark of wealth and power. In the making of fine cutlery, the bulge in the center of the knife was left thick and intricately ground, in addition to other embellishments to the knife. This feature became emblematic of fine cutlery. It lives on today in the more subdued, less ornate bolsters that characterize western culinary knives and are still signify a knife as being of high quality.

Being handmade, there are slight differences between knives and they may have imperfections; slightly wavy blades, asymmetrical handle scales, etc. They were made to be affordable, hard workers, without a lot of fuss. If you can deal with these imperfections, you will be rewarded with a knife that has a great cutting feel and is truly a piece of history!

New Old Stock, Vintage and New Old Stock knives do not come sharpened. Please request sharpening if desired in the order notes section of the cart page.