Carter Regrind - Chef Knife to Funayuki (?)

Hey all,
I'm relatively new to the forum - done a lot of reading and learning, and thought I'd like to give back a bit.

Below is a blade re-grind I did, as a beginner (15min). I've tried to just talk about my plan, show an abbreviated form of the actual work, and the results. I took the blade from regrinding, to thinning, to polishing, to sharpening, to cutting food to make sure I got it back into good working order.

I see this as a video for other beginners to enjoy. I'm no pro, and I see why they get the big bucks for doing it. I've show my mistakes as well as successes, but think I ended up with a good result, good enough to share and let others know it's possible to tinker with their knives if they have a good plan in mind and a few tools.

There are plenty of time-links in the video description to skip around, so you don't have to slog through all 15min if you don't want.

I want to acknowledge there are a few key video makers, from those who professionally cook, sharpen and sell knives that have helped me a lot. I also want to acknowledge that I started with an excellent, finished knife and merely made a few changes. The raw material is really what shines through.

[video]https://youtu.be/Dz3WwRJo2V8[/video]

Welcome!

I can not really watch the video at the moment with sound, so I just clicked through - but do I understand correctly that you completely changed the profile and turned it to a more-less flat grind? :scratchhead: I am sure it was a fun project, but I would probably have bought a knife that suits my cutting style in the first place (or get a something like a Zakuri to play with). Bugt I will check the video with sound later tonight.

Matus said:

Welcome!

I can not really watch the video at the moment with sound, so I just clicked through - but do I understand correctly that you completely changed the profile and turned it to a more-less flat grind? :scratchhead: I am sure it was a fun project, but I would probably have bought a knife that suits my cutting style in the first place (or get a something like a Zakuri to play with). Bugt I will check the video with sound later tonight.

Click to expand...

I also didn't watch the whole video and with sound, but also couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what the OP was doing...First, Carter certainly has enough knives with a less pronounced belly (and if not, he makes some quite regularly) and second, to take an approximately 500 USD knife for such a project, all the more as a beginner...uffff!!! It really makes hardly sense to me...but maybe I missed something...

I reprofile and thin many vintage knives on my belt grinder. Couldn't even imagine files and stones anymore. End result looked good.

At the time I bought it, the profile looked similar to the knives I normally enjoy cutting with. Like I said, it took a little while to work up the desire to tackle the project, but I ended with a result I was happy with. It also taught me a lot, and has prepared me to do more in the future.

I suppose the approach I took was one of respect for the excellent starting material, but I didn't see it as untouchable. After using other knives, I've needed to thin them over the years, and this was the next step in my skills progression. I felt lucky to have a good knife to begin with.

Matus: I hope the sound works later!

NO ChoP!: Thanks for the encouragement. It was indeed a lot of work, but I'm glad I did it at least once 'manually.' Certainly gives me an appreciation for the process and the higher level tools. Didn't want a belt the first time for fear of burning the temper out.

Just watched the whole video, here a few thoughts. First of all - you obviously thought it through before you started and as you say in video - that was important. The new profile does make more sense to me too. If I were to try a similar job (I am frankly not sure, I would probably sell one Carter and get another one - it somehow feels 'wrong' to to me to use a finished knife as a blank - just my personal opinion, not a judgement), I would pay more attention to the original geometry of the grind and try to re-created after, as it is the geometry that is the deciding factor how the knife cuts. You basically made something flat-ish (what in reality is probably a slight convex I would guess, which is good). And I would probably try to give the knife a more even finish, but that also depends on what tools you have available and what your preferences are (Carter knives come with pretty basic, not too attractive, but reasonably functional finish).

With all that half-assed critique - you did a good job, the new profile is nice, the knife cuts well. I do respect that even if with some goose bumps

Matus said:

Just watched the whole video, here a few thoughts. First of all - you obviously thought it through before you started and as you say in video - that was important. The new profile does make more sense to me too. If I were to try a similar job (I am frankly not sure, I would probably sell one Carter and get another one - it somehow feels 'wrong' to to me to use a finished knife as a blank - just my personal opinion, not a judgement), I would pay more attention to the original geometry of the grind and try to re-created after, as it is the geometry that is the deciding factor how the knife cuts. You basically made something flat-ish (what in reality is probably a slight convex I would guess, which is good). And I would probably try to give the knife a more even finish, but that also depends on what tools you have available and what your preferences are (Carter knives come with pretty basic, not too attractive, but reasonably functional finish).

