Blade finish?

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PierreRodrigue

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I've noticed in the not to distant past, conversations about convexing, and food sticking/wedging etc. I am now wondering how blade finish plays with these conditions. If a handrubbed, machine finish/scotch brite, vertical grind lines, scratch patterns running parallel to the spine, mirror finish, satin finish etc, affect cutting, and if choice of finish by someone buying a highend knife, or ordering a custom is determined by asthetics, or if the choice is more about performance. For example Mr Buyer see's Pretty knife... "Ooh its shiny and pretty, I'll take it!" Or is the decision more "Mirror finish is crap, food won't release, I'll buy this one with the forge scale on it."

What is it that guides your choice, and why? Is the finish more personal taste, or is there more thought into it?

Thanks in advance!
 
I like a matte finish with a shiny bevel on stainless. Ultra-mirror finish on lasers encourages sticking, but only ob foods that stick anyways. Rough finishes look bad. Forge scale is pretty. Perpendicular scratches look machined, parallel looks handmade.
 
I like a nice clean mirror polish. Or an elegant matte. Maybe something with slight forge like a carter!

I have two full KU knives. A tojiro itk which I have since removed the KU.
and a shigi which is really smooth finished. So I won't be removing it.

I just can't stand the feel of a KU knife.

Sorry DC!
 
I like a nice clean mirror polish. Or an elegant matte. Maybe something with slight forge like a carter!

I have two full KU knives. A tojiro itk which I have since removed the KU.
and a shigi which is really smooth finished. So I won't be removing it.

I just can't stand the feel of a KU knife.

Sorry DC!

You can put me in that camp also. I despise those KU knives, anything with a rough or hammered finish. I don't see the beauty at all. But that's ok, different strokes for different folks. I am glad there are so many options available.

And I will probably be reviled for this, I strongly dislike hamons.

:D

-AJ
 
You can guess what camp I am in.I feel a high polish on a blade does have a benefit with the proper technique.
 
I've always went by the shiny approach. I think with customs, dramatic san mai and dammy did the job of adornment.

If it was a mono steel custom for performance, the buyer probably had some input if he wanted a certain type of finish?
 
Yes the buyer gets what he wants of course!

As far as hand rubbed verses polished, either hand or machine polish, all the way to a mirror finish, is there a finish, that in a customers eye, is more desireable? Does the actual finish impact performance to a point that a knife with finish A will be selected over knife B where the only difference is the finish?
 
I've been pondering this for awhile and I'm just going to go ahead and ask here. Why does no one do a bead or sand blast finish? Seems to me that it would be A) easier for the knife maker and B) provide a nice consistent satin finish.

-AJ
 
Yes the buyer gets what he wants of course!

As far as hand rubbed verses polished, either hand or machine polish, all the way to a mirror finish, is there a finish, that in a customers eye, is more desireable? Does the actual finish impact performance to a point that a knife with finish A will be selected over knife B where the only difference is the finish?

I like the way a polished blade glides through a potato/onion,I have had some rough finish's and I can feel the blade grabbing the food.I think you should polish one up and leave one at 400,let us know what you think cuts better.
 
Sand or bead blast finish requires a perfect finish first, any imperfection will be very apparent.
 
I must say that I don't care about finish that much (if at all), though I have enjoyed trying Dave's near mirror finish, and Mario's beautiful knives along with Scott's shiny Flitz 'rub outs' have made me consider mirror finishes more. With that said, I've wondered about mirror finishes on carbon blades that patina versus mirror finishes on other steels that don't patina. No particular reason, it's just crossed my mind a few times if there would be a difference.

k.
 
Spike, I have been told that a "stone wash" finish does not necessarily require a perfect finish beforehand, but in the case of thin blades like kitchen knives, that method may round over some things that you don't want rounded over. The typical blasted finish also may not be fine enough compared to what kitchen knife folks are used to.
Sand or bead blast finish requires a perfect finish first, any imperfection will be very apparent.
 
Yeah, I'm more of a hand rubbed to mirrored satin finish guy. I don't like worrying about scratching my knives up and the more "perfect" the finish, the less I enjoy using a knife. It's all mental for me.
 
Can the stock finish of a carbon OE knife like a Masamoto or Aritsugu be easily rubbed out? Or would I need to go through a progression of wet/dry papers and polishes? IIRC I saw in one of Salty's videos that he polished the engraved side of his Masamoto KS gyuto...
 
Aesthetically I love the forge scale knives. I don't really enjoy a mirror finish. I don't like when the scratches stand out so much. My knives are usually reasonably sharp but tend to get pretty scratched up from sharpening/daily line use.
 
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