Recent content by metamorpheus

When you're breaking in a knife that's never been thinned, trying to remove all grind marks, and the edge is turning into aluminum foil and peeling away, when do you reprofile? Historically I've done it after I finish polishing and prior to sharpening. I'm thinking of doing it once all the marks...

Size matters to a point depending on what you're doing. On a wider stone the blade is more comfortably balanced. It's easier to finish with the weight of the blade pressure for me with a wider one. For polishing a wider stone is a bigger reservoir for slurry. It's also easier to rest more of...

I took a small gamble and bought a hard suita nagura from him that matches my hard ohira uchi well. Was sold as Okudo, but I'm less interested in that than I am with how it works. I would have felt less comfortable making a larger purchase, but I didn't look at enough of his listings to see the...

My first was an Akapin I got on ebay from a smaller seller in Japan for $140 or so. It gave me a taste for the refined toothy edge with my Kurosaki AS. I preferred that edge over the SS 5k. I dont sharpen with it anymore, but I still use it in a polishing progression. I use my naturals more...

I can see style playing a role with preference. I switch hands and always have the spine facing me when sharpening. When thinning and polishing I also switch hands, but prefer the spine facing away from me. I can more comfortable drop pressure very low and keep the angle by stabilizing the...

I mainly use 2 gyutos. A kurosaki R2 and a kurosaki AS that has been thinned to an extreme. Edge trailing, even on a fine Jnat, will raise a burr easily, so I prefer to treat that like a razor edge.

Anyone else like to finish and touch up using edge leading strokes? I used to use edge trailing strokes, but have found that I'm much more likely to get a wire edge or a keen but fragile edge. Edge leading strokes seem to lend a little more bite to the edge, make it more durable, and are easier...

Some beauties, GLWS. I actually broke out the Uchi you sold me earlier for a little polishing. That stone is fast and super clean. Gives that scratch less dark satin grain semi mirror jigane if worked long enough. I even use it as a pre finisher for my razors.

Don't sleep on the suita naguras. I'm using the $50 one on a big 4.5 aiiwatani and it feels like cheating as a gyuto finisher/touch up combo. Fast results and the perfect balance of tooth and drop through food polish. I've been using this combo for my Kurosaki R2 and getting edges from it that...

It depends. I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but it's the truth. I don't think they cut fast because of renge. I think it may be that the ohira aka(pink) renge suita with really prolific patterning is more likely to be from a shallower tenjyou layer with a grit more comparable to...

As Marcelo has said, I find naturals to have the most effect on thin behind the edge knives. I find synth finishers raise a burr too easily on my thinned AS knife and don't provide the same polished toothy edge I like. Much easier to fully deburr and refine the edge with my suita or softer...

Too fine of a polish and wet veggies suction onto the blade road. Too coarse gets grabby on food and the knife wont drop through as smooth. Behind the edge is the most important. Better to have a fine kasumi with a litte texture to channel the water through the grooves.

Methanol with machines is fine, but you really shouldn't be getting that on your skin. Using toxic solvents just doesn't sound like it's worth any small bump in performance. Just stick to ethanol

I've been working on this knife for a month. Not full time, but I've dedicated the majority of at least 5 days off and 1-2 hours a day. There's a point where one must accept good enough. I'll give it another 2-3 weeks, but really want to use this knife again. My backup is awful for onions. I...

I can see the truth in this with the limited experience I have. Masking of grind scratches while using lower grit synths has been a major issue on this project. I had a nice even finish on my 150 grit stone only to have those vertical devil scratches reappear. They extended all the way down...