How to touch up a japanese knife?

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10160

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So, I talked to Jon, the owner of Japanese Knife Imports in california, and he told me that ceramic honing rods aren't good for your knife. I forget exactly why but he was pretty passionate about it and went into specifics that went over my head.
So my question is, what's the best way to touch up a J knife? I have a takamura santoku (sg2), a miyabi mizu (sg2), and a shun nakiri (Vg-Max or vg-10). Some people say to do a couple passes on a strop with diamond compound. If this is the case, what grit level compound?
The other way people suggest is a few stropping strokes on a whetstone. If this is the case, what grit whetstone to do this on given my knives?
TIA
 
You can do this on any grit, honestly. . . but I would do 1K to 6K.

Ceramic rods can work . . . . but because they make contact with the edge of the knife only at one point, the pressure is a bit too high in my opinion, and the contact can chip fine edges. Also, slower than a sharpening stone. Stropping can work, but a stone is the best thing to get first.



I would get a 1K - 3K stone. . . expect to pay around $30+ for it. Shapton, King, Chosera, Gesshin, etc.
 
My usual sharpening is 1k to 4k.

For carbon I will strop on the 4k as needed (~10 strokes) to wake up the edge, then step down to the 1k on the weekend.

If you have a finishing stone 3k+ that's what I'd use to strop on.
 
Bart.s said:
Mostly use the NP3K for this. Once a week or so, just a couple of swipes to bring the edge back to life. When that doesn't work anymore, I'll drop down to the NP800.
Click to expand...
what does np stand for
 
I do exactly the same as for deburring on a fine stone. A few edge leading strokes and the last ones along the blade, all very light.
A good reason not to use a ceramic rod with SG-2 and VG-10 is the risk of a wire edge, a burr exactly on top of the edge. Very thin, very sharp and most vulnerable. It is likely to break off after the first board contact and leave a kind of moonscape behind. Or simply fold over the edge and make it perfectly dull.
 
10160 said:
is that better than the shapton
Click to expand...

Can't tell you, only have the Shapton Pro 220. Never tried the other Shapton's. Perhaps other members who've tried them both can tell you more about the differences.

The Naniwa Pro's run a little higher than their grit suggests, meaning the 800 will act more like a 1K stone and the 3K more like a 4K. Both cut plenty fast for me on a variety of steels and HRC. I just like the feel of them while sharpening. But what I really like about them is the feedback, i.e. feeling that I'm hitting the edge at the right angle while sharpening.

Edit: but to somewhat answer your question, both Naniwa and Shapton are top brands and both well liked on the forum. Don't think you can go wrong with either of them.
 
Last edited:
Bart.s said:
Can't tell you, only have the Shapton Pro 220. Never tried the other Shapton's. Perhaps other members who've tried them both can tell you more about the differences.

The Naniwa Pro's run a little higher than their grit suggests, meaning the 800 will act more like a 1K stone and the 3K more like a 4K. Both cut plenty fast for me on a variety of steels and HRC. I just like the feel of them while sharpening. But what I really like about them is the feedback, i.e. feeling that I'm hitting the edge at the right angle while sharpening.

Edit: but to somewhat answer your question, both Naniwa and Shapton are top brands and both well liked on the forum. Don't think you can go wrong with either of them.
Click to expand...
so apparently shapton only has 3000 grit in their glass stones, not in their pro/ceramic ones. Are the glass stones still friendly if you're not an expert sharpener? any differences?
the other brands i saw are Suehiro and King.
 
Bart.s said:
Can't tell you, only have the Shapton Pro 220. Never tried the other Shapton's. Perhaps other members who've tried them both can tell you more about the differences.

The Naniwa Pro's run a little higher than their grit suggests, meaning the 800 will act more like a 1K stone and the 3K more like a 4K. Both cut plenty fast for me on a variety of steels and HRC. I just like the feel of them while sharpening. But what I really like about them is the feedback, i.e. feeling that I'm hitting the edge at the right angle while sharpening.

Edit: but to somewhat answer your question, both Naniwa and Shapton are top brands and both well liked on the forum. Don't think you can go wrong with either of them.
Click to expand...
I very much agree on what you said about the NP's and the tactile feedback. It allows me to feel whether a burr got reached or even is gone. Not all users will regard it as an important point, though.
@10160: Within the Shapton Glass or Pro, and even more strongly the Naniwa Pro series, every stone has a different character. That makes sweeping statements about series little useful.
If you want to have specific stones compared, go on and ask. It's quite likely some members own or have used both. Open a new thread to make sure your question doesn't get overlooked.
 
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