Cheapest Project knife

[LucasFur]

the thing with project knives is that it’s pretty hard to sit through 20 hrs of grind correction thinning on a cheapo knife. The cheapo knife isn’t worth it, and the expensive knife shouldn’t have the issue to begin with. It’s not that amazing killing your coarsest stone, then trying to polish out the scratches to a point where it never seems like enough.
why buy a project knife? Why not use one you already have

 

[nakiriknaifuwaifu]

why buy a project knife? Why not use one you already have

Mistakes, that's why. I learned to sharpen, polish, and thin on inexpensive knives - it's far easier to experiment and fine tune technique when you've got metal to spare and don't have the pucker factor of working on an expensive knife.

Also just buy a cheap $10 diamond plate or two on ebay and use it with backing, stone problem solved.

 

[spaceconvoy]

I posted this in another thread but I might become a sandpaper evangelist. Coarse stones are expensive garbage! Sandpaper is love. And +1 to practicing sharpening and thinning on cheap project knives. I usually buy not-so inexpensive knives that become project knives because I don't like them. But if I were to buy the cheapest knife purposely to practice on, it would be a Pallares Solsona.

 

[tostadas]

View attachment 106837
I posted this in another thread but I might become a sandpaper evangelist. Coarse stones are expensive garbage! Sandpaper is love. And +1 to practicing sharpening and thinning on cheap project knives. I usually buy not-so inexpensive knives that become project knives because I don't like them. But if I were to buy the cheapest knife purposely to practice on, it would be a Pallares Solsona.

How long does a sheet of high quality sandpaper last? And do you use it for thinning?

 

[spaceconvoy]

I used it to remove a low spot from the bevel of this cleaver and it still was still cutting after about five minutes. Seems to slows down a little, maybe the abrasive gets rounded, but hard to tell a big difference. The bond on this sandpaper is pretty impressive, I feel like it could keep working for a long time without too much speed loss. It doesn't clog because you use it dry (wear a dust mask) and you just shake out the filings every few minutes. Unfortunately after testing some coarse stones I'm running out of knives that need thinning.

 

[NO ChoP!]

I've had a Tosa funayuki from Hida for years. Somehow through several mass sell outs, it's managed to stay with me.

There are certain things I use it for exclusively. Cutting cases of frozen softshell crab, breaking down lobsters, even fish fab where bones are present.

I've never babied it, rarely sharpen it, and it's held up like a champ. Kurouchi is black as ever, patina is very manageable. Grind isn't too wonky, reasonably thin, yet robust enough to use hard.

Probably the best $35 I've ever spent in this knife world, actually.

 

[M1k3]

the thing with project knives is that it’s pretty hard to sit through 20 hrs of grind correction thinning on a cheapo knife. The cheapo knife isn’t worth it, and the expensive knife shouldn’t have the issue to begin with. It’s not that amazing killing your coarsest stone, then trying to polish out the scratches to a point where it never seems like enough.
why buy a project knife? Why not use one you already have

Or buy a Denka? Not cheap AND a project knife.

 

[ModRQC]

Sorry to have missed the starting of this thead: I have a couple of project knives I’ll be selling real cheap soon. There will be AEB-L and SK5 in there for sure, perhaps a nice Moly, perhaps Blue #2 also.

 

[Alder26]

I know OP found his project knife but these look like a great option for others that may be following:

https://bernalcutlery.com/collectio...-bei-165mm-nakiri-kurouchi-finished-iron-clad

 

[AT5760]

Why buy a project knife? Good question. Each person will have a different answer.

For me, it was the confluence of a few things. 1) I'd like to improve my sharpening skills and I just don't do enough cutting on a daily basis for my regular knives to need frequent sharpening. Project knives let me experiment with stones and paper without worrying about scratches or unnecessary wear on nicer knives. 2) I wanted to get a better appreciation for what goes into finishing a knife. I abstractly "know" how much work it takes to make a high quality kitchen knife. After taking the time myself to round the choil and spine, remove KU, try to sand out hammer marks, and flatten bevels, it gives me greater understanding into the process (even if the tools are much different). 3) I am interested in the handle making process. Buying a project knife lets me knock off the handle and give that a try as well. If the handles don't turn out - no real loss. I can make another one or just relegate the project knife to the back drawer. 4) I moved at the end of last year and my knife budget for this year was pretty low. This was a way to try a couple of knives inexpensively. 5) I wanted a distraction from the monotonous basement work from home days. Walking over to my sharpening station and spending 20-30 minutes on one of the project knives has been a great way to clear my head.

