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Our Workshop

 

File work "Guillochage"

 

All our springs are hand filed and have a blade-stop system. We do not make cheap industrial welded bee springs either

All the bees are forged (no cheap welded springs at Fontenille Pataud) and filed twice : 1st file work before assembling and 2nd before final quality inspection and checking

Here is what the final product looks likes

Selection and spare parts work

All our blades are finely and carefully polished by a team of skilled workers (with buffalo grinding wheels) to guarantee top quality products. Our trademark Gilles® stands for quality of workmanship and commitment to excellence

Bolsters are meticulously filed to guarantee a perfect fit with the handle

Drilling carrefully and precisly the forged springs

 

Drilling the olive wood handle before assembling

Selection of handles

All scales are carefully selected to make sure they match as much as possible

 

How we assemble the handle. From right to left : Rectangular scale with shepherd's cross / outline grinding / first shaping and polishing

Laguiole Making of handles

Individual adjustment of each scales

 

Rectangular scales are worked on the wheel until getting the desired shape

Assembling & bench working

We take particular care in making perfectly solid knife (no play at all)

Sharpenning the blade

 

 

 

 All our blades are sharpened by skilled craftsmen. High quality steel and thorough polishing make the blade very sharp and easy to sharpen later on

Heat Treatment

Blades, springs, corkscrews etc.. are made from various type of steel ; each having its own hardening treatment (oil, water, temperatures)

Heat treatment process is applied to blades and springs to give them strength and elasticity; then, hardness is checked. Swedish Sandvik stainless 12c27 steel blades are 56 Hrc controlled. Our latest blades, made from RWL 34 special powder stainless steel are hardened to 60Hrc

 

Damascus steel at François Morier workshop

Making Forged Damascus steel. First different types of steel and metal are put together then forging takes place. The blending of the various types of steel is made possible by forging. After forging, the metal is folded repeatedly and forged again until the desired quality and amount of metal layers are obtained. 

 

The blade smith workshop

An "easier" way of making Damascus steel consist in using a pneumatic hammer to improve the homogeneity of the steel and hence its overall quality

Jerome Domingo (one of our most skilled craftsmen) seen here during a forging session at François Morier’s workshop in Switzerland

An other forging session at François workshop

François Morier , blade smith and maker of Damascus steel

One man working with a light hammer indicates his fellow workers where to hit the metal, with an much heavier hammer. Coordination and synchronization are a must

François Morier, busy forging the tip of a Bowie blade

Engraved spring

Free Shipping

Take avantage of free shipping on our Capuchadou® knives range.

Lifetime Guarentee

The quality of our manufacturing enables us to give you a lifetime manufacturer's guarantee.

Support

We shipped our knives worldwide since 1999.

100% Handmade in France

Fontenille Pataud was founded in 1929 and quickly became recognized as a manufacturer of high-end knives.