shigfusa kitaeji polising

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rami_m

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how do i polish my shig and what do i need. its a bit reactive and I cut some onions and ugly patina, so I want to polish it up and put something nicer on.
anyhelp on the above would be great.
 
It's not good anymore rami, I will take it from you for a real good discount to end this misery :)


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I think you need to hold it out of an airplane and rub it against some clouds. They act as a very fine natural abrasive due to the microscopic ice crystals in them. You can bring out different pattens in the kitaeji by using different types of clouds. See below.

CloudChart.jpg


The good news is that, in the long run, buying a small airplane is cheaper than getting a natural stone habit.
 
I think you need to hold it out of an airplane and rub it against some clouds. They act as a very fine natural abrasive due to the microscopic ice crystals in them. You can bring out different pattens in the kitaeji by using different types of clouds. See below.

CloudChart.jpg


The good news is that, in the long run, buying a small airplane is cheaper than getting a natural stone habit.

Nice.
 
I think you need to hold it out of an airplane and rub it against some clouds. They act as a very fine natural abrasive due to the microscopic ice crystals in them. You can bring out different pattens in the kitaeji by using different types of clouds. See below.

CloudChart.jpg


The good news is that, in the long run, buying a small airplane is cheaper than getting a natural stone habit.
:rofl2: :doublethumbsup:
 
I guess the irony is people buy the kitaeji for their wonderful damascus finish, which lasts only as long as until you first use it, and then ... well, I'm not sure if there's any advantage to them at this point. Or maybe I do; people like them because they like restoring the finish, which you constantly would have to do if you like the finish but want to use the knife.
 
The irony is not with the ppl that buys a Kitaeji... The irony is how you guys make jokes when a person tries to get some help.? and it just adds up to no help. just a bunch of worthless reading.

Rami. There is a cpl diffrent ways to clean and bring out the finish from the blade. I suggest you contact Maksim for some fingerstones. Im sure he will help you pick out some stones or powder that can give you a nice even finish on the Kitaeji blade.
 
I only make jokes because I have no idea. I was trusting the peanut gallery to chime in with real suggestions, though I believe there are numerous threads discussing the matter. What I recall is that people got nice results using a whole series of stones and powders that left my head spinning. Availability of any single natural stone that's worked for someone is variable, so one person's solution may not translate well at all.

Ultimately M.Magnus has the best answer. Ask Maksim. He's got the knowhow and the inventory to help you. And let us know what he says!
 
So basically you want to use fingers tones. I personally use uchigomori fingers tones which are sword grade polishing stones. I think you can use any mid to high grit natural stone to polish. You just rub the knife back and forth with a thin small piece of stone that fits under your finger tip. In one direction; heel to tip. Check out maxims wiki. It's all there.
 
Rami (like with the Hakka) there are videos out there. I have seen some from Maxim in the past, polishing kitaeji with fingerstones.

However, try this instead and see if it works: use some fine sandpaper, even worn out sandpaper or try a cloth. Generate some slurry on your hakka, or use slurry after you've just sharpened the knife. Use that slurry to polish the kitaeji.

I can't remember trying Hakka slurry, but I'm sure it would do very well. It's a great way to use softer jnats.
 
I use Uchigomori finger stones that I picked up from Maxim on my Shig Kitaeji. There is also some good reads out on the internet from Dr. Naka regarding Shig sharpening / polishing.
 
I may need to talk to maxim on this but I can't find his wiki. When I clicked through on the main site I ended up with 1-3 articles on natural stone. But nothing on polishing shigs. This can't be every thing he has.
 
Thank you so much. Now this is more comprehensive. Will go over and get back with more meaningful questions.
 
He has a youtube video. It's not really a step-by-step tutorial or anything, but it does demonstrate his technique and how he does it. I'm sure he'd also be able to tell you which stones he used, or give you recommendations. Not sure if this helps, but figured if you hadn't seen it that it couldn't hurt to post it.

-Steve

[video=youtube;OkIE2Y1yDpA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkIE2Y1yDpA[/video]
 
Things I learned in the last 10 minutes

Generate a slurry,
Use cotton ball or kitchen paper to wipe the blade.

Initially I thought you used the whole stone. Not a good idea. Just need to work out.
Stone progression
How to generate the slurry ( diamond plate is out)
Pitfalls, what do I watch for?
How to remove fine scratches ?
 
Btw, enjoying this enormously. I got the Kitaeji over the kasumi as I was advised it performs better ( more stiff, thinner.) but this is an unexpected bonus.

My addiction is well underway.
 
I've had some luck with using felt loaded with natural stone slurry. Different slurry for different knives. Sometimes (if damascus or kasumi) I etch with vinegar first and then cut the etch back with the felt/stone juice.
 
If I am getting thin scratches that show up with the light reflection what did I do wrong. Need to go lower grit slurry and back up again? Also would synthetic slurry work?
 
you might need to break down the slurry more. thats the thing with jnats. the more u work the slurry the finer it gets.
 
So keep on rubbing? I stopped too early?

That might be the case. im not sure what your using? can be a to hard stone awell or a breakdown toxic line in that slurry. but wait for someone with more experiance then me.
 
If I am getting thin scratches that show up with the light reflection what did I do wrong. Need to go lower grit slurry and back up again? Also would synthetic slurry work?

I've only used one synthetic fingerstone that worked: it's a tiny 1k stone sold by Maxim, and it's really really nice. As Mr. Magnus said, the slurry causing the fine scratches may be from stones that are too hard or have inclusions. I've had cases where two fingerstones broken off from the same larger stone gave very different results. So I now test each fingerstone first on a less expensive knife before using it on a Shig. You might also want to check out Maxim's guide for gluing fingerstones to rice paper and then breaking them. This allows them to conform to curves, like a convex grind.
 
What about if I use cotton ball with synthetic stone slurry? I am thinking Rika 5k then Hakka slurry, then finger stone.
 
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