More than I can chew? (New Konosuke Fujiyama 210 Gyuto)

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begemotb

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Hello All,

Thanks you all for this top-notch (if habit-forming) forum.

I'm an enthusiastic home cook who recently went on a knife upgrading spree. I had used Globals (Asian chef, paring, veggie cleaver and slicer, with a Minosharp contraption) for 10 years, but was never happy with their sharpness after the factory edge dulled. I finally decided I wanted to learn to sharpen and at the same time get something longer than my 7-inch go-to Asian Chef.

I got a Tojiro 240 gyuto and 120 petty, along with an EdgePro Apex 4. It was like getting 5 new knives at once, because the EP resurrected my aging Globals.

After playing with the Tojiro a bit (rounded the spine and choil - sanded the sharp edges off the handle), I decided I would keep it as my sole 240mm, but that I wanted to explore carbon and at the same time get something a little shorter. My wife and I often cook together in our smallish kitchen, so the 240mm blade complicates our choreography.

I got a Konosuke Fujiyama 210 Gyuto and love it so far. Takes some getting used to after the much heavier Tojiro, but I think the two different hefts complement each other well.

My question for you is this: how do I sharpen this thing? For all my other j-knives, I used the edge pro to create a 15 degree 50/50 bevel. But with the Kono, I can't even see the OOTB edge. When I first took it out of the box I thought it wasn't even sharpened. I assure you I was mistaken - very sharp. Even with a 20x loupe I can't really see the bevel.

Since the edge is too small to use the Sharpie method, and I definitely don't want to start grinding away randomly at this beauty, can anyone offer some advice on how to approach my first sharpening session (angle and grit)? I hope I don't have more knife than I can sharpen...

Thanks

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I took my fujiyama as low as i could go with me current skill level at hand sharpening. I guess that doesnt help because idk what angle that would be. I thinned the secondary bevels, but at my currant skill level the angle was so low i put some scratches halfway up the blade face on the left side. To compensate for this i took some 800 grit automotive sand paper and gave the whole knife a "hand rubbed " finish. I lost my "shinogi" lines as a side effect. I guess what im trying to say is.. i dont really know how to help. Go low on the primary bevel or go hamaguri on the seconday, maybe addibg a micro bevel
 
If you're careful with your knives, I'm sure these will take a ~10 deg bevel, no problem. Pretty much all the nice carbon steels we talk about here can. If it chips or deforms a bit, just thicken it slightly.
 
Thanks to you both. Sounds like I should set the EP as low as I can go w/out scuffing the blade. Do you think the konosuke will need thinning anytime soon?
 
It purely up to you when you'd want to thin. The thinner it is near the edge, the better it's gonna cut. I've started thinning almost every time I sharpen. That said, I'd probably thin that knife after maybe 4 sharpenings or so. At that point, the heftier knives feel thick enough that I'd rather use something else.
 
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