With all that half-assed critique - you did a good job, the new profile is nice, the knife cuts well. I do respect that even if with some goose bumps

Click to expand...

Thank you for the constructive critique, it's fun to get a second set of eyes on a project, especially from someone who's doing the same thing. I really enjoyed looking through your projects - you've clearly turned this into a serious endeavor!

I would loved to have traded for a different knife, but I am currently stuck with limited monetary resources, and abundant time resources, hence the project. The grind wound up convex by design, and I'm happy it worked out! I'm certainly not a pro. Neither am I a pro at polishing, hence sticking with the 'rustic' finish.

Next stop, go to the rock shop for a natural stone and start making a mess...

When looking at the knife in it's original form it doesn't look like a typical Carter profile. It makes me think that it was a larger knife that was re-profiled, for whatever reason. Notice the belly and how there's almost no core steel exposed towards the tip. The video shows this better than the picture posted above.

Anyone else see this?

[video=youtube;Dz3WwRJo2V8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz3WwRJo2V8&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Nice rework captain!

Dave Martell said:

When looking at the knife in it's original form it doesn't look like a typical Carter profile. It makes me think that it was a larger knife that was re-profiled, for whatever reason. Notice the belly and how there's almost no core steel exposed towards the tip. The video shows this better than the picture posted above.

Anyone else see this?

[video=youtube;Dz3WwRJo2V8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz3WwRJo2V8&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Click to expand...

Yes, you are right, I also agree that such a distinctly bellyish profile definitely isn't typical for Carter, so maybe you are right with your hypothesis...And when I just looked at the beginning of the video in more detail and with sound, I have to apologize to captaincaed for my a bit too offensive comment, first the original profile of the knife is really quite idiotic, so the reprofiling would be justified enough even in case of a tamahagane honyaki here...and second, as I could hear even only at the beginning of the video, it was a well-thoughtout step...

Oof, that was some work there, nice job.

Ya I wouldn’t want to do that but you should be proud of your effort. I also think the video is well done. It’s easier if you use crappier steel. I didn’t see if you said where you got the knife cause that profile is weird. I know carters have changed over the years but that seems unusual.
Also yes polishing imo is more time consuming then regrind. The rustic look gives it character cause you did that. I honestly like sandpaper for polishing and/or polishing powder.

Dave Martell said:

When looking at the knife in it's original form it doesn't look like a typical Carter profile. It makes me think that it was a larger knife that was re-profiled, for whatever reason. Notice the belly and how there's almost no core steel exposed towards the tip. The video shows this better than the picture posted above.

Anyone else see this?

[video=youtube;Dz3WwRJo2V8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz3WwRJo2V8&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Click to expand...

Thanks for the kudos and the observations from everyone! I'm definitely learning, but I really enjoy the hobby.

I received the knife directly from Carter Cutlery, and I certainly got what was described (a chef profile). I bought it largely on the reputation of the maker and my liking for the handle. I have to say I'm very happy with how the blade performs, especially now. I knew going into it that Carter doesn't use a model, he works more freestyle. From my experience so far, I'd like to buy another Carter when I'm able to save up, and make an effort to buy a flatter profile that he's known for.

I'm putting together a little potato cutting video as well, and you can see it stacked up to a couple other knives I use regularly. I will say this - the knife gave me very satisfactory cutting. In fact, it outperformed most of my knives. So, stay tuned for another vid when I can get the editing done (probably next week).

Alright everyone, here's the potato video I promised. The Carter is still holding up well, showing good performance even in a competitive field. Here are the knives on offer.

Open the vid up in Youtube for clickable time links.

0:00 Mac Pro 8.5" Gyuto
2:08 Carter Muteki Funayuki (Jamison)
3:37 Carter Funayuki (reground from chef profile - previous video)
5:07 Asai Nakiri
6:50 Asai Gyuto
9:20 oooops.....
9:37 Kochi Gyuto
11:28 Kochi Sujihiki
13:04 Vintage Sabatier (another oops)
15:01 Moritaka Honesuki
17:05 Mizuno Tanrenjo Gyuto
[video=youtube;BBCXJrTmVlU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBCXJrTmVlU[/video]