Knife sharpening issues for a newbie

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ar11

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
153
Reaction score
1
Just bought a king 1k/6k combo stone. I'm trying my hand at sharpening. Have a couple knives with problems, trying to figure out the best way to tackle the issues

Shun Santoku - If you can see in the photo the edge is TORN! If i shot the edge from straight above, the tear is not in alignment with the rest of the edge and drags ferociously on the stones. How do i remedy this issue? I was thinking about trying to bend it back somehow but either way looks like that piece of metal has been compromised. This will be the last Shun I own. their VG10 is crap, chips so easily.

DSC04084.jpg


Tanaka 210 Gyuto - Arrived in the mail with some small chips. If you look very closely looks like small bits of the edge are in the process of tearing away. Does this mean the angle is too low? Any recommendations on how to sharpen to fix? Im not even sure if the 1k stone is coarse enough, or maybe it'll take a REALLY long time

DSC04085.jpg
 
Probably used it to cut thru bones. That Tanaka looks like it's rusting.
 
i don't think they are easy to fix on the 1K King.
 
that could be carbide fallout on both knives but i suspect not on the shun. the king 1k, being slow cutting for a stone in that grit, which is too high to begin with for those fixes, is certainly not ideal. realistically speaking, it will take quite a while to fix those knives on that stone and it will be severely dished by the time you're finished so i do hope you have a stone fixer as well. if you are determined to attempt a repair with the king, i'd recommend using light pressure and try to get some practice using the whole surface of the stone to reduce dishing. allow yourself 30min-1hr per knife. also get a can of bar keepers friend and clean up the tanaka.
 
The tear in the Shun, not sure how it happened it's my wife's knife. I don't think she tried going thru bone, she usually uses the cleaver for that, but probably tried to go thru something hard or frozen. Rust developed on the Tanaka while I was sharpening, its super duper reactive and I was too lazy to remove before photo. I already have barkeepers friend handy to clean it up. I have to acid dip the knife as it's super reactive. So I guess i probably have to get a 400-500 grit stone. I have a flattening brick I bought which says it's 220 grit, would it be stupid to try to correct the chips on that?
 
Yah, Tanaka blue are super reactive. Like more so than anything else I've ever used....

There are others more frustratingly reactive :) The Tanaka blue cladding is on the more reactive half of the range, but definitely not at the top I'd say.
 
I have a Tanaka too and mine doesn't rust like that while sharpening. And I don't think mine is super-reactive although the only thing I have to compare it too is a Takeda.
 
The 220 sounds like your best bet. Just take it slow, and check your work often, as it will remove material pretty quick.
 
1. I wld remove the chips /nicks on a say 200 grit either sandpaper or stone by using an angle of abt 60 degrees with only long strokes so as not to compromise the shape/ profile of the knife. Sort of scraping motion ( spine leading on both sides) Follow the shape of the edge Take note that towards the heel, the blade is thicker and may need more work than the front portion. At all times be aware that you need to maintain the integrity of the profile.

Check constantly how much steel and where you are removing!

2. AS the edge wld have receded guite a fair bit on the shun, you may need to then thin the egde as it wld have become slightly thicker by using a lower angle and put a slightly higher angle later. I prefer to do this on a slightly higher grit say 400grit as pnce you remove metal you cant put it back.

It shld still be able to cut paper if the 2 angles have met and thin enough.. but rough.

3.Once it is thin enough use the combo stone.

Have fun..

rgds
d
 
Shun Santoku - If you can see in the photo the edge is TORN! If i shot the edge from straight above, the tear is not in alignment with the rest of the edge and drags ferociously on the stones. How do i remedy this issue? I was thinking about trying to bend it back somehow but either way looks like that piece of metal has been compromised. This will be the last Shun I own. their VG10 is crap, chips so easily.

Those aren't "chips" or a "torn" edge. That's bad use. I think this has very little to do with the steel, and mostly to do with whoever used that knife.

I think it's very presumptuous to blame the steel and say that the VG10 is crap and "chips so easily." In fact, if that steel was chippy, instead of bends in the edge, you should have HUGE chips.

But, that edge is chipped AND bent. Normal, correct use would not generally cause that kind of damage, e.g., cutting forward and back, vertically, not forcing the edge through something too hard, etc. There's no reason for the edge of a knife to be that bent if correct technique were used.

Based on those two things, I think the knife was either used for something frozen or hard, causing the actual chipping, but also pushed with significant force onto something hard when it was used, or used in a striking motion at an angle, or it got stuck and was twisted (toward the left?) when it was pulled out. It looks like a Dexter stainless Chinese Cleaver I saw recently that had similar damage.

While I've never owned a Shun, I've seen several Shuns that have had carbide fallout. That doesn't look like carbide fallout as explained to me by Jon Broida.

That's also not a simple fix from what I understand. You can't bend the edge back straight, so you'll likely have to either (1) grind away that entire portion that was damaged and re-profile the knife (I've done this on my own knife), and then recreate the edge or (2) sharpen both sides and hope until that portion is ground down. You're better off sending that knife to a pro unless you have a grinder and want to spend some time on it.
 
I've seen knives used on frozen food that looked just like that Shun.
 
Those aren't "chips" or a "torn" edge. That's bad use. I think this has very little to do with the steel, and mostly to do with whoever used that knife.

I think it's very presumptuous to blame the steel and say that the VG10 is crap and "chips so easily." In fact, if that steel was chippy, instead of bends in the edge, you should have HUGE chips.

I blame my wife for the damages! She's an excellent cook but could care less about kitchen tools. She thinks im an idiot because im buying all these fancy japanese knives. But I'll change her mind .. one day. So I respect that point about the tear or whatever it is, I supposed the whole thing would've chipped away if it were too brittle. But on the other hand this Shun, my mom's Shun, my sister's Shun have all developed small chips doing easy cutting on just vegetables and soft meats. That bugs the crap out of me, hate that think what I'm eating has small flecks of metal.

The Tanaka I sharpened out the small chips this morning in about 45min with the 1k stone. Watched Jon's vids and used the sharpie trick. It's probably nowhere are good as most members here, but as my first full sharpening job felt quite proud of myself. I'll post some photos when I get home. I'm going to give that Shun no mercy. Take it to some rough sandpaper or the fixer brick and beat it up some. It's seen several years of use already so wont feel too bad about making it a project
 
I have owned and used many Shuns, and I've never gotten chips on them. "easy cutting" for most people is hammering the damn thing into the board and throwing it into the sink.

If you don't think that Shun, it's going to cut like crap, just FYI. If the finish matters to you, Shun's etch well.
 
Maybe listen to your wife. Give her something that will take abuse that suits her. You'll save a lt of money and aggravation .There are plenty of great cooks who don't share our enthusiasm for crazy knives. My wife would never use one of my good knives. No desire at all, but I keep her cheap knives as sharp as she likes them.
I blame my wife for the damages! She's an excellent cook but could care less about kitchen tools. She thinks im an idiot because im buying all these fancy japanese knives. But I'll change her mind .. one day. So I respect that point about the tear or whatever it is, I supposed the whole thing would've chipped away if it were too brittle. But on the other hand this Shun, my mom's Shun, my sister's Shun have all developed small chips doing easy cutting on just vegetables and soft meats. That bugs the crap out of me, hate that think what I'm eating has small flecks of metal.

The Tanaka I sharpened out the small chips this morning in about 45min with the 1k stone. Watched Jon's vids and used the sharpie trick. It's probably nowhere are good as most members here, but as my first full sharpening job felt quite proud of myself. I'll post some photos when I get home. I'm going to give that Shun no mercy. Take it to some rough sandpaper or the fixer brick and beat it up some. It's seen several years of use already so wont feel too bad about making it a project
 
that should have been "don't think that Shun," not don't think it. But you should think about thinning it before you thin it.
 
Maybe listen to your wife. Give her something that will take abuse that suits her. You'll save a lt of money and aggravation .There are plenty of great cooks who don't share our enthusiasm for crazy knives. My wife would never use one of my good knives. No desire at all, but I keep her cheap knives as sharp as she likes them.

Sage advice.
 
I blame my wife for the damages! She's an excellent cook but could care less about kitchen tools. She thinks im an idiot because im buying all these fancy japanese knives.

We have gone down THAT road, brother...
 
The Tanaka I sharpened out the small chips this morning in about 45min with the 1k stone. Watched Jon's vids and used the sharpie trick. It's probably nowhere are good as most members here, but as my first full sharpening job felt quite proud of myself. I'll post some photos when I get home. I'm going to give that Shun no mercy. Take it to some rough sandpaper or the fixer brick and beat it up some. It's seen several years of use already so wont feel too bad about making it a project


That sounds challenging:thumbsup: and I am sure tht yu will gain/ learn much from it. Whilst showing no mercy.. don't over shave the steel

You can only improve on yr skill.

rgds d
 
The Tanaka, sharpened the nicks away with the 1k King. Wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. Probably gonna thin before I etch

DSC04090.jpg


Shun WIP, only half way thru the repair. Spent a while scraping the edge of the blade against a 220 grit fixing stone, but it was probably hurting the edge more anything as several spots began to roll. I went to thin on the 1k King, and slowly but surely it's getting there. Wife came in mid-repair "*** are you doing with MY KNIFE!" I was deer in the headlights, but finally convinced her to check back later in the day. If anyone has suggestions to better fix the mess i've begun, I'm all ears.

DSC04099.jpg
 
I would have replied with 'WHAT the *** were YOU DOING with YOUR KNIFE?!?!'

Seriously...ouch...!
 
Just keep grinding away past the crack your wife caused.



My progression:
Steel wool with abrasive powder...
Stainless wire brush with metal polish...
Atoma 140...
Atoma 600...
Atoma 1200...
Nubutama Bamboo 1200...
Suehiro Rika 5000...
Yaginoshima Jnat...
Ozuku Asagi Jnat...
Microfiber polish with Wenol...
 
Just keep grinding away past the crack your wife caused.



My progression:
Steel wool with abrasive powder...
Stainless wire brush with metal polish...
Atoma 140...
Atoma 600...
Atoma 1200...
Nubutama Bamboo 1200...
Suehiro Rika 5000...
Yaginoshima Jnat...
Ozuku Asagi Jnat...
Microfiber polish with Wenol...

Nice work, but shouldn't you have moved the shinogi line up to preserve geometry?

Rick
 

Latest posts

Back
Top