For lots of people, none of these would be a good reason to buy a project knife. That's cool. The range of reasons that people are here and what they do with their knives is what keeps KKF from getting stale.

 

[LucasFur]

Why buy a project knife? Good question. Each person will have a different answer.

Lol I find this so comical, project knives can be your Grand mother’s hand me downs. Buy her a nice new Victoranox. Or even your old current knives. And buy yourself something decent. Not “buy a beater” ... if you want to practice, just do it. Thinning and re-working a grind, is something you work up to. And when you do ... your spending hrs, to remove maybe 0.1mm of steel.

none-the-less.
tell us OP. How did the project knife turn out ... did you mess it up? .. did you make it good? ... have you worked on it yet?

 

[AT5760]

Both of my grandmothers have passed away, so I won't be buying them any knives or sharpening theirs.

I think my post above answered your questions/comments about why I decided to buy a couple of project knives.

How did they turn out? I think the bunka has turned out pretty well. I've done several progressions from 220 sandpaper up to 5000 on the bunka. The bevels aren't completely flat and that's fine with me. Overall, it is thinner behind the edge than it was at the beginning and I've gotten better at scratch removal. The bunka is actually a nice utility knife. The nakiri isn't messed up, but I'm not convinced that I made it much better. The nakiri is much thinner at the spine with less pronounced bevels. When I worked on flattening those bevels, I ended up nearly eliminating the shoulders. I don't find myself using the nakiri much.

I rounded the choil and spine on both knives, removed most of the ku, and tried a couple of forced patinas. None of these were necessary, but I was interested in the process/work involved.

I made new handles for both of them. There is a separate thread somewhere where I posted those. The first one, for the nakiri, is really rough. It is usable, but not terribly attractive or comfortable. This winter, I may make a new handle for that knife. The handle for the bunka turned out quite a bit better. Although the handle is a little large for the knife from a visual perspective, it fits my hand well and doesn't mess with the balance too much.

 

[DavidPF]

IMO the warning doesn't do much except lead to warning fatigue and cause consumers to disregard more serious warnings. It has also produced a cottage industry for plaintiff's lawyers; they sue product manufacturers whose products contain trace amounts of these substances for failing to include the Prop. 65 warnings.

In at least one case, that type of warning has actually been oddly useful. If you need any leather dye, buy the one with warnings and restrictions, because that's the kind that actually works.

 

[preizzo]

Both of my grandmothers have passed away, so I won't be buying them any knives or sharpening theirs.

I think my post above answered your questions/comments about why I decided to buy a couple of project knives.

How did they turn out? I think the bunka has turned out pretty well. I've done several progressions from 220 sandpaper up to 5000 on the bunka. The bevels aren't completely flat and that's fine with me. Overall, it is thinner behind the edge than it was at the beginning and I've gotten better at scratch removal. The bunka is actually a nice utility knife. The nakiri isn't messed up, but I'm not convinced that I made it much better. The nakiri is much thinner at the spine with less pronounced bevels. When I worked on flattening those bevels, I ended up nearly eliminating the shoulders. I don't find myself using the nakiri much.

I rounded the choil and spine on both knives, removed most of the ku, and tried a couple of forced patinas. None of these were necessary, but I was interested in the process/work involved.

I made new handles for both of them. There is a separate thread somewhere where I posted those. The first one, for the nakiri, is really rough. It is usable, but not terribly attractive or comfortable. This winter, I may make a new handle for that knife. The handle for the bunka turned out quite a bit better. Although the handle is a little large for the knife from a visual perspective, it fits my hand well and doesn't mess with the balance too much.

Always buying project knives ,you really improve your skills, always easy to "fix" a already pretty good in shape knives