Am I using my laser incorrectly?

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henkle

henkle

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Hi. Although I have a number of jknives, I'm really moving from a freshman status to a sophomore when it comes to knife knowledge. I recently purchased a 230mm 52100 mono steel gyuto which is really fun to use - definitely a laser and a great cutter. However, it has developed a number of microchips over the last 3 months. I'm just a home cook and use a poly cutting board. I don't think I'm especially hard on my knives, and my other carbon steel knives (Ikeda B2, Wakui W2, Kamo AS) don't seem to have the same issue. My technique is certainly amateurish but mostly push cut or chop. Most of what I am cutting with this 52100 knife are vegetables (carrots, onions, broccoli, etc., nothing too hard). I just rotate my knife use based on fun rather than what each knife might be best at cutting. I'm wondering if perhaps I'm choosing the wrong knife for the job and that is why my knife is chipping, or is it the board or just crappy technique? I realize this may be a difficult question to answer without seeing the knife in action (used by me) but I was just surprised when these microchips appeared. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
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Have you sharpened it yet? Without knowing more that's generally the culprit as "factory" edges are usually belt ground and it stresses the steel more than whetstones, particularly if it is a zero grind. Often times a sharpening or two will remediate any microchipping issues on a knife.

Edit: @yummycrackers beat me to it
 
How big are the chips? Some of them might just be fatigue steel, a good sharpening can get them right. Tho 52100 might suffer temper embrittlement if tempered too high
 
The edge also may be a bit thinner than your technique can support. Sharpening it will thicken it up a bit (as well as getting rid of possibly fatigued steel).

I've had good luck with 52100, but my knife are not lasers.
 
All what has been said above. Get rid of the factory edge, start your progression with a medium-coarse stone and put a rather conservative on it, say 30° inclusive.
 
When this happens to any new (to me) knife, I just sharpen the microchipping out, add a microbevel, and then give it another round on the board to see if it holds up any better. Sometimes it takes two sharpenings to start seeing significant improvement, I wouldn't be too concerned until I got at least that far into using it.
 
All of the above points are good ones.

Which knife are we talking about? Which board are you using? This always factors into advice about edge durability.

I will say that going 3 months between sharpenings is stretching the friendship with most carbon steels.

If you sharpen the knife and the same thing happens, the edge angle is clearly too aggressive for your use case and you could consider a less acute edge or a microbevel.

Have a look at @stringer 's excellent "durability testing" series of threads.
 
I suspect this is mine, right? IIRC the BTE geometry was very thin on that particular blade. While 52100 is a remarkable steel, I suspect the blade is just too thin BTE to tolerate your particular arrangement. Making the knife thicker BTE will most likely correct the issue.
 
henkle said:
Hi. Although I have a number of jknives, I'm really moving from a freshman status to a sophomore when it comes to knife knowledge. I recently purchased a 230mm 52100 mono steel gyuto which is really fun to use - definitely a laser and a great cutter. However, it has developed a number of microchips over the last 3 months. I'm just a home cook and use a poly cutting board. I don't think I'm especially hard on my knives, and my other carbon steel knives (Ikeda B2, Wakui W2, Kamo AS) don't seem to have the same issue. My technique is certainly amateurish but mostly push cut or chop. Most of what I am cutting with this 52100 knife are vegetables (carrots, onions, broccoli, etc., nothing too hard). I just rotate my knife use based on fun rather than what each knife might be best at cutting. I'm wondering if perhaps I'm choosing the wrong knife for the job and that is why my knife is chipping, or is it the board or just crappy technique? I realize this may be a difficult question to answer without seeing the knife in action (used by me) but I was just surprised when these microchips appeared. Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

If a laser hasn't developed a few micro-chips over a few months of use then it could probably go thinner. Sounds like you are right at the sweet spot.
 
MSicardCutlery said:
I suspect this is mine, right? IIRC the BTE geometry was very thin on that particular blade. While 52100 is a remarkable steel, I suspect the blade is just too thin BTE to tolerate your particular arrangement. Making the knife thicker BTE will most likely correct the issue.
Click to expand...
Yes Matt, it is yours. Love the knife and wasn't finding fault with it. Assumed it was my cutting technique. Thanks for the advice will try to implement it soon. Thanks to everyone else as well.
 
henkle said:
Yes Matt, it is yours. Love the knife and wasn't finding fault with it. Assumed it was my cutting technique. Thanks for the advice will try to implement it soon. Thanks to everyone else as well.
Click to expand...
No worries. I'm glad you're enjoying the knife, and I didn't infer any criticism. I hope it all works out.
 
Poly boards are the devil. Get some wood and never look back. (No bamboo)

Sounds like you have a nice fine cutting edge though. For me, a factory fresh Yoshikane (notable for very fine edges) will almost always chip a tiny bit. You’re not alone! With a little sharpening, things will change and you’ll see fewer chips over time.
 
I wrongly assumed a crazy factory edge was the culprit, but with @MSicardCutlery 's explanation I'm wondering whether a much more conservative edge than a 30°, say a 36° with some convexity, could help? With the blade being so thin BTE no loss of performance is to be feared.
 
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