Maybe this belongs in the Handiwork subforum but I'm putting it here because the underlying sentiment applies to all of us I think.
So I got this knife... I can't call myself the father of it. That would be the blacksmith who created it. But, I reckon my purchase and ownership qualifies me as the adoptive father.
The knife is a Yashima 165mm nakiri that, with the help of one of Michael's rather ubiquitous post-purchase $10 coupons, cost me the princely sum of a touch of over sixty bucks on Knife Japan.
https://knifejapan.com/yashima-nogu-kogyo-nakiri-bocho-165mm-shirogami-1/
Like most of Michael's offerings, the knife is rustic fare. Meaning fit and finish aren't given a lot of thought but the blade is true and well heat treated. When I ordered the knife, I did so with the stated 139g in mind. What I received though was I think 175g. There was nothing wrong with the knife but it was thick and thick down low. The shinogi swelled in spots and right around the cladding line things started to get assertive. It wasn't really a bad grind and at first I thought it was just a robust, do-all affair but it was actually quite workhorsey. That suits many tastes but not really mine and even with a more workhorse oriented knife I like that aspect to start a little higher up.
It was a good looking knife though and the kurouchi finish was smooth and robust.
I gave the knife a sharpening that included a little shoulder relief and I did use it some.
But alas, the wedginess was more than I liked and I had blades that were so much slicier that it wasn't long before the Yashima sat on the rack. And each time my hand reached up for a knife I could almost feel it's hopeful anticipation followed by sorrow when I grabbed another. All the other kids got to play but Yashima sat.
I hate having knives that I don't like to use. Now, like the rest of you, I don't mind having knives I choose not use but not knives I don't like to use. Provided there's no defects causing that, I may sell it to someone who would appreciate the knife's particular attributes or more often, I want to make it work for me.
And so it was with this guy and I embarked on multiple sessions spanning weeks and a variety of stones, thinning and testing it, trying to bring the grind to a state that suited my tastes. I smoothed the spine and choil and blended the ho wood to meet the plastic ferrule.
Each time I worked on it, I'd sharpen it back up and give it a whirl. And each time felt better.
But, each time I'd still not be satisfied and the knife would ultimately end up back sitting on the rack. At one point I thought I had it and I even had the knife looking pretty good after all that work. Aesthetics are something I don't get hung up on a knife like this but I of course don't mind a knife looking good. But again...no. By now, this was the most extensive work I'd put into a knife. I've thinned a lot of knives but none to this extent. Grams of blade had been turned into swarf and my arthritic thumbs began to stage protests each time I reached for a stone and the Yashima handle.
I still wasn't happy. And so, it was time to fully commit the knife to test mule status. Power was called for.
I played around with power grinding enough to have lost my prior fear of it but that's about it. I knew going in it would never look pretty again so my goal was to make it work for me without screwing up the heat treat or the overall grind.
This too I did in multiple sessions, a little at a time and always sharpening and using and evaluating. Eventually I got it. I'd achieved a Sanjo-esque geometry, broad shoulders and a narrow waist. It was gliding through produce and putting a smile on my face. My little Yashima was all grown up and in the regular rotation.
I used my little WEN 1x30 belt sander with fresh belts. Started at 80 grit and was diligent about heat management. In no session did I go above 180 grit until I had it performing like I wanted. There were (and still are) some high and low spots and no doubt I created some new ones but that is all aesthetics. But I did make one mistake and as cliche as it is, it was right at the end when I was only gonna make another pass or two. I had a 400 grit belt on. My thumbs were tired and I should've stopped but... There was one little spot near the edge I wanted to get and when I leaned the knife in, I went a touch too far and got a spot of overgrind. It's about 3/8" and didn't impact the termination of the edge, just the side. All is still flat.
Now, the following pictures are going to enflame @ethompson's OCD enough to send him on a two-day binder. The reflections make it look worse than it actually is and I promise the edge is true and even and straight. When I left it rough you couldn't see all the fluctuations that you can when I quite ironically tried to make it look better.
The kurouchi had taken a beating and the scratch pattern was more erratic than my mom's moods but the performance was excellent. Since it was a test mule I also did my first handle burn attempt. Then I did relent and somewhat smooth things in with some sandpaper. Maybe these pics speak more to my performance-first friend @stringer.
My kimono is wide open here and I'm hiding nothing. Again, the edge and overall grind are solid, it's just the appearance that is lacking.
All said and done, the knife is now at 167 grams, meaning it lost eight grams in this endeavor. When I started out, just behind the edge measured .5-.6mm. It's now down to around .2 and maybe more importantly, it transitions much more slowly up the blade.
I could send this guy to the likes of @tostadas or @KasumiJLA and while they would grunt and curse, they would no doubt soon have it looking better than new. But I'm super happy with it.
I've made much more expensive knives ugly in the pursuit of performance but again, none quite like this. I learned a ton!!! Despite the frustrations and sometimes disappointments, I had a blast.
So what does all of this have to do with the broader forum? Well, it's that there's something in this hobby for everyone. Some will just glance at these pictures, scrunch their nose and move on. Other's will recoil at the scratches. Some will shake their head at the starting price and initial offering while others still will smile in understanding. And none of those folks, or any of the ones in between are wrong.
You don't have to work on your knives (although I do strongly advocate sharpening). You can salivate over Damasteel or let hammer marks and flaky KU turn your crank. You can groove on big ass gyutos or short nakiri. Have fun! Enjoy the hobby and the massive diversity of offerings out there. There truly is something for everyone and the only thing that matters is what you like.
