WIP - First Knife

Shop Knives and stones on ebay
Japanese Knives - by Tokushu Knife
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Very, very impressive for a first shot. Nice work Marko!
 
Distant relative of Kramer? keep makin`em like that and we shall see your smiling face on T.V :thumbsup2:
 
If you didn't mention the size I'd have sworn it was a 240mm gyuto, looks good to me. :thumbsup:
 
OK, so I am down to making a handle and putting an edge on the knife on the stones.
Overall, this was fun experience. I have learned a lot and I am happy how my first knife turned out. I can't wait to use it. My next project will be 135mm honesuki. I still have my Watanabe honesuki and I liked it a lot, but I would like to make one in a different steel.

Here are the pics of the 180mm gyuto next to Shigefusa. As you pointed out earlier, the knife I made was inspired by Shigefusa profile and geometry. The last picture is 150mm Shigefusa petty.

180mm gyuto (180mm on the edge) in 52100. 3.25mm on the spine at the machi, 0.75mm 10mm from the tip. 94g.

M
DSC_1701.jpg

DSC_1702.jpg

DSC_1705.jpg

DSC_1706.jpg

PS: for those whom I own custom work. I am sorry for taking time to work on this project. I had to get it out of my system. I am back to working and you will be hearing from me soon. :(
 
Nice. Can't wait to see how you think it performs.
 
This one was to practice grinding, so I won't spend much time testing it, other than putting an edge and using it in the kitchen. Once I get comfortable grinding, I will do a rope cutting test, for the steels I am interested in trying out. I am going to make several identical knives (geometry) and test them side-by-side for performance.

M
 
Don't get me wrong. I'd like to see the rope test results but the true test of a good grind is the way it goes through an onion, imo. As I'm sure you know, some relatively thick blades can fly through an onion while some relatively thin ones really don't. I like to take a LARGE onion and cut it Salty/Theory style with horizontal and vertical cuts rather than radial. If can get a feel for the grind by simply gauging the relative ease of making each cut, being careful to get through most of the onion on the horizontal cuts. I'm not saying other tests don't work. This is the one that tells me the most about how I'm going to like the knife.
 
Great job for the first one Marko.

Hoss
 
Marko Tsourkan said:
PS: for those whom I own custom work. I am sorry for taking time to work on this project. I had to get it out of my system. I am back to working and you will be hearing from me soon. :(
Click to expand...

Doesn't bother me a bit. Sometimes you gotta do something different to keep you motivated and loving what you do. Blade looks great!
 
How did I miss this thread:slaphead:..... It Looks Fabulous!
 
Good job!
And given that this is the first knife is fantastic!
One gets the impression that you make knives for many years.:bladesmith:
 
tk59 said:
Don't get me wrong. I'd like to see the rope test results but the true test of a good grind is the way it goes through an onion, imo. As I'm sure you know, some relatively thick blades can fly through an onion while some relatively thin ones really don't. I like to take a LARGE onion and cut it Salty/Theory style with horizontal and vertical cuts rather than radial. If can get a feel for the grind by simply gauging the relative ease of making each cut, being careful to get through most of the onion on the horizontal cuts. I'm not saying other tests don't work. This is the one that tells me the most about how I'm going to like the knife.
Click to expand...

Thanks, guys.
yes, geometry is a key here. I personally like knives that do not flex at the spine. I have had an opportunity (still have, sorry Jason) to study a Kramer chef and he is following the same principle - good geometry combined with weight at the spine makes knife fall through the food. I will continue this in all knives I will make.

I didn't take any measurements (or scribed lines) while making this knife. I just eyeballed it and I started with a fairly thick stock - 4.65mm (another lesson learned - select steel with closest thickens to your final product. I ended with a huge pile of dust that once was metal. Grinding 62RC steel is not easy, lemme tell you. :) ).

Final measurements are the following:
3.3mm - spine at the machi
3mm - spine over the heel
2mm - spine half way
.7mm - 10mm from the tip
.7mm - 1/4" behind the edge (zero or close to, at the edge)
Total weight of the knife with the handle should be in the area of 150g - it should feel light and nimble.

Will keep you posted as I keep making progress on it. But now i really need to get to custom work orders.

M

PS: I wouldn't have made this knife without Devin's help. The trip to Panaca and his advise has been priceless. I am gratefuller for this.
 
