Shimantani Deba

Hoping this is in the right section. I have the opportunity to buy a SHIMATANI Damascus DEBA knife 180mm/Blue steel from someone. They retail at around the 160US mark and I can get it for $110Aus + postage (I'd assume)

Only catch is the Deba suffered some chip out and he reground the bevel with a wetgrinder. No detempering but there are some #200 grind marks noticeable. With a little patience and technique on the right stones I should be able to fix this problem right? Or would it be best to avoid. My knowledge is limited but I'd imagine this is purely an aesthetic problem....

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Cheers for any help

bump

Probably depends on the skill of the guy using the wet grinder. If the bevel is at the correct angle and the edge is properly sharp you can fix the appearance. If the bevel is screwed up or the edge is not right, it's going to take a lot of work to fix.

It looks to me as if there are still some chips in the edge though.

I suspect it will take quite a bit of work to get it looking and cutting properly, and if you aren't going to do it yourself, I'd pass. If you want to fix it yourself, might be a decent purchase, but I've gotten a bit chary of taking on projects like that myself, they always take far more time than I plan, at least for me.

Peter

lt doesn't look too bad from pictures assuming it wasn't too hot on the grinder. More close up pictures of the edge and hollowed backside would help determining its current condition.

From pictures, I can see a distinct change of bevel angle around a few mms from the edge. If the back side is all right, what I would do is trying to get rid of all the chip. Making sure ura is still thin, flat, and propper. Then blend the bevel as in hamaguri edge. A strong curvature for deba us not a bad thing to have.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Essentially I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a lost cause, or simply not worth the effort.

So you are paying 110 australian dollars plus postage, which puts you around $100 US. You don't know whether the grind has done damage (risk) or how much work you are going to have to put in to get this in good order (how much do you value your time?).

Is it worth saving $60 for this risk and effort? Personally I would either pass or offer a significantly lower price for a damaged, used knife.

Adrian said:

So you are paying 110 australian dollars plus postage, which puts you around $100 US. You don't know whether the grind has done damage (risk) or how much work you are going to have to put in to get this in good order (how much do you value your time?).

Is it worth saving $60 for this risk and effort? Personally I would either pass or offer a significantly lower price for a damaged, used knife.

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Good points thanks Adrian. I guess my biggest issue with all of this is deciding whether or not it would be worth the effort as I know nothing about the brand.

I own 3 Shimatani knives. In general they have very good bones - well formed, straight, good grind, and superb heat treat. Where they lack is final finishing. Deep grind marks, rough work at the choil, etc. I polished up a Yanagiba in AO Super and it was difficult because the hagane was just so damn hard. So they are excellent knives to use, but take a lot of effort if you're looking to give it a makeover.

Cheers,

Rick

@Tall Dark and Swarfy, It's hard to have control over something handmade, the Blue#2 Shimatani Yanagiba I got here is quite well finished on the choil area(the backside), no tool marks at all. I think he is the forger, the grinder and also the sharpener himself, 1 man factory, since the brand is under his own name. Maybe that's why he can sell these cheap??

I have a Wa-handle 150mm VG10 Petty on the way to me, I trust his craftsmanship.