Things to look for on a yanagiba

I've had a 240 yanagiba for years. It's been abused to say the least. So, I've decided to either send it out for refinishing or to clean it up on my own, except for the handle. But, before starting, I had a few questions.

I've read a lot here, and spoken with a number of people, including Jon, about things to look out for in single bevel knives, but haven't really had a chance to see first-hand some of these issues, including the following:

1. Wavy backs;
2. Twisting;
3. Bent blades; and
4. Grind issues.

I checked out my yanagi a couple of nights ago, and for the most part, it seems ok. I placed the back of the knife on my cutting board, and it the back, from tip to heel, was flat. Is this the way a yanagi is supposed to be? Or should there be a taper?

The grind seemed, for the most part, ok as well. The bevel seems to be even and consistent.

And if any of you could explain twisting, or other issues that you've noticed, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

The Usuba I have is twisted slightly, I didn't notice it immediately and it's only slight it but will take a few more sharpenings to work it out. Hard to get it to show in pics, with my photography skills anyway.....

Here is a picture of a bent or warped single bevel knife. There should not be a gap along the edge when laid on a flat surface.


Luckily, I have not experienced any other significant issues with a single bevel yet. You don't want to go cheap on single bevel knives unless you know how to correct any issues that may be present.

Thanks a lot for this. I only looked at the back and completely forgot to look at the edge. Does the spine lay flat on the board even though the edge does not?

GlassEye said:

Here is a picture of a bent or warped single bevel knife. There should not be a gap along the edge when laid on a flat surface.

Luckily, I have not experienced any other significant issues with a single bevel yet. You don't want to go cheap on single bevel knives unless you know how to correct any issues that may be present.

Click to expand...

I don't really remember, I think the spine was also raised about the same.