N08 Chaperon Folding Knife - Fine Marquetry Handle

OPINEL  N°08 Chaperon Folding Knife

Invented by Bruno Chaperon, a french cabinetmaker, each handle is unique.

Cabinetmaker for 35 years, educated at the Decorative Arts and at the Paris Beaux-Arts, Bruno Chaperon designs and makes knifes and other objects in 
precious woods marquetry. After designing and patenting a method of assembling woods in a fashion curved fashion, he worked with OPINEL.

Each knife handle, made of fluid and curved lines, has its original marquetry making it a unique item. Resulting from an ethnic inspiration, each handle is surprisingly beautiful and invites you to the 5 continents where the wood originates.

Every knife alone bears Bruno's passion for wood: under the bark of the carefully chosen logs, he guesses and knows how to enhance the beauty of its veins, the wood grain, its color, its fragrance. Some imperfections in the wood are a gift for Bruno; he reveals sometimes some unexpected designs in a knot, a gnarl, a burr. 

Located in the Chevreuse Valley, in Saint Arnoult in Yvelines, Bruno's workshop is a place of creation, designing and making.

Each N°08 Chaperon Opinel knife is unique in it's own handle design.

Blade length: 8.5 cm

Sandvik stainless steel

We use Sandvik 12C27 modified stainless steel. It is anti-corrosive thanks to the addition of chrome and requires no special maintenance. Its carbon content of at least 0.40% gives excellent cutting edge.

Mirror-finish blade: Double polish for a mirror effect

Handle:

The handle is made in our factory with a marquetry process invented by Bruno Chaperon, cabinetmaker. Four different species of wood are assembled (ebony, rosewood, violet wood, bocote, cocobolo, rosewood, zebrali, boxwood, amaranth ... ). Exceptional wood with contrasting shades for original and unique result.

Safety ring:

Invented by Marcel Opinel in 1955, the Virobloc safety ring is fitted to all folding knives from the N° 06. Cut out of stainless steel, the Virobloc has two sections, one fixed and one sliding. In addition to locking the blade open (safety in use), it is now possible to lock the blade closed (safety in transport).

ABOUT OPINEL:

Victor-Amédée Opinel who was a peddler, learnt how to forge nails during his travels. He set up his first blacksmith workshop in Gevoudaz, a hamlet part of Albiez-le-Vieux, near Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. His son Daniel later worked alongside his father and grew to became a renowned “edgetool maker”(maker of sharp tools) among farmers who came from afar to buy his billhooks or sickles...

Fast forward to the new millenium and the Opinel pocket knife is recognised as one of the 999 most successful designs of all times by a jury of international designers in the beautiful three-volume set of the "Phaidon Design Classics" 

Opinel: a design icon

The Opinel is a popular object used on a daily basis. Its aesthetics and functionality have convinced several generations of users. Unchanged for over a century, its design is one of the most successful of all times. For this reason, Opinel is recognised by the “Victoria and Albert Museum” as being among the 100 best designs. This list includes the Porsche 911 and the Rolex watch.