Looking good :thumbsup:
 
Marko Tsourkan said:
PS: for those whom I own custom work. I am sorry for taking time to work on this project. I had to get it out of my system. I am back to working and you will be hearing from me soon. :(
Click to expand...

No worries, this new venture is fun to watch.
 
Vladimir said:
I noticed a little rounded heel is on the knife, so it should be?
Click to expand...

Yes. I borrowed this feature from Bob Kramer. On taller knives, like full-size gyuto, there is not need for rounding the heel, but on the shorter knives, such as petties or small gyutos, depending on a grip, your index finger might get cut by a sharp heel. My wife complained about it the moment I gave her a first Japanese knife 150mm petty. This was one thing she didn't like about it, and loved everything else.

The rounding is not as prominent as on Kramer knvies, but yes, it is intentional.

M
 
Marko, looks great! (You should see my first attempt, oh boy!) Keep going, and have fun!
 
PierreRodrigue said:
Marko, looks great! (You should see my first attempt, oh boy!) Keep going, and have fun!
Click to expand...

Thanks for encouragement, Pierre-

I am having a great time. I picked up a 250+ pounds anvil today for about .70-.80/lb so I am a happy camper though it was awful for one person to move, let me tell you. Now I can stamp my name, peen and do some work on metal ferrules.
As far as my next knife goes, it will be a single-beveled.

M
 
About the only thing I can add, with a very amateur eye, is that it looks clean....as in very smooth lines. Definitely does not look like a first attempt.

Congrats on getting it out of your blood....for now. I look forward to seeing what you impulses lead to next.
 
Marko Tsourkan said:
Thanks for encouragement, Pierre-

I am having a great time. I picked up a 250+ pounds anvil today for about .70-.80/lb so I am a happy camper though it was awful for one person to move, let me tell you. Now I can stamp my name, peen and do some work on metal ferrules.
As far as my next knife goes, it will be a single-beveled.

M
Click to expand...


What'da score? I have an anvil fetish. :D
 
Dave Martell said:
What'da score? I have an anvil fetish. :D
Click to expand...

This one:
http://newlondon.craigslist.org/tls/2433441215.html

These are BEFORE pictures. AFTER pictures will follow after I get to work a bit on it. I have witnessed what wonders wire-brushing and oiling can do an old hunk of metal. I have restored an old Wilton bullet vise recently. You would not believe it's the same vice. Just needs a paint job and will be like-new.

Back to the anvil. I suspect it was originally 300lb, and now with a hardy hole section missing it is probably 270Lb. As I needed an anvil mostly for stamping and peening, this is not a problem for me. It could use some wire brushing and oiling, but other than that, the surface is flat, corners crisp and overall it is in a very good condition. And the best things - it was about 30 miles from where my relatives (whom I visit regularly and happened to visit this weekend) live in CT. Shipping this anvil would have cost me more than the anvil itself. I was the first person to contact the seller, and he got seven inquires after me. :)

M
 
I always liked honesuki shape and have used mine (Watanabe) as a parer on occasions. It was a little too thick for that task, but one thing I liked even less was that it was not very easy to sharpen. I was basically flat ground to about 3/16 and from there a convex to the edge. So, when I was thinking about makign a single-beveled knife I dedided on a honosuke derivative - single bevel with a shinogi line, less height at the heel and thinner.

I gave a knife a hamaguriba edge, a hollow back (48" platen), and a kensaki (?) tip, which is mostly for decoration - I always wondered how it was ground. The knife is about 140mm long, 1.5" tall and 2.5mm thick over the heel with a moderate distal taper toward the tip. I set the ura, sharpened and brought it home yesterday to do some cutting. I decided to grind it a little thinner (did well on soft food, but wedged moderately on hard food like apples and pears). Let me tell you, 52100 performs like a charm, and I didn't even go over 3K in my sharpening.

Now need to pick up some backing soda to use as an anti-rusting agent and resharpen the knife and re-set the ura and touch up the shinogi line here and there. The knife has a machine finish now, and I don't think I will do a hand rubbed finish this time.

Not particularly good pics, but it's too dark to take more pics now.

M

DSC_1712.jpg

DSC_1713.jpg

DSC_1714.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top