Custom 9.5" Stainless Chef knife

This chef knife was a custom order. The customer requested a full tang stainless steel knife. We chose to go with AEB-L, often referred to the stainless 52100 - one of my favorite carbon steels. The bolsters are very ergonomically shaped 416 stainless and pinned and epoxied to the tapered tang. They are pared with a set of stabilized African Blackwood that were attached with stainless corby bolts.  AEB-L requires a sub-zero quench so when pulled out of the heat treat oven it was quenched in aluminum plates and then spent 30 minutes in a dry ice and alcohol bath. It was then tempered, at which point it tested at 61 HRC.  The customer also requested something with good food release so a 36" radius S-grind was added. Also some of the forge texture was left on the blade to give it a truly handcrafted look.   The knife is on the robust side but very well balanced and comfortable, especially in the pinch grip. The handle and blade were hand-rubbed with a mixture of purified mineral oil and