Thinning a Miyabi Birchwood SG2

How would one go about thinning knife like this or even at all?

It has a Damascus pattern and no apparent Shinogi line. The blade itself is actually really thin so I don't think it needs this type of treatment.

But as I was reading the forum I noticed some mentioning how over time its important to do so.

I'm by no means advanced in sharpening. I own a 600, 1k, 3k, and 6k grit stone for my maintenance and edge repairs.

Thinning a little behind the edge keeps a knife cutting well. Just do you thinning bevel spine close to the stone then raise the spine & put in your final bevel.

However with a fancy Damascus blade you have to be careful with your thinning bevel. Never let the side of the blade touch the stone. Do not let mud accumulate it will scuff up the Damascus even though the side of the blade is not touching the stone.

Put a half inch or so of clear packaging tape at the spine end to keep the sides off the stone and still get a good thinning angle. A buffing wheel will take out any scratches you make, a cheap grinder from some place like WT tool or Harbor Freight will do for a home-use buffer. It's really what you should have if you like faux demascus and want to keep it pretty while still having a decently profiled knife. I have found Shun's to be unexceptably thick toward the edge, and I suppose Myabis are much the same.


Rick

rick alen said:

I have found Shun's to be unexceptably thick toward the edge, and I suppose Myabis are much the same.

Rick

Click to expand...

Your supposition is incorrect. The Miyabi Birchwoods are nicely thin behind the edge, at least those I have handled.

yes the birchwoods are better than the Shun I have seen

Good, I hope they are lots better than Shuns in that respect.

A cautionary here: If you do decide to use a buffing wheel on your knife you will need to practice on thoroughly edgeless blades first as using a buffing wheel on a sharp knife can be very bad for your health if you fail to take necessary precautions. The few times I've done it I polished the edge side first then taped it with several layers before tackling from there to the spine. Never put the spine into the wheel, at least not a high-speed wheel, as the wheel will grab it and pull the knife right out of your hands and slam it to the floor.

As an aside the a buffing wheel will act much as a strop in refining your edge, but doing it freehand doesn't give you easy control of the angle.


Rick