Chipped Blades: What the heck am I doing wrong??

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Erilyn75

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I was admiring my Takeda so beautifully hanging on the mag block when I noticed a great big chip in it!!! It wasn't the only one either. There were 3 smaller ones towards the heel. I've got a ginga with small chips in the very same spots. So, wth am I doing wrong? I use my knives for vegetables and that's it. Never frozen foods. It's got to be something I'm doing, I just don't know what. :scratchhead:

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What are you cutting mostly? Are you chopping fast ? What kind of cutting board do you use ?Usually root vegetables are first ones to be blamed but I witneesed more chipping while chopping small and softer items on poly boards
 
are these chips in the area that makes a contact with mag block? If so, then the problem occurs when you place/remove your knife to/from block. That happened to me and I'm now much more careful when taking blades from mag block — no more chips as the result. But this may not be your situation.
 
I use an end grain walnut/maple board and my usual list of veggies are onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, peppers, corn on the cob and herbs. Nothing unusual. The last time I used it though for taking corn off the cob. With the ginga though I've only used it once on carrots. It's not my favorite knife so it's not getting any love.

I do try to be careful with mag block but sometimes it gets away from me. That sucker is strong.
 
I do try to be careful with mag block but sometimes it gets away from me. That sucker is strong.
I'm still not sure it's the blocks fault… but anyway the idea is to twist knife when you are removing it from block. Hard to explain with my English, but try to first detach edge from block and then spine (twist knife a little bit, so that edge wasn't contacting block anymore and then pull knife from block completely).
 
are these chips in the area that makes a contact with mag block?

thats exactly what i thought. i remember that happening to me as well.
 
Another possible danger is how one puts the knife on the mag block. The force of magnets increases roughly exponentially with distance to the magnet and the blade accelerates when very close and can slam into the block. My knives are tip up and are held at the block just next to the heel where they are widest. The way i avoid slamming into the block, i put the tip section at an angle on the block first then lower the angle until it is flat against the block, then i slide up the blade gently until the wide heel area reaches the block. This works because my block has a smooth wooden surface.

That being said, i'm still cautious with and unsure on how to put my my single bevel knives on the block. The edge is close to the board but if i'd turn the blade i think it may scratch the jigane.
 
I might invest in one of those foo foo counter blocks with the little balls in it. I can't use my drawer because my 1yo MUST get into everything!
 
Maybe it happened the same way another use put a huge chip in his MAC some time ago - mincing herbs, holding the blade down with one hand while "walking" it in a circel and pumping with the other hand. if the edge digs into the cutting board while being twisted it can break.

No personal experience with it, hat is one thing you never have to worry about with the typical German steel ...
 
If it happened with both your knives it might be your sharpwning technique you might accidently sharpen that area differently and it may get more fragile and thinner and then just natural cutting may chip it. Its happened to me a few times when I get my knives to sharp. They get so sharp that push cutting tomatoes and shaving feels amazing but after like 5 minutes or I cut something dense I get. Bunch of microchips. You can put a microbevel on it and it will fix this problem. Or just look at how you sharpen more. Also I could just have something to do with your cutting technique if its in the same spot on both knives. Anyway im just guessing
 
I used to have micro chips after sharpening due to my method which I have since adjusted, but there are dozens of things that could be causing it.

I'd recommend after you sharpen these chips out get into the habit of checking the edge every time you handle them, from chopping to cleaning to putting back on the rack, it should help you narrow it down and identify where it's happening, then you can deal with it easily.
 
I third the mag block. There is a strip above the fish buttering station at work to avoid placing a clean knife on a filthy board, and I have definitely chipped my yanagiba on it.
 
....So, wth am I doing wrong?....

Nothing, you are on a learning curve....?

Is this the Takeda that made a return trip for thinning?
So far we have 'mag strip', 'cutting or chopping technique', and 'sharpening technique' (i.e. pressure)...another possibility I'll throw out that was the culprit in my house is....sharpening at too low (or acute) an angle. The great thing too is that the easy fix for your micro chips - working them out by adding a higher 'micro' bevel will give you a chance to try the [slightly] higher angles.
If you take a second and check using quarters to check your angles ( http://www.chadwrites.com/knife-sharpening-coin-trick-magic-angle-finder/ ) a normal gyuto at 15* requires you raise the spine to a height between 6 & 7 quarters, and a 'tall' takeda even higher.
When you sharpen, how much are you lifting the spine off the stone?
 
I'm still not sure it's the blocks fault… but anyway the idea is to twist knife when you are removing it from block. Hard to explain with my English, but try to first detach edge from block and then spine (twist knife a little bit, so that edge wasn't contacting block anymore and then pull knife from block completely).

It has little (I suspect none) to do with a mag block. Your chipping is likely to occur on a contact with the cutting surface, be it wood or plastic, or whatever. Chipping is a fracture along the grain boundaries of the steel. I am not going to go over causes of this, is has been enough said in similar threads on this forum, but one way to deal with the chipping is to cut a microbevel in a reprofiled edge (you remove metal along the whole edge to remove chips and you thicken a cross-section of the blade in the process). In other woods, it is a possibility that the current cross-section can't support the impact, so you need to stabilize it by thickening it.

Marko
 
My skill is nowhere good enough for me to attempt sharpening the Takeda so we can rule that out. I think I'm going to go review knife technique videos again and see where I may be going wrong. It could be a mix that and a too thin blade or just me alone. This knife.....I've got so much money into it :cry:

And yes, it's the one I sent in to be fixed.
 
when i see these issues, 90% of the time it is due to problems with cutting technique. The chipping near the tip like you have is often caused by rocking motions with knives that are on the very thin/very hard side. Its actually not the rocking motion proper that causes the problem, but rather the lateral motion that ensues from said rocking motion. The lateral force across the edge is often concentrated in the last 1/3rd of the blade near the tip (just a bit before the tip though), so that is where one sees the most chipping.
 
Makers seem to often send the bevel unfinished, or in this case (very likely) too steep. You ca thicken it by taking it to a sharpening stone, and raising it up (7 quarters, or so?) and swiping the entire edge along the spine. You'll find it's not too hard to hold a fairly consistent angle using this method.
 
You ever get that sound/feeling cutting when you push into something and then push the blade horizontally away from the cut without picking up a little ? The blade had dug into the board slightly and it's kinda a metallic sound... Hard to explain but it's like nails on a chalkboard to me. Tats when I know I added a little extra iron to the meal.
 
I would go with what Marko said. Try slight micro-bevel and see whether it will help. I had similar problem with Shun - once micro-bevel was put on (OK, a bit more than micro as Shun VG10 loves to chip) it improved tremendously. And also on my Yoshikane SKD petty (very thin blade).

I also do use magnetic holder - but one would really have to handle the knives in a rough manner to chip a blade on its wooden surface, IMO. If you use steel magnetic holder than it is a different story of course.
 
A Takeda was the first knife I really got to know. I, too, got chipping--much to my surprise and dismay. The cause? I'd do push cutting only, but left over from years of dull cruddy knives was a little habit I didn't know I had until I looked closely at my technique and why the Takeda was chipping. After each cut with the blade, with the blade still touching on the cutting board I'd unconsciously give a little twist or pull horizontally before lifting the blade up. I did this to tear the protein or veggie the last little bit that a dull knife never quite got. When I quit doing that little horizontal shift, the chipping stopped.

I was also able to get rid of the chips with a 1000 grit stone and routine sharpenings. Only took 2-3 times. Don't be afraid of trying: I never met a knife easier to sharpen than my Takeda gyuto (255mm). You gotta start some time. Why not now?
 
... after each cut with the blade, with the blade still touching on the cutting board I'd unconsciously give a little twist or pull horizontally before lifting the blade up. I did this to tear the protein or veggie the last little bit that a dull knife never quite got. When I quit doing that little horizontal shift, the chipping stopped .../QUOTE]

I have VERY similar experience - I was actually using the horizontal movement (perpendicular to the knife blade) to remove the parts that were just cut (ends of green beans) and "throw" them off the cutting board. That probably can be done, but not with a thin delicate blade.
 
Video.... Yeah that was typed in my best speech impediment gay voice.....
 
I believe I might be the problem. I really paid attention to how I was cutting tonight and sometimes I would scrape or twist. I also do a lot of rocking especially with herbs then scrape them together. Obviously I know I need to work on my cutting skills but is it typical for this knife to be so delicate? I'm assuming the chips on the back end of the knife are from the rocking as well.
 
The brittleness is a combination of the very thin edge and the high hardness (RC 61-63) of the steel. IIRC, your Takeda came back from Shosui super thin?

Perhaps add a microbevel, or sharpen at a less acute angle?
 
1. keep knife sharp
2. use less force
 
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