HELP! Deba panic

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josephtenzin

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Hello everyone.

I just joined the Forum am in need of some basic help/advice.
I bought a Shigaharu deba in Kyoto 4 weeks ago. I bought it for the history of the shop and the shape of the blade.
I knew so little that I didn't ask him to sharpen it for me.
So now I am home with a wonderful knife that needs to have a final sharpening. It has a fair edge on it but is not as sharp as the videos show it can be.
I have been reading the posts and looking at the videos and am feeling TOTALLY intimidated.
I can do a pretty good job with western knives on oil stones and with a strop but the complexity of the Japanese blade is a bit much.
I am not a chef or a major cook so I might be using my knife 4 or 5 times a month on beef or chicken.
AND I am afraid of ruining a fine knife.
What do I do to get a better edge on the knife with minimal chance of messing it up?
I plan to go into Antibes next week and buy a combination stone (1000/6000) and a strop.
Any simple help is appreciated.
josephtenzin
 
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The most important things are to make sure your sharpening stones are flat! And you should only need to use the 6000 stone on the back side (flat side) and keep it flat against the stone
Jon from Japanese Knife Imports has excellent videos, you would be wise to watch as many as you can! This one will get you started

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kA0vdeDDSJI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkA0vdeDDSJI

Take it slow, check what you are doing and have fun! It is a cool hobby
 
Nothing to panic about. Sharpening a single bevel is actually easier than free handing a double bevel for most. Watch the video above along with the accompanying theory video and DO NOT rush it. Be patient, stop to look at your progress often and you will do fine. Don't worry about making it pretty. For some single bevels that requires a lot of extra time and materials. If you can you should consider a class from the forum's own Dave Martell. It will shorten your learning curve considerably and likely save you a lot of time and frustration.
 
How do I enroll in Dave's class? Is it webinar or Skype?

I live in southern France.
 
You would have to come to the U.S. for Dave's class. Dave does sell videos though. The Japanese Knife Imports with Jon Broida videos are on You Tube. They are excellent, I highly recommend watching them a lot. Best of luck, welcome, and please keep us updated on your progress.
 
Hello Knyfeknerd,

I have been watching Jon's videos alot. I am afraid to say they are part of my panic. It is like watching a master play Bach on a guitar when all I want to do is put strings on my new guitar without breaking something.

BTW my wife grew up in Chapel Hill.
 
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If you go with the 1k/6k stone combo, you won't be removing too much metal too quickly. As stated earlier, take your time and constantly check your progress. Try sharpening some of your other knives with the wetstone before you do the deba to get a feel for how it cuts. On the traditional J-knives, you only really sharpen one side. Just make sure you follow his rules for the ura side. Only push strokes, and be gentle.
Chapel Hill is so nice. I used to date a girl that went to school there...........................
....good times.
I'd rather be in the South of France though!
 
Many thanks knyfeknerd,

Slow is the word. And I will try two other knives first.

I guess my big question is about the beveled side of the knife. The best I can understand from the diagram that Mr. Shigaharu drew for me I only sharpen the beveled side at one angle not with a compound angle like some of the videos show (one for the main bevel and one for the cutting edge). Is this correct?
I think I do understand about the back side of the knife.
Don't behave
 
Sorry I had to look up the correct word.

My question is about the angle to hold the knife for doing the beveled side. Mr Shigaharu said 15 degrees and his diagram shows that as being the degrees the bevel was ground into the knife from the shinogi-line to the cutting edge. So do I just sharpen this part of the blade (turning it over to take the burr off) or do I also use a steeper angel just on the cutting edge (temper line?) of the beveled side?

Many thanks for your patience.
 
Welcome to KKF. Don't worry too much about the sharpening, you'll figure it out, if I can then anyone can. :)
 
Thank you Dave for your welcome.

Would you please answer my question just above your post? It would really help me get a clear picture of sharpening the beveled side.

Many thanks.
 
Many thanks knyfeknerd,

Slow is the word. And I will try two other knives first.

I guess my big question is about the beveled side of the knife. The best I can understand from the diagram that Mr. Shigaharu drew for me I only sharpen the beveled side at one angle not with a compound angle like some of the videos show (one for the main bevel and one for the cutting edge). Is this correct?
I think I do understand about the back side of the knife.
Don't behave

A few quick pointers which I hope wld help

Examine the knife at angles agst the light. any chips? irregularities of the edge adn also the choil view

Baseline.. a) Before you start hitting te stone...test with slicing thin piece of paper.. I prefer yellow pages adn see how it cuts. b) feel te edge for bitiness c)feel the edge between thumd adn index finger to feel how thick it is. KNow where the burr is

IF it is bitey adn can slice paper.. light steel removal is required.

1.Assess how much steel needs to be removed. as it is still new, at most it needs to be refined to remove any burrs or wire edge or make it pointy ( two angles has met). This is refining the edge adn as little steel removal is required, lighter pressure. ( weight of knife pressure =1 adn yr regular pressure is 5 . The pressure used shld be around 3 adn gradually tapers off to 1 when you are about done.

2.I wld start with the right hand side. This is not flat. When abrading agst the stone, the finger pressure must be on the edge so that the edge is in contact. Adjust yur angle to ensure that it is in contact with teh stone. For the virgin sharpening, I dont think you need to remove steel till the shinogi line. A few light strokes, check feel the burr on the other side

3. On the flat side, as the burr is on this side now , forward cutting motion is required so that you do not uncurl the burr. you want to cut it off. Note. Index FInger pressure.. one finger on the very edge or index and middle finger on the edge and thumb on the spine area so that you remove steel on teh edge and spine.

Feel where the burr is. and check bitiness test with fingers along the entire edge test after each and every few strokes.. so that you know where to share steel and how much to remove via your pressure. When you are about done.. shld be light alternating strokes..

Know where the burr is. IF light burr pops up on the right hand side,.. its time to remove th burr and i prefer a cutting motion; till teh 2 angles meet. I normally start with a slightly higher angle with lighter pressure as it is thinner and as I lower the angle, more steel to remove and either more strokes wld be required or a slightly heavier pressure initially and then taper off the pressure.



When you got it right.. it will cut/ slice thru the same paper more elegantly smoothly and quietly. AT this stage.. any further steel removal wld be light.

an unapproved method that i normally use is a 1600 grit diamond rod that i use to remove burrs.. using very light cutting pressure into the rod to break it off and a couple of light strokes to make it pointy. ON te flat side.., I place it flat. Once the burrs are removed... a few alternating strokes on each side shld refine it adn shld be done.

Have a great time and don't go over shaving the edge by mindlessly abrading the edge. Know where you want to remove steel and how much is required via the finger test and adjust your pressure accordingly and you shld be fine...

have a great week-end.

d
 
I have a Shigeharu deba as well BTW. I just re-read your original post. I hadn't noticed the mention of chicken and beef butchery the first time around. I'm going to offer you a word of caution here. A traditional deba is designed for fish butchery. There is no issue cutting a boneless protein with a traditional deba if you want to go that route. Beef bone? Forget it. You may see videos and hear of people who butcher whole chickens with traditional debas. This is possible. Some debas are designed and sharpened for breaking down fish with pretty thick bones but again, a deba is not designed for butchering chicken. You could very well damage your edge quite badly on a chicken. I would suggest building an understanding of how to create a strong edge before touching a chicken with your deba.
 
Hi Tripleg,

Thanks for the warning and I have no intention on using my deba to cut bones. Just meat on chickens, beef and pork.
 
Hello Zitangy,

Thank you for the information that starts with the knife coming out of the box as new. Very very helpful.

Also about the use of pressure and not having to sharpen all below the shinogi-line with a new knife.
 

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