Katsuobushi Kezuriki krisis

Any hints on how to use a katsuobushi kezuriki? I got one a few months ago and have managed to get about 1 ribbon off it. Tried moving the blade down until it barely stuck up above the board...no dice just powder. Adjusted it higher and now the tiny flakes jam in the gap and bits fly off the end!

What am I doing wrong here? Watched youtube clips of wizened katsuobushi masters in action and well its just shaving...

It is driving me freakin' insane :helpsos:

JCHine said:

Any hints on how to use a katsuobushi kezuriki? I got one a few months ago and have managed to get about 1 ribbon off it. Tried moving the blade down until it barely stuck up above the board...no dice just powder. Adjusted it higher and now the tiny flakes jam in the gap and bits fly off the end!

What am I doing wrong here? Watched youtube clips of wizened katsuobushi masters in action and well its just shaving...

It is driving me freakin' insane :helpsos:

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How old is the katsuobushi that you're using?

do you have the blade facing the wrong way?

How old? Guess I bought it about 6 months ago; it is very hard and has been kept in a sealed container to minimise air absorption. No date on the package so I'm not sure how old it was prior to purchase.

From what I can see the blade is in correctly; Kiriba facing downwards into the tray area.

Are you pushing or pulling into the cut?

Are you pushing or pulling into the cut?

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Tried it both ways actually. Until the blade was lifted pulling was easier but now either way works just as *ahem* badly :curse:

From my limited experience I was taught to pull into the cut and glide on the push. Also don't have to press down hard while cutting.

Double post.

Thanks for all your help guys it is greatly appreciated. Normally I'm pretty good at working stuff out; even if it is the knowledge that I'm crap at it and need to practice a lot more, but this has me stumped.

pull into the cut and glide on the push. Also don't have to press down hard while cutting.

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Pulling did become practical once the outer layers had been removed. Had a lot of issues with it catching and digging in. This started a viscous circle of the katsuobushi catching, so it became wavy and then catching again. To fix it the blade was withdrawn so it barely came about the wood bed (so it could not catch) and with some work managed to get one section pretty smooth.

Next step is to push the blade higher again and see if i can fix the jamming that way.

Thinking it might be a dud bit of fish but getting a new one is going to be a challenge.

Finally worked it out... shaver I had must have been assembled on the afternoon after the day trip to both the Suntory Whiskey factory and the Sake brewery. The local shop where it was purchased was little help so the decision was made to take desperate measures after getting a high quality piece of Katsuobushi in Japan.

On a shaver the blade should be able to be adjusted by tapping the bottom of the blade (to move it up) and tapping the mounting board end behind the blade with a wide mallet to remove or adjust down. Mine was well and truly stuck! It was so bad that the only way to remove it was to drive it out with a hardened steel drift on the blade edge (*winces*).

This did a fair amount of damage to a couple of sections but the blade itself was not that sharp when removed. Putting it on the stones it became apparent that the blade line was curved rather than flat and the back side was also concave....MEH! More than a few hours on the stones later it is now flat and sharp.

Reinstalling it into the shaver the difference is dramatic, I can get small shavings and it no longer catches. Through the process been learning a bit about about shaving technique and tricks. Key things seem to be:

- Shave with the fish at a slight angle of 10 to 15 degrees.
- Shave the fish as it would be swimming backwards.
- Gently heating the face of the katsuobushi can make it easier; this seems to be more effective than wrapping in a damp towel
- Light pressure is the key and the blade should be high enough to only just skim the fish. Small adjustments can make a big difference.

Electric Kezuriki ftw :shocked3: