Honyaki polishing projects - A portfolio of my WIP

[KasumiJLA]

It's easy to get lost in the many threads on a forum so I'm going to put everything in the same place. I also love reading posts from those who do WIP so it's my turn to get started!

As the title says, this thread will be only about my honyaki polishing projects. I have an unhealthy (and guilty!) pleasure in making a honyaki mirror finish. I have currently two projects but let's start with the first one :

Knife maker - The Nine
Type - Gyuto, Honyaki
Steel - W2
Hrc - ~63
Length - 250mm
Total weight - 141g
Hamon style - Midare with ashi

So far it's a smooth and fun ride, I really enjoy working on this beauty!

The choil had marks and the spine had steep angles. I put everything back in order and rounded everything up. I am happy to have been able to remove the majority of the forge marks but unfortunately for a question of geometry and time, I will have to leave a few moles. It will be discreet and it will leave a bit of history! This knife is around 5~6 years old according to Robert.

 

[Repjapsteel]

Looking forward to watching the journey!

 

[KasumiJLA]

Both sides are now finished and I have managed to minimize the forge marks as much as possible. There is still a lot to do and I am keeping room to slowly reduce these little holes. I think that in the end it will still be quite difficult to see these marks, we'll see!

And thank you @Repjapsteel for the comment!

 

[Tekkz]

I look forward to following this thread with great interest!

 

[KasumiJLA]

I look forward to following this thread with great interest!

Thanks @Tekkz ! You did a nice job on your first thinning/kasumi project

 

[Tekkz]

Thanks @Tekkz ! You did a nice job on your first thinning/kasumi project

Aw thanks! I've got all your mirror polishing tutorials/examples saved- that's my next project.

 

[Logan A.]

Love these threads! Not a fan of the waiting though.

 

[KasumiJLA]

I love it when I get to this stage. It's still rough because you can see the scratches from the 4k diamond paste but the reflection is really nice! I'm starting to get into mirror territory and that's where I have the most fun!

You won't have to wait too long @Logan A. haha

 

[Tekkz]

I love it when I get to this stage. It's still rough because you can see the scratches from the 4k diamond paste but the reflection is really nice! I'm starting to get into mirror territory and that's where I have the most fun!

You won't have to wait too long @Logan A. haha

View attachment 276261

That's only a 4k?! Sheeeeeesh

 

[user 37848]

I've got all your mirror polishing tutorials/examples saved-

Same. This guy’s the best. Always answers my questions here or on IG too

 

[KasumiJLA]

That's only a 4k?! Sheeeeeesh

Yup! Scratch pattern will be refine until 14k and after that it's etching time. For the final shine I will go up to 200k.

Same. This guy’s the best. Always answers my questions here or on IG too

Oh thank you man! I'm not the best in this category but I try to improve with every projects tho! And it's always a pleasure to help

 

[KasumiJLA]

It's always better with natural light! Can't wait to make some pictures of the final polish with those fall colors

 

[Jaeger]

oh, now I realize it. I have seen many videos of yours on YT. how cool to be able to see your work here too

Fabian

 

[KasumiJLA]

oh, now I realize it. I have seen many videos of yours on YT. how cool to be able to see your work here too

Fabian

Oh thanks man!

I abandoned my YouTube channel but I would like to be able to start posting videos again. I am currently moving my store to a larger location with my own space. It will be cool to be able to get back into it!

 

[Jaeger]

That'll be cool to see some new content
Really enjoyed it

 

[KasumiJLA]

Polishing is done so it's time for etching. It's always a stressful moment, especially on a knife that is at this price point But everything went smooth with 3:1 FeCl3. There is still a lot to do but the final polish is coming!

 

[Jaeger]

Awesome!

Fabian

 

[KasumiJLA]

I should be able to finish the polishing today. The etching went well and I discovered a mountain of ashi, it's really magnificent! I thought I was finished but I'm going to go back to Ferric Chloride to do another etch. I want the pearlite to be a little whiter to balance the contrast, especially on the left side which has fewer ashi.

I am looking for balance and in my opinion it is one of the most difficult steps to do: both in the execution and in the choice of the final visual result.

 

[KasumiJLA]

Polishing is over, party! I'm super happy to have made the decision to work on the ashi again. The pearlite is now whiter and all the details of the quench are visible. I really like! There is still some finishing to do when the handle is installed.

But this video is to show the handle I make. No idea why I had never made a rokkaku hanmaru shape, but it is by far the most pleasant form to manipulate. I honestly think about only making this kind of shape now.. There is going to be a 3mm brass cap, the weight will be wonderfully distributed.

The wood I chose is pheasant, which I just received this week in my big order of 30 blocks of exotic wood

 

[KasumiJLA]

That's it, The Nine gyuto honyaki polishing project is finally completed! I'm really happy with the result and the handle goes really well with the vibe of this knife. There are still a few small imperfections on the blade, it's ok, the goal was not to remove everything. It still keeps its history and that gives it a certain charm like that. All that remains is to ship this knife to its owner. I hope you'll be happy with the work I did on your knife, Charles!

 

[Dan-]

You missed your other, other calling as a product photographer. I could only dream of one day being as good at any of these things (handles, polish, photog). Please do keep it up.

 

[KasumiJLA]

You missed your other, other calling as a product photographer. I could only dream of one day being as good at any of these things (handles, polish, photog). Please do keep it up.

Oh man, really sweet of you, thanks! I have to say that taking pictures of honyaki is really tricky. One tips is to crank your aperture (or speed if you want some bokeh) to remove much light as possible and brighten it up a bit afterwards in Lightroom to retrieve what your eyes saw. Mirror surface is more challenging too..

But thanks again and I will keep it up for sure

 

[OkayMode]

The depth and range of colours and textures in that handle is insane - I love the grain in the wood.

The choice of shape for it works perfectly too.

Obviously the Honyaki refinish is also stunning.

Just so so nice mate, beautiful work (again!)

 

[Mikeadunne]

Insane

 

[user 37848]

Like everyone has mentioned, this is amazing work in all aspects

 

[KasumiJLA]

The depth and range of colours and textures in that handle is insane - I love the grain in the wood.

The choice of shape for it works perfectly too.

Obviously the Honyaki refinish is also stunning.

Just so so nice mate, beautiful work (again!)

Thanks!! Yup, this is an amazing wood I got not so long ago, pheasant wood. I'm also in love with it and there so much going on without it stealing the spotlight of the blade. I started playing with brass and I really love that combination.



I'm working on my next honyaki knife and this is the wood I used, teak burl. These veins remind me of ashi, which will go wonderfully with the next blade! And thank you again for your kind words

 

[stumpt]

Gorgeous work. Really did that blade justice, hope it goes to a good home!

 

[KasumiJLA]

Insane

Thanks man!

Like everyone has mentioned, this is amazing work in all aspects

Thanks you buddy!

Gorgeous work. Really did that blade justice, hope it goes to a good home!

Thanks! I'm not worried about this knife, it will be treated with great care

 

[KasumiJLA]

I didn't talk about this one, but LOOK AT THIS BABY HONYAKI!

To be more precise it is the front of a gyuto which unfortunately broke during the tempering process. @MSicardCutlery offered to have fun with it and do some tests if I needed it for my polishing. That’s super generous of you and thank you again!

The only "problem" is that my girlfriend fell in love with it! So, this is now a project to complete. I'm gonna go all in and she choose a combination of buckeye burl with grape vine resin. I can't wait to see the final result!

Now the mirror finish is over and I can't play with etch to bring out this tiny hamon, or baby hamon to be cuter.

This is what girlfriend choose! Ok, that's not really my vibe for a handle but the ultimate goal is to make her a 100% custom knife. As long as she's happy, I'm happy!

 

[KasumiJLA]

Baby honyaki project is done and it was a really fun one!

For this one I really focused on bringing out the whitish pearlite. So I did 3 cycles of FeCl3 and I carefully polished to keep this beautiful contrast. It's really to my taste and I'm super happy with the result. The only thing left to do is the handle, I'm waiting for the wood that my girlfriend chose.

So today I can move on to the piece de resistance, the 195mm honyaki Santoku in W2 steel!

I made a small announcement elsewhere but me and @MSicardCutlery are going to collaborate together for the honyaki blades. I simply love his work and to own one of his knives, it's a downright joy to use. I still smile when I cut a carrot..

It has been a dream for a long time to be able to “associate” myself with someone who makes such beautiful blades and to then be able to sell the result of our respective passions. This Santoku is gonna be the first one, and I'm sure it won't be the last!

That hamon is simply amazing..