Alright. Beer time.
So I got this knife... I can't call myself the father of it. That would be the blacksmith who created it. But, I reckon my purchase and ownership qualifies me as the adoptive father.
The knife is a Yashima 165mm nakiri that, with the help of one of Michael's rather ubiquitous post-purchase $10 coupons, cost me the princely sum of a touch of over sixty bucks on Knife Japan.
https://knifejapan.com/yashima-nogu-kogyo-nakiri-bocho-165mm-shirogami-1/
Like most of Michael's offerings, the knife is rustic fare. Meaning fit and finish aren't given a lot of thought but the blade is true and well heat treated. When I ordered the knife, I did so with the stated 139g in mind. What I received though was I think 175g. There was nothing wrong with the knife but it was thick and thick down low. The shinogi swelled in spots and right around the cladding line things started to get assertive. It wasn't really a bad grind and at first I thought it was just a robust, do-all affair but it was actually quite workhorsey. That suits many tastes but not really mine and even with a more workhorse oriented knife I like that aspect to start a little higher up.
It was a good looking knife though and the kurouchi finish was smooth and robust.
I gave the knife a sharpening that included a little shoulder relief and I did use it some.
But alas, the wedginess was more than I liked and I had blades that were so much slicier that it wasn't long before the Yashima sat on the rack. And each time my hand reached up for a knife I could almost feel it's hopeful anticipation followed by sorrow when I grabbed another. All the other kids got to play but Yashima sat.
I hate having knives that I don't like to use. Now, like the rest of you, I don't mind having knives I choose not use but not knives I don't like to use. Provided there's no defects causing that, I may sell it to someone who would appreciate the knife's particular attributes or more often, I want to make it work for me.
And so it was with this guy and I embarked on multiple sessions spanning weeks and a variety of stones, thinning and testing it, trying to bring the grind to a state that suited my tastes. I smoothed the spine and choil and blended the ho wood to meet the plastic ferrule.
Each time I worked on it, I'd sharpen it back up and give it a whirl. And each time felt better.
But, each time I'd still not be satisfied and the knife would ultimately end up back sitting on the rack. At one point I thought I had it and I even had the knife looking pretty good after all that work. Aesthetics are something I don't get hung up on a knife like this but I of course don't mind a knife looking good. But again...no. By now, this was the most extensive work I'd put into a knife. I've thinned a lot of knives but none to this extent. Grams of blade had been turned into swarf and my arthritic thumbs began to stage protests each time I reached for a stone and the Yashima handle.
I still wasn't happy. And so, it was time to fully commit the knife to test mule status. Power was called for.
I played around with power grinding enough to have lost my prior fear of it but that's about it. I knew going in it would never look pretty again so my goal was to make it work for me without screwing up the heat treat or the overall grind.
This too I did in multiple sessions, a little at a time and always sharpening and using and evaluating. Eventually I got it. I'd achieved a Sanjo-esque geometry, broad shoulders and a narrow waist. It was gliding through produce and putting a smile on my face. My little Yashima was all grown up and in the regular rotation.
I used my little WEN 1x30 belt sander with fresh belts. Started at 80 grit and was diligent about heat management. In no session did I go above 180 grit until I had it performing like I wanted. There were (and still are) some high and low spots and no doubt I created some new ones but that is all aesthetics. But I did make one mistake and as cliche as it is, it was right at the end when I was only gonna make another pass or two. I had a 400 grit belt on. My thumbs were tired and I should've stopped but... There was one little spot near the edge I wanted to get and when I leaned the knife in, I went a touch too far and got a spot of overgrind. It's about 3/8" and didn't impact the termination of the edge, just the side. All is still flat.
Now, the following pictures are going to enflame @ethompson's OCD enough to send him on a two-day binder. The reflections make it look worse than it actually is and I promise the edge is true and even and straight. When I left it rough you couldn't see all the fluctuations that you can when I quite ironically tried to make it look better.
The kurouchi had taken a beating and the scratch pattern was more erratic than my mom's moods but the performance was excellent. Since it was a test mule I also did my first handle burn attempt. Then I did relent and somewhat smooth things in with some sandpaper. Maybe these pics speak more to my performance-first friend @stringer.
My kimono is wide open here and I'm hiding nothing. Again, the edge and overall grind are solid, it's just the appearance that is lacking.
All said and done, the knife is now at 167 grams, meaning it lost eight grams in this endeavor. When I started out, just behind the edge measured .5-.6mm. It's now down to around .2 and maybe more importantly, it transitions much more slowly up the blade.
I could send this guy to the likes of @tostadas or @KasumiJLA and while they would grunt and curse, they would no doubt soon have it looking better than new. But I'm super happy with it.
I've made much more expensive knives ugly in the pursuit of performance but again, none quite like this. I learned a ton!!! Despite the frustrations and sometimes disappointments, I had a blast.
So what does all of this have to do with the broader forum? Well, it's that there's something in this hobby for everyone. Some will just glance at these pictures, scrunch their nose and move on. Other's will recoil at the scratches. Some will shake their head at the starting price and initial offering while others still will smile in understanding. And none of those folks, or any of the ones in between are wrong.
You don't have to work on your knives (although I do strongly advocate sharpening). You can salivate over Damasteel or let hammer marks and flaky KU turn your crank. You can groove on big ass gyutos or short nakiri. Have fun! Enjoy the hobby and the massive diversity of offerings out there. There truly is something for everyone and the only thing that matters is what you like.
Alright. Beer